Review: Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide

You know the greatest show on turf is just around the corner when the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide thumps onto the doormat. 

It’s one of the most welcome deliveries of the year.

Now in it’s 18th season, the book has proved an invaluable tool for punters for many years now and continues to change and adapt.

This year for example the Major Players section has gone, editor Matt Tombs, not unreasonably, pointing out the lack of firm running plans at the point of publication meaning it was a fruitless task and often out-of-date before the book is used in anger by readers.

In its place comes analysis from professional punter Andy Gibson, Kevin Blake of At The Races, Betfair’s Tony Keenan and the peerless Lydia Hislop. We may be biased but her Road To Cheltenham Series on sportinglife.com has become a must-read for any Festival aficionado and her contribution here is fantastic.

Don’t worry - the spine of the book, the stats, are all there, in the usual race-by-race format. 

Key trends, both positive and negatives, trainer watch, predictability factor and 'freshnessometer' are gauges used. And all make for some fascinating reading.

At £15.95, this isn’t the cheapest Festival guide on the market and others have merit too, but it remains the original and the best.

Whether you’re a stats punter, a Cheltenham fan or merely looking for a different angle, there’s something in here for you. 

Click here to order your copy of the Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide 2017