*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
We’re on the road to the Cheltenham Festival with the leading lights of the National Hunt game coming out to play.
A number of clues for all four championship races – the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and Gold Cup – are set to be dropped over the coming months.
The Cheltenham Festival 2023 takes place between Tuesday, March 14 to Friday, March 17 and it’s fair to say Paddy’s pretty excited already.
The latest non runner money back Cheltenham Festival odds can be found on the Paddy Power website and app, otherwise our summary of the leading contenders for the big races is below.
Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill is the red-hot favourite in Paddy Power’s Champion Hurdle betting after crushing 2020 winner and stablemate Epatante by 12l in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and Honeysuckle losing her unbeaten record at Fairyhouse. Nicky Henderson’s stable star further enhanced his reputation by winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton from Epatante without coming off the bridle once again.
State Man, the winner of last season’s County Hurdle, is three from three in Grade 1s after beating Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle to add to victories in the Morgiana and Matheson earlier in the campaign.
2022 Triumph Hurdle hero Vauban appears to be the best of the rest after trailing stablemate State Man in the Matheson Hurdle and Irish Champion Hurdle.
Honeysuckle has been ruled out of defending her Champion Hurdle crown after defeat in the Irish equivalent at the Dublin Racing Festival. A crack at a second Mares’ Hurdle is on the cards for the superstar.
Champion Chase
The Champion Chase has been blown wide open after Editeur Du Gite won the rescheduled Clarence House at Cheltenham and Gentleman De Mee landed the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.
The shock winners are towards the top of Paddy Power’s Champion Chase odds but last season’s scorer Energumene has regained his position at the head of our non runner money back market after stablemate Blue Lord failed to fire at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Edwardstone is next in the betting despite failing to win on his last two starts. The hero of last season’s Arkle blitzed the field to land the Grade 1 Tingle Creek on his first start in open company before shipping jockey Tom Cannon in the Desert Orchid and placing second in the rescheduled Clarence House.
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
Blazing Khal is the favourite in our Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle betting after returning from a year-long lay-off to land the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle in impressive fashion at Navan.
Teahupoo is also prominent after causing the upset of the season when landing the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle to end Honeysuckle’s unbeaten record and Gordon Elliott was proven correct when suggesting a longer trip will bring out further improvement as he routed the field in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park.
Last season’s Mares’ Hurdle winner Marie’s Rock looks set to be stepped up in trip after trainer Nicky Henderson indicated the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle could make sense after a gallop at Kempton.
Joseph O’Brien’s Home By The Lee is also prominent in our early market after impressive victories in the Lismullen Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle.
Gold Tweet caused the biggest shock on Festival Trials Day when landing the Cleeve Hurdle. Although he still needs to be supplement, the French raider is towards the top of the market.
Flooring Porter has won the last two editions of the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle but suffered a training setback ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.
Klassical Dream could only finish fifth in last season’s renewal and kicked off the current campaign placing second in the Hatton’s Grace ahead of Honeysuckle.
Ashdale Bob is winless since April 2021 but has run with credit on three appearances this season including a second place in the Christmas Hurdle.
Gold Cup
Galopin Des Champs cemented his place at the head of Paddy Power’s Gold Cup betting with a smooth victory in the re-arranged John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown. He made it two from two for the campaign by landing the Irish Gold Cup.
Paul Nicholls has trained Bravemansgame for the Gold Cup after delivering in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. The Ditcheat handler has not won the Blue Riband since Kauto Star in 2009.
Grand National winner Noble Yeats has put himself firmly into the Gold Cup picture after displaying an incredible turn of foot to score in the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase at Aintree. A third-place finish in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase has not hampered his position with punters.
A Plus Tard, the winner of last season’s Gold Cup, was pulled up in the Betfair Chase at Haydock before missing the Savills Chase on vet’s advice, which has seen Henry de Bromhead’s gelding tumble down the market.
National Hunt Chase winner Stattler, three from three over fences, shaped well on seasonal reappearance in a narrow defeat behind Minella Indo in the New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore – a race that was the regular starting point for dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo. He followed up by placing second in the Irish Gold Cup.
Ahoy Senor crashed down the market after a trio of poor runs before coming good to land the Cotswold Chase and re-establish himself in the Gold Cup picture.
Conflated could be targeted at the Ryanair Chase to give owner Michael O’Leary victory in the race his company sponsors but a stirring display in the Savills Chase suggests the Gold Cup trip will be no problem for his horse.
Read More on the Cheltenham Festival 2023
- Gallop over to Paddy Power News forall the latest horse racing tips
- When is the 2023 Cheltenham Festival? This year’s dates for your diary
- Cheltenham Festival 2023 race times and day-by-day schedule
- Cheltenham Festival: Paddy Power’s antepost favourites for the 2023 championship races
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