Cheltenham Festival set to start with wide-open Day One this year

Most of Tuesday’s races look very tight

The Cheltenham Festival is set to start with a more open card than we’ve seen in recent years, according to our latest odds.

Benie Des Dieux is the shortest-priced market leader for Tuesday’s races at 10/11 to win the Mares’ Hurdle.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “We’ve gone into recent Festivals facing a potential hammering on Day One from a host of short-priced favourites – and more often than not they have been trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh – but aside from Benie Des Dieux, we don’t have any such fears this year.

“The Supreme and the Arkle are such open betting heats it’s hard to say what might start favourite for both races, while either Apple’s Jade or Buveur D’Air could be sent off favourite in the big one,” added Stevens.

“This is the biggest betting week of the year, with 25 of last year’s Festival races making the top 40 highest turnover races of 2018. There are runners that will be considered banker material by punters – Altior, Paisley Park and Sir Erec – during the week, but there are plenty of typically competitive Cheltenham contests that we’ll be hoping to get a result in,” concluded Stevens.

Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey
10/3 Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, 9/2 Davy Russell, 11/2 Jack Kennedy, 8 Nico De Boinville, 9 Paul Townend, 12 Mark Walsh, 16 Harry Cobden, 20 Daryl Jacob, Richard Johnson, 25 Aidan Coleman,

Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer
11/8 Gordon Elliott, 2 Willie Mullins, 11/4 Nicky Henderson, 16 Joseph O’Brien, 16 Paul Nicholls, 66 Henry De Bromhead, Jessica Harrington, Colin Tizzard, Nigel Twiston-Davies

Cheltenham Festival Top Owner
4/7 JP McManus, 11/8 Gigginstown House Stud, 50/1 Any other