Horses to watch out for from each day of the upcoming Cheltenham festival
The Cheltenham festival is the pinnacle of national hunt racing and is now fast approaching as exciting comes to build amongst racing fans. Punters have been busy with ante post selections in what is a difficult year so far on that front. They have been using platforms such as the casino at Paddy Power, who also offer a great sportsbook for punting on the event. So who are some of the horses to watch out for from each day of the festival.
DAY 1
Champions Day
There are two mares who are worth following on day one in the shape of Laurina and Apple’s Jade. Apple’s is heading for the mares hurdle and is likely to start as one of the shortest priced horses of the week. She is also a former winner of the race having landed it back in 2017, before her flop in this race last year. She has now returned better than ever this season and looks banker material.
Laurina on the other hand has been faultless since joining Willie Mullins in winning five races in succession. This will be a big step up in comparison to her previous races, but she is a big mare and Mullins knows how to win it with a good one, such as when Annie Power ran away with the contest back in 2016. She rates a solid selection against the short priced favourite, Buveur D’Air.
Apple’s Jade claimed the 2017 Mares’ Hurdle at @CheltenhamRaces Festival!
She’s the headline name for this year’s race, can she do it again? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cdkNc8HVi4
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) January 18, 2018
DAY 2
Ladies Day
Day two is all about Altior as he looks to further cement himself as not only the best horse in training, but one of the leading horses in the history of the sport. He is going to start as the shortest priced horse of the meeting and is around 2/5 at present. Altior is an unbeaten 17 out of 17 over obstacles and simply cannot be opposed.
DAY 3
St Patrick’s Day
Another exciting mare that is set to tackle the Mares novice race on day three is Honeysuckle. At five years of age she looks a very exciting prospect for Henry De Bromhead, and could win this before going on to much bigger things. She is unbeaten in her four starts to date, winning very impressively on each occasion. This meant she now has an RPR rating of 137, and is certainly a horse to keep a close eye on at the festival.
Quality filly this – Henry De Bromhead’s Honeysuckle remains unbeaten with a smooth success under @rachaelblackmor in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Boreen Belle Mares Novice Hurdle at @thurlesraces pic.twitter.com/XSCando3j9
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 22, 2018
DAY 4
Gold Cup Day
The final day of the meeting is all about the Gold Cup and the return of one of the most popular horses in training, Presenting Percy. He is now the favourite for the race and will be looking to win at the festival for the third year in succession. His trainer Pat Kelly is a master for getting him ready for the big day, so rates a strong contender. Presenting Percy is without a doubt one of the most exciting horses to watch out for across the upcoming festival week.
