Sky Bet NRNB ALL Cheltenham Festival races & we have the best bets

The offer is live now on all 28 races, but if you don’t want the safety net and reduced prices there is the option of betting in the antepost markets without the concession.

With 46 days to go until the Festival Sky Bet spokesman Michael Shinners was delighted to announce the offer of both markets.

He said: “With the Cheltenham Festival getting closer, we are going Non Runner No Bet on all 28 races from 9am on Thursday.

“Options for many horses are still very much up in the air, so the safety blanket of getting your money back if you don’t get a run will be appealing to our customers.

“However, for the first time we are also keeping our ante post book available for those customers who are prepared to take a risk for bigger prices”.

We asked our team to come up with the best NRNB bets they could find…

Click here to check out the latest Sky Bet NRNB Cheltenham Festival prices

Ben Linfoot – EL FABIOLO – 12/1 in Sky Bet Supreme Novices’

The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle looks a hot renewal but the chances are not all of Constitution Hill, Jonbon, Dysart Dynamo and Sir Gerhard will turn up.

Willie Mullins trains the last pair and either could run in the Ballymore, his two-mile novice hurdling pecking order likely to be confirmed after the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Sir Gerhard is entered in that race but stablemate EL FABIOLO could take him on and he was a seriously impressive winner on his first start for Mullins at Tramore on New Year’s Day.

He didn’t come off the bridle that day and could be anything, but it was telling that Mullins said ‘he’s up there with all of those’ afterwards, nodding towards some of his previous Tramore maiden hurdle winners from the past, like Penhill, Laurina and Saint Roi, all Cheltenham Festival winners.

The latter won the County Hurdle and that could well be the destination for El Fabiolo as he’ll qualify for handicaps after his DRF run – he’s 8/1 for the County in Sky Bet’s NRNB markets.

However, he’s the sort of NRNB bet I like at 12s for the Supreme, as if he beats Sir Gerhard and co at Leopardstown he’ll almost certainly go for the Festival opener, and more like a 3/1 shot, while if he gets beaten and goes down the County route we’ll get our money back.

Click here to check out the latest Sky Bet NRNB Cheltenham Festival prices

Matt Brocklebank - FINEST EVERMORE – 14/1 in Mares’ Hurdle

The Dublin Racing Festival will obviously help determine which Cheltenham Festival races a lot of horses are likely to be aimed towards and I’m dead interested in what Willie Mullins might be thinking for FINEST EVERMORE.

Held in high regard prior to fluffing her lines as the odds-on favourite behind Skyace in a Listed race at Punchestown in December 2020, her subsequent time away from the track suggests she could be worth excusing that defeat, and I thought there were positives to be taken from her comeback run when fourth behind Royal Kahala at Leopardstown this Christmas.

Finest Evermore has DRF handicap options over 3m and 2m2f but victory there from a mark of 137 would push her into the big league again and the current 14/1 about her winning the Mares’ Hurdle makes plenty of appeal.

If she doesn’t quite come up to scratch early next month, the Coral Cup (same owners as last year’s winning mare Heaven Help Up) could become a more viable Cheltenham target, in which case we’ll get our cash back.

David Ord - HAUT EN COULEURS - Turners Novices' Chase 10/1

Bob Olinger casts a shadow over the market for the Turners Novices' Chase with the image of his win in the Ballymore last March still fresh in the memory.

He's made a satisfactory start to his chasing career, winning both times, but hasn't looked a complete natural over the larger obstacles. Haut En Couleurs has.

Thrown into the JCB Triumph Hurdle on his first start for Willie Mullins last season (finishing third behind Quilixios), he again shaped when filling the same position behind Jeff Kidder in his only subsequent run of the campaign at Punchestown.

His only outing to date over fences - in the Paddy Power Games Beginners Chase on December 27th - was his first run outside Grade One company and a smooth five-and-a-half lengths defeat of stablemate Gentleman De Mee suggests he's heading straight back there.

So do entries in the Irish Arkle and Dublin Chase at Leopardstown next weekend - both over two miles. He's also in the Sporting Life Arkle at Cheltenham but with Ferny Hollow and Blue Lord shorter than him in the market there the temptation to go up in trip would be understandable.

With Galopin Des Champs more likely to head to the Brown Advisory, a race that's also an option for Capodanno along with the National Hunt Chase, a big run at the DRF could make the selection the Closutton number one in here. He's no 10/1 chance if lining up.

Click here to check out the latest Sky Bet NRNB Cheltenham Festival prices

Tony McFadden - ICEO - Triumph Hurdle 10/1

Fil Dor has done everything that has been asked of him, winning all three starts over hurdles for Gordon Elliott, but the level of form he has shown does not entitle him to be as short as 2/1 for the Triumph Hurdle and he looks like a favourite who is worth opposing.

In fact, Iceo, a winner on his only start in France, achieved a higher Timeform rating than Fil Dor when bolting up at Kempton on his first outing for Paul Nicholls. That 17-length success earned Iceo a Timeform rating that has not been bettered in the juvenile division this season (Porticello earned the same figure of 140 for his win in the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle).

Nicholls sounded lukewarm about a Triumph Hurdle bid on the back of that Kempton success, viewing Iceo as a chaser of the future, but that's fine when you have the NRNB concession on your side.

He'll get the chance to press his claims in the Triumph Hurdle trial, run over the same course and distance as the main event, at Cheltenham on Saturday. If he impresses there he is likely to be cut for the Triumph Hurdle, but if he fails to meet expectations the chances are that he will miss the Festival and stakes will be returned.

*Prices correct at 0900GMT on 27/01/2022

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