Cheltenham Favourites

Both bookmakers and punters look forward to Cheltenham favourites each year because the festival is a huge betting opportunity that always attracts millions of pounds of bets placed.

Select the race in the table below and see all the Runners and Odds:

Cheltenham Favourites – Top 10

Cheltenham Favourites are often based on the good form they bring, the best jockeys and trainers, recent trial races and having good winning past form at the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Gold Cup 2022 ante-post Odds and Potential Runners

1. Monkfish – 5/1
2. Envoi Allen – 8/1
3. Minella Indo – 8/1
4. A Plus Tard – 12/1
5. Al Boum Photo – 25/1
6. Chantry House – 25/1
7. Shiskin – 25/1
8. Champ – 33/1
9. Colreevy – 33/1
10. Latest Exhibition – 40/1

*Odds subject to change. 

Cheltenham Festival Favourites – Grade 1

Find the Cheltenham Favourites for the biggest races of the Cheltenham Festival 2021.

Cheltenham Favourites 2022

Day	Race	Favourite	Odds	Bookmakers
Day 1	Champion Hurdle	Honeysuckle	3/1	Bet with
Day 2	Champion Chase	Shishkin	6/4	Bet with
Day 3	Ryanair Chase	Allaho	5/1	Bet with
Day 3	Stayers’ Hurdle	Flooring Porter	7/1	Bet with
Day 4	Gold Cup	Monkfish	5/1	Bet with

*Odds subject to change.

Cheltenham Betting Tips 2022 and Festival Betting Guide

Here are the main Cheltenham Tips when it comes to the types of bets you can place:

• Win bets on the Cheltenham favourites races such as the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
• Each way bets on the Cheltenham favourites races such as the Triumph Hurdle, bumper, cross country race and handicaps.
• The number of races won by a horse trained in Britain and Ireland and which nation has the most winners.
• The leading jockey at the festival.
• The leading trainer at the festival.

Many horses are returning for another crack at the Cheltenham Festival this year. We often see previous winners heading up the ante post market. This years’ Gold Cup favourite, Al Boum Photo, was last year’s winner. Other horses that placed now feature prominently at the top of the favourites for the 2021 potential runners.

2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup Results

Top Cheltenham Races

There are several feature races held over the four day Cheltenham Festival.

Day 1 – Champion Hurdle

The championship race on day one of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival is the two-mile Champion Hurdle. Won last time by leading mare Honeysuckle and ridden by star jockey Rachael Blackmore, there is every reason to think that she will be back for more on March 15th.

Based on the very early average ante post odds, our table below gives you an idea of the perceived percentage chance the current top five has of winning the 2022 Champion Hurdle.

Implied probability based on best odds last updated 26/3/21.

Day 2 – Champion Chase

The Champion Chase, a top Grade 1 contest, features the best two-mile chasers in the business. Staged on Cheltenham’s Old Course, this race really is a speed test and was won in 2021 by Henry De Bromhead’s Put The Kettle On.

A previous winner of the Arkle, Put The Kettle On proved once again how important the top two-mile novice chase is in terms of picking future Champion Chase winners, leading to Shishkin being a hot early favourite for the 2022 renewal.

Day 2 – Cross Country Chase

Having been written off by many, the amazing dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll returned to his best in 2021 to land the Cross Country Chase.

A unique race, the Cross Country takes place over numerous, very disparate fences and according to the earliest ante post odds for 2022, previous favourite Easysland is once again fancied to get the better of Tiger Roll, as he did in 2020.

Day 3 – Ryanair Chase

Day three’s most valuable race, if not the feature event, is the 2½-mile Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. Otherwise known as the Festival Trophy, this event has raised its profile gradually over the years to become one of the most important races on the National Hunt calendar.

Having won the race in spectacular style for Willie Mullins and Rachael Blackmore in 2021, Cheveley Park’s Allaho is once again listed as a favourite for the upcoming renewal in 2022.

Day 3 – Stayers’ Hurdle

Thursday’s championship event is the Stayers’ Hurdle, a three-mile slog around the New Course. The wonderful 2019 winner Paisley Park was favoured last time around but was beaten in the end by Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter who looks as though he’ll be back to defend his crown.

Day 4 – Triumph Hurdle

One of the most popular betting races of the meeting is day four’s Triumph Hurdle. A Grade 1 event, is hugely important in its own right but also gives us a window into the future of the sport. As a race for juveniles, however, there is no way of knowing who will take part in the 2022 renewal until the new season kicks off.

