Cheltenham Update: Mares’ Hurdle

Is Mullins on-course for the one-two?

We turn the spotlight on one of the highlights of Tuesday’s racing at the Cheltenham Festival, the Mares Hurdle, which is fast becoming a straight shoot-out in the antepost betting between Vroum Vroum Mag, Limini and Apple’s Jade.

It’ll take a bold bid to pick the winner of this race, but you can make your selections with confidence, as Coral are giving non-runner money back on all bets. That’s great peace of mind for punters, and allows them to take a shot at the value, without the worry that their selection may not line-up.

Vroum Vroum Mag favourite to defend

Willie Mullins’ star mare Vroum Vroum Mag has attracted plenty of attention in the run up to this year’s contest, and goes at the head of the betting with a week till the off. It’s hardly surprising to see the eight-year-old, with a record of 12 wins and a second from 13 starts, make most appeal either.

That one slight blot on her copybook so far came when beaten by Apple’s Jade, who is expected to re-oppose here, with a short-head the recorded distance that day. She went agonisingly close to the 100 per cent record, but the team will take plenty more confidence from her win in this race 12-months ago, beating Rock On The Moor home by 2 ¾ lengths, when going off as odds-on jolly, ridden by Ruby Walsh.

Vroum Vroum Mag was last seen stretching her legs in preparation for the festival with a win around Doncaster in a mares’ hurdle at the end of January. That was as tight as her handlers would’ve hoped to see however, fending off runner-up Midnight Jazz by a short-head. The jolly is 5/4 at present, and punters may want to take a bigger price in such a competitive contest.