Sky Bet trader Dan Birkinshaw highlights which horses have proved popular in the Cheltenham Festival markets and which favourites the firm are keen to oppose.
It has been a busy enough week on the trading floor Cheltenham-wise with Trials Day taking place on Saturday. On the card, Jagwar was an impressive winner of Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase, a race which tends to have a big influence come March.
He’s 5/1 from 9/1 Non Runner No Bet for the novices' handicap chase at the Festival on the back of that, while East India Dock is 5/2 from 5/1 for the JCB Triumph Hurdle after winning easily in the trial for that race.
On January 17 Sky Bet went NRNB on all races at the Cheltenham Festival. Since then, there have been plenty of market moves of note.
The Gavin Cromwell-trained Now Is The Hour has been very well supported at all prices down from 20/1 first show into current 3/1 favourite for the National Hunt Novices' Chase. The bulk of this move came on the back of an eye-catching run in what looked an above-average beginners' chase at Navan. The Irish handicapper has since increased his chase rating to 135 from 125, which should get him into the race comfortably once assessed by the British equivalent.
Stencil (Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) is another that has been very well backed since the NRNB markets went live.
He was 14/1 on release, but is into 6/1 favourite after being well supported prior to and since an admirable effort behind East India Dock on Saturday. His rating has yet to be confirmed by the British handicapper, however, so his supporters will be hoping the assessor gives him a favourable mark with March in mind.
It has been one-way traffic for the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase since Sunday, with Bioluminescence into 4/1 from 11/2 NRNB after an excellent run in the Grade 3 at Naas behind Dancing City.
She had to concede a penalty (8lb wrong at the weights) to that one after winning a Grade 2 on her chase debut in December and ran an excellent race. Connections won the Mares' Chase last year with a similar enough staying type in Limerick Lace and punters have latched onto this one too. Ground with some ease in would be a help.
While we are live with our NRNB odds, we have also continued to offer an antepost book alongside and there are a few we are happy to be laying as it stands from an antepost angle.
The New Lion (5/2, Turners Novices’ Hurdle) is one we are happy to lay currently. It looks as though there could be plenty of opposition against him, with Willie Mullins keen to run a few of those this weekend. Sir Gerhard (2022) and Ballyburn (2024) both won the two-mile novice hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival before winning the Turners and should one from that yard impress this weekend, 5/2 about The New Lion could look short enough with the Mullins team having won the last three renewals of the two-mile-five-furlong novice hurdle at the Festival.
The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase looks deep enough at this stage, so we’re keen to lay Ballyburn at 7/2.
You have got plenty of opposition running for you with the likes of Dancing City and The Jukebox Man impressing over fences thus far. Ballyburn has yet to convince with his jumping and, whilst it was a decent effort behind Sir Gino last time, he will need to sharpen up. Even were he to win the two-mile-five-furlong novice chase at Leopardstown this weekend, he would still have stamina to prove racing at three miles for the first time under Rules in the Brown Advisory.
Article published 1000 GMT 28/01/25
Festival Favourites
This week welcomes the return of Sky Bet’s popular Festival Favourites series, which will be running each week in the lead up to the meeting.
It consists of a multiple which will be top-price across the industry and goes live every Monday for a limited time. A non-runner will result in bets being settled as an enhanced single.
Click here to back Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle and Jonbon to win the Champion Chase at 4/1
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