Horse racing news: William Hill reveal their worst Cheltenham Festival liabilities 50 days out
With 50 days to go until the Cheltenham Festival, William Hill have revealed their worst liabilities for the greatest four days in racing.
Featuring a mix of household names and returning champions, the leading bookmaker is starting to get a real sense of the horses who will make or break their Festival.
Festival favourites
Lee Phelps, spokesperson for William Hill, shed more light on the runners that the bookie will want to get beat in March: “Looking 50 days out from the Cheltenham Festival, there are a few runners across the week that would definitely make us sweat if things go their way, even if a couple come with caveats at this stage.
“The obvious headline act is Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle.
“We’d initially marked him down as one we could live with, but there’s definite momentum building again, particularly with that Flat run at Southwell on the horizon.
“If that goes to plan, we can expect a wave of support that would change the picture entirely.
“Over fences, Galopin Des Champs remains the one everyone wants to be with for the Gold Cup.
“He’s already a significant position for us and could be a lot shorter still if he lifts the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival.
“Interestingly, we’ve also been laying a bit of Spindleberry at big prices in the Gold Cup after her Doncaster run, so she’s another one who could give us a headache, especially with a Thyestes entry adding intrigue.
“In the novice chases, Final Demand in the Brown Advisory looks very hard to beat on what we’ve seen so far, and a win at the Dublin Racing Festival would almost certainly see him go very short, which is never ideal from our side of the counter.
“Likewise, Kopek Des Bordes in the Arkle would be a tough result if lining up fit and well, although we’re keeping a close eye on Lulamba, who could yet be the one to save us there.
“Among the established stars, Teahupoo in the Stayers’ Hurdle looks back to his very best and is proving difficult to oppose, while Fact To File in the Ryanair is another that could hurt us.
“He needs to bounce back from a disappointing run in the King George, but with a potentially small-field Ryanair, he’s likely to remain a short price and well backed.
“Finally, in the mares’ races, Bambino Fever has already been talked up as a ‘Cheltenham banker’ for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle after her latest run, and those are exactly the types that bookmakers fear.
“If the hype continues, she’ll be right up there as one of our worst results of the week.”
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