Annie Power leads Champion Hurdle bets at Cheltenham
by David Mollett,
2016-03-15 05:00:00.0
THE famous Cheltenham festival in the UK gets under way on Tuesday with three big races — the Champion Hurdle, Arkle Chase and Supreme Novices Hurdle — the big attraction for punters.
The ground at the Cotswold track is drying fast and clerk of the course, Simon Claisse, says "we are very happy with the way the track looks. There is so much fresh ground, with 90% not raced on since last year."
Ruby Walsh is arguably the most popular jumps jockey following the retirement of Tony McCoy and backers will be looking to him to bring home the Irish raider, Annie Power, in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. The mare would have most bookmakers in the region of £80m if she had won here a year ago, but she fell at the last with the race at her mercy.
Her trainer, Willie Mullins, had put the layers under pressure by saddling three winning favourites before Annie Power’s race.
Annie Power heads the Champion Hurdle market at 9-4 with most bookmakers and she is followed in the market by Nicol’s Canyon (11-2), The New One (11-2), Identity Thief (6-1) and My Tent Or Yours at 8-1.
Top UK trainer Paul Nicholls has withdrawn his fancied runner, Old Guard, after the horse sustained an injury in training. It is a blow as the winner’s purse for this race is £248,000.
The big race at the meeting is the Cheltenham Gold Cup run on Friday and, interestingly, Ruby Walsh has yet to choose between the Willie Mullins pair of Valtour and Djakadam. Bookies fancy he will choose the former who is second favourite at 9-2 with Djakadam generally on offer at 11-2.
However, Gordon Elliott, another Irish trainer, is very bullish on the Gold Cup chance of his runner, Don Cossack, who heads the market at 4-1. "He is in great form — I couldn’t be happier with him. I was delighted to see the sun shining when I arrived at Cheltenham — the only thing we don’t want for him is testing ground.
"I wouldn’t swap him for any other runner in the race. Of course, there are a few very good ones taking him on and — of these — the one I fear most is Djakadam."
Don Cossack’s major blemish this season is his fall two fences from home in the King George at Sandown. He returned to his best with a facile victory at Thurles in Ireland in January.
Picture: THINKSTOCK
THE famous Cheltenham festival in the UK gets under way on Tuesday with three big races — the Champion Hurdle, Arkle Chase and Supreme Novices Hurdle — the big attraction for punters.
The ground at the Cotswold track is drying fast and clerk of the course, Simon Claisse, says "we are very happy with the way the track looks. There is so much fresh ground, with 90% not raced on since last year."
Ruby Walsh is arguably the most popular jumps jockey following the retirement of Tony McCoy and backers will be looking to him to bring home the Irish raider, Annie Power, in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. The mare would have most bookmakers in the region of £80m if she had won here a year ago, but she fell at the last with the race at her mercy.
Her trainer, Willie Mullins, had put the layers under pressure by saddling three winning favourites before Annie Power’s race.
Annie Power heads the Champion Hurdle market at 9-4 with most bookmakers and she is followed in the market by Nicol’s Canyon (11-2), The New One (11-2), Identity Thief (6-1) and My Tent Or Yours at 8-1.
Top UK trainer Paul Nicholls has withdrawn his fancied runner, Old Guard, after the horse sustained an injury in training. It is a blow as the winner’s purse for this race is £248,000.
The big race at the meeting is the Cheltenham Gold Cup run on Friday and, interestingly, Ruby Walsh has yet to choose between the Willie Mullins pair of Valtour and Djakadam. Bookies fancy he will choose the former who is second favourite at 9-2 with Djakadam generally on offer at 11-2.
However, Gordon Elliott, another Irish trainer, is very bullish on the Gold Cup chance of his runner, Don Cossack, who heads the market at 4-1. "He is in great form — I couldn’t be happier with him. I was delighted to see the sun shining when I arrived at Cheltenham — the only thing we don’t want for him is testing ground.
"I wouldn’t swap him for any other runner in the race. Of course, there are a few very good ones taking him on and — of these — the one I fear most is Djakadam."
Don Cossack’s major blemish this season is his fall two fences from home in the King George at Sandown. He returned to his best with a facile victory at Thurles in Ireland in January.
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