Cheltenham Festival: Thyme Hill heads Stayers' Hurdle 2022 betting

*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing/Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason, you will lose your stake under traditional antepost rules

Summertime has come and gone which means the National Hunt season is set to pick up the pace and all roads lead to Cheltenham for the Festival at Prestbury Park.

Flooring Porter floored his rivals in the 2021 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – the feature race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival – but Gavin Cromwell’s charge is only joint-third favourite in our antepost market for next year’s renewal.

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The six-year-old attempted to follow up in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April but was pulled up before the last flight as Klassical Dream ran out a 9l winner from James Du Berlais in a 1-2 for Willie Mullins.

Klassical Dream is priced at 6/1 in our early betting for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle 2022, while Flooring Porter is available at 10/1 alongside Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle winner Galopin Des Champ, who successfully stepped up to three miles to claim the Grade 1 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in April.

We were anticipating a blockbuster battle between Thyme Hill and Paisley Park at this year’s Cheltenham Festival as they were set to face each other on track for the third time. Philip Hobbs’ star hurdler missed the meeting through injury, however, before tackling his rival in the Ryanair Stayers Hurdle at Aintree in April. Thyme Hill edged out Roksana while Paisley Park was pulled up following a poor run.

Thyme Hill will be campaigned with Cheltenham in mind and is the 5/1 favourite in our antepost book, while 2019 champion Paisley Park can be found at 20/1.

Sire Du Berlais seems to enjoy the New Course at Prestbury Park having claimed the Pertemps Network Final at the 2020 meeting before placing second in last season’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle. He’s a 14/1 shot in our early betting for next year.