Day 4 – Gold Cup

This is the big one. The Cheltenham Gold Cup staged on the final day of the meeting, is the sport’s ‘Blue Riband’ event. Run over 3¼ miles of the New Course, the Gold Cup really takes some getting with only the very best able to conquer it down the years.

Capping a brilliant week for trainer Henry De Bromhead, his Minello Indo won the 2021 race and he is once again high on the list of suspects for the 2022 version, although Willie Mullins’ brilliant novice winner Monkfish heads the ante post market.

Cheltenham Favourites – Ante-Post Betting Guide

One of the Cheltenham’s perks is ante-post betting on the major championship races – this is when you can bet on the Cheltenham Festival races way in advance of the meeting.

Most years as soon as the Festival is over there is betting on the races for the next Cheltenham Festival. Bookmakers such as Paddy Power and Betfair issue ante-post betting for races like the festival’s Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase.

While nearer the time – around 6 months before – most of the Cheltenham Festival races will have betting on and these markets change all the time based on how horses are performing in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival.

Non-Runner, No Bet

In the weeks before the Cheltenham Festival most of the main bookmakers like Paddy Power, William Hill, Coral and Bet365 will make their ante-post Cheltenham markets ‘Non-Runner, No Bet’ – this means that if your Cheltenham bet (horse) doesn’t run you will get your money back – it will be classed as a non-runner.

However, ante-post betting can be fraught with danger because if the backed horse is withdrawn before the day of the race all stakes are lost. In the weeks leading up to the Festival, some bookmakers offer the concession of non-runner/no bet.

This means if a horse is taken out of the race before race day it counts as a non-runner. Bookmakers refund all the placed stakes on the horse. In placing ante-post bets on Cheltenham favourites you should identify which bookmaker offers non-runner/no bet for all 28 races at the festival.

Initially, the offer might only apply to the feature race on each of the four days of the festival but nearer the time will be extended to cover all the races. Operators like Paddy Power and Betfair will offer extra places and odds boosts on winners at Cheltenham.

Read on to learn about the different races that you can bet on during this festival.

Cheltenham Favourites Best Odds Summary

The best bookmakers for the best odds for winners at the festival are Unibet and Betfair who both offer more value than Paddy Power. The place terms for each operator are the same when betting each way on Cheltenham favourites. All the major UK bookmakers offer odds in the ante-post betting for all 28 races at the festival.

Cheltenham Festival: Horse Racing – Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain – March 12, 2019 Jeremiah McGrath on Beware The Bear celebrates winning the 2:50 Ultima Handicap Chase REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/Ritzau Scanpix

Live Cheltenham Betting

Paddy Power, bet365 and Unibet are three of the biggest UK bookmakers and each operator offers live betting on Cheltenham favourites. Customers can bet on the winner of a race at the festival once the race has begun. Prices are updated as the race develops and betting is available until the outcome is obvious.

Some operators offer place only betting and others will accept each-way betting for live races which are often Cheltenham favourites.

Live streaming is available with several UK online bookmakers, but customers must place a bet to gain access to this service. There is also a cash-out option with Cheltenham favourites which means customers cash close bets before expiry to guarantee a profit or limit a loss.

Cheltenham Betting Offers

Most bookmakers will have extra Cheltenham Festival offers in the weeks leading up to the event – these can include faller insurance and extra place offers so it’s always best to shop around and find the best Cheltenham offers.

At the time of writing, no bookmakers offered odds boosts or extra places for Cheltenham favourites. However, new customers with Paddy Power and Unibet can take advantage of the welcome offer as longs as the qualifying bets and rules are compliant.

The welcome offers are generally matched deposit and bet bonuses. Any bonus funds can be used for betting on winners at Cheltenham. Each welcome offer is available when the Terms & Conditions are followed completely.

Check out the Cheltenham Betting Offers here.

Cheltenham Favourites Summary

The festival is huge for betting and all the major bookmakers offer ante-post betting for the winners at Cheltenham. Customers can place win and each-way bets on races at the festival and some bookmakers offer enhanced odds.

Non-runner/no bet is a popular concession during the few weeks before Cheltenham. It is easily the biggest betting meeting of the year with opportunities to enjoy welcome offers and place bets on Cheltenham favourites.

*All odds subject to change.

You might also like…