THE five best-backed Cheltenham Festival ante-post horses have been revealed by Oddschecker.
Punters were busy over the Christmas and New Year period piling impressive winners into their multiples for the big week in March.
PAMan of the moment Nicky Henderson looks to have a strong hand for Cheltenham Festival – a year after he was forced to pull almost all his runners due to a mystery bug sweeping the yard[/caption]
But one horse above all others saw the biggest cut in their odds – while another accounts for a whopping 71 per cent of all bets on the race.
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Here, Sun Racing goes through the top five, courtesy of odds provided by Oddschecker.
1 Sir Gino
It is crazy to think that as recently as last November he was stepping in for Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
But after winning that Grade 1 contest he showed his future is over fences with a jaw-dropping – or in Hendo’s words ‘frightening’ – display in the Wayward Lad at Kempton on Boxing Day.
He left the awesome Ballyburn for dead and many were convinced he could win the Champion Chase as a novice this year.
Before Christmas he was 3-1 for the Arkle but after that romp he was cut to 10-11.
Sir Gino accounts for 71 per cent of all bets placed on the 2m Grade 1 through Oddschecker.
2 Galopin Des Champs
The Gold Cup champ was a big drifter for his title defence after his John Durkan defeat at the hands of Fact To File.
But Willie Mullins’ stable star asserted his dominance in the 3m staying division once more with his brilliant Savills Chase victory.
He’s a top class stayer – possibly one of the greatest ever – and was cut to 6-5 from 3-1 for the Gold Cup.
If he goes to Cheltenham on the back of an Irish Gold Cup win at Leopardstown again in February, expect those odds to shorten again.
3 Constitution Hill
Nicky Henderson’s Lazarus-like hero is into 5-6 from 2-1 for the Champion Hurdle, a race he was forced to miss last year.
He roared back to his brilliant best when seeing off Lossiemouth in the Christmas Hurdle, making it nine from nine in his career.
Although some think the form is something to be wary of, with the much lesser-rated Burdett Road still in with a chance two hurdles from home.
Still, Constitution Hill is responsible for 51 per cent of all bets on the Champion Hurdle – and victory would be the most popular of the week.
4 The New Lion
Recently bought by JP McManus for a rumoured £1million, the Dan Skelton-trained six-year-old could not have been more impressive in winning the Challow Hurdle.
He was slashed to 3-1 from 16s for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle on the back of that.
And some 50 per cent of punts placed through Oddschecker have been on him.
5 Lossiemouth
Punters were quick to act after Lossiemouth went down to Constitution Hill in their hotly anticipated match up.
Last year’s Mares’ Hurdle winner was being carved out for a crack at the Champion Hurdle.
But after that Kempton defeat the chances of her defending her mares crown went from 4-1 to 7-4.
That made her Champion Hurdle odds skyrocket from 15-8 to 5-1.
In truth, both were probably a bit of an overreaction.
For the first time in her career she ran flat at Kempton and will surely be better suited by Cheltenham, where she has won twice at the Festival.
Then Brighterdaysahead demolished reigning Champion Hurdler State Man at Leopardstown and shot to the head of the Mares’ Hurdle market.
If you had backed all five runners at their pre-Christmas odds in an acca, you’d have got 4000-1.
Whereas now the five-fold is worth a paltry 73-1.
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