Best Betting Offers for the Cheltenham Festival 16th-19th March 2021

The Cheltenham Festival is the star event when it comes to UK national hunt racing, and the countdown is on to the 2021 event.

This year will be different to anything we have seen before, we won’t see the big crowds we are used to, but that won’t stop the action from being entertaining. The best of the best all congregate at Cheltenham and take each other on, producing memorable races year after year.

Here is a look at three of the biggest races of the festival and our early tips for them, as well as great betting offers you can take advantage of when you place your bets.

Champion Hurdle – 16th March 2021

The Champion Hurdle was blown wide open over Christmas, with Silver Streak getting the better of Epatante at Kempton. This has left punters with a minefield, and to make it even tougher, we are unlikely to see Epatante before the festival.

The best route here is to completely ignore the favourite, she may bolt up, like she did last year, or could prove to be vulnerable. Heading elsewhere and betting each way is the way forward for now with this uncertainty, and the horse we like is Silver Streak.

He should have won at Cheltenham two starts ago, and even if you think Epatante will turn the form around, there aren’t many others out there who have the same kind of form in the book.

Take Silver Streak each way on the opening day of the festival in the Champion Hurdle.

Stayers Hurdle – 18th March 2021

Paisley Park was excellent in the 2019 Stayers Hurdle, but struggled throughout 2020. It is fair to say he’s back, after two excellent runs this season, beating Thyme Hill and going down narrowly to the same opponent.

These two look to have the Stayers Hurdle between them, but the test at Cheltenham, especially the hill finish, is going to suit Paisley Park much more than Thyme Hill. With that in his favour, and with the horse showing that he is back to something like his best, Paisley Park is the one for us.

A win bet on Paisley Park in the Stayers Hurdle looks the best bet on Thursday.

Ryanair Chase - 18th March 2021

The Ryanair Chase usually attracts good quality fields, and the 2021 renewal is looking to follow that trend.

Had we been writing this article prior to Saturday’s Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton, we would have been singing the praises of Imperial Aura, however his unseating of David Bass at the second fence has raised a few question marks over his jumping, so we need to look elsewhere for our fancies here.

And look no further than the Willie Mullins yard, who should win this race purely by number of entries. His three most likely entrants who should definitely be in the frame come the final straight are Allaho, Min and Melon.

Of the three we like Min, this is a seriously underrated horse given how much he’s achieved and his record at this distance is amazing.

You can get Min at 6/1 with bet365.

Gold Cup – 19th March 2021

The Gold Cup is the feature event of the entire meeting, and the big race on Friday. We could be seeing history here, with Al Boum Photo trying to win a third consecutive Gold Cup for the Willie Mullins team.

On paper, based on what we have seen from the opposition this season alone, it may be his easiest task to date. A quick look at the betting and you will see that the main challengers to Al Boum Photo have question marks about them.

Frodon, A Plus Tard and Melon have stamina doubts while Minella Indo, Santini and Kemboy haven’t shown us too much this season. Champ is another contender, a horse we haven’t seen this season at all.

Al Boum Photo took his usual route to the Gold Cup, winning at Tramore on New Year’s Day, and he will now be put away to ensure he is spot on for his big day. With nothing else looking rock solid, he is our pick in the festival highlight.

Back Al Boum Photo to win the Gold Cup on Friday.

Cheltenham Antepost Betting Tips

• Champion Hurdle – Silver Streak EW @ 9/1 with Betfred
• Stayers Hurdle – Paisley Park Win @ 11/4 with Betfred
• Gold Cup – Al Boum Photo Win @ 7/2 with Betfred

Best Cheltenham Betting Offers

Here are a couple of Cheltenham betting offers you can take advantage of, both if you are betting now or if you are betting on the day.

Betfred – NRNB on Championship Races

Anyone betting now on Cheltenham should be on the lookout for a non-runner no bet offer, and Betfred have this available right now for the four main Championship races. This means the three tips we have explained can all be backed right now, and if anything happens so that your horse doesn’t run, you will get your money back from Betfred.

This means no additional antepost risk involved, you get to cash in one the big prices available now, without the risk of losing your money that is usually there with antepost betting.

888Sport – Daily Horse Racing Promos

If you are waiting until the day to bet on Cheltenham, then finding a bookmaker that offers numerous good horse racing promotions is vital. 888Sport have a great reputation for this, and if you look at what they offer now, you can see there is going to be tremendous value there. Here are some of the great offers they have.

• Best odds guaranteed on UK & Irish horse racing
• Extra each way places and enhanced each way terms on selected races
• Price boosts on selected runners
• Win at 4/1 or bigger to get a £5 free bet every day
• Watch every race live via the 888Sport streaming site