Cheltenham Festival Day Two Betting
Cheltenham 11th March Ladies Day Races
Ladies Day is the main attraction at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday, but there are still four Grade 1 races on the schedule to look forward to. The biggest attraction of the day for many will be the return to the festival of dual Grand National winner- Tiger Roll, as he looks for a third Cross Country win.
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Below is a breakdown of each race on day 2 of Cheltenham. Get the latest updates for betting on Ladies Day and further information on each race.
13:30: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
Grade 1 action opens the action on Ladies Day, as the two miles and five furlongs race will test the best novice hurdlers in the UK and Ireland. The race has been run since 1971, with Willie Mullins having won the most instalments (5). However, the Irish trainer hasn’t won this Grade 1 race since 2016. Last year’s winner was City Island for Martin Brassil.
Envoi Allen is the leading horse for this race, but the six-year-old could instead opt for Champion Hurdle or Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The Gordon Elliott trained horse has won on all eight previous runs. There is also money in the market for Sporting John and Asterion Forlonge. Shishkin could also be a popular pick after a dominant display at Huntingdon last time out.
bet365’s best mobile betting odds for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
14:10: RSA Chase
Grade 1 action continues in the form of the RSA Chase on Ladies Day. The race is open to horses aged five and over and is run over three miles. There are 20 fences to be jumped throughout this race, with performances often used as a marker for any potential Gold Cup horse.
Lord Windermere was the last to achieve success in both races when he won the Gold Cup in 2014. Last year’s winner was Topofthegame, and the betting shows that this will be an open field.
Most of the early money is going on Champ (named after legendary jockey A.P McCoy). He has won on two occasions already this season but fell on his last appearance at Cheltenham in January. Minella Indo, Allaho and Copperhead are also prominent in the market, while Faugheen would also be a popular winner for Mullins.
14:50: Coral Cup
One of the most open races on the second day of the festival comes in the form of the Coral Cup. The Grade 2 race is run on the old course at Cheltenham and is ran over two miles and five furlongs. Previous winners of the race include Olympian, Whisper and Supasundae.
There isn’t a clear favourite in the betting for this race at present with Protektorat, Birchdale and Dame De Compagnie all attracting money. There could be each-way value in the betting with Longhouse Poet and last year’s winner William Henry both having bigger prices.
15:30: Queen Mother Champion Chase
The featured race of the second day of the festival is over two miles and 13 fences in the Queen Mother Chase. Nicky Henderson holds the joint-record for the most wins in this race. Altior has won for Henderson in each of the last two years. He will be going to equal the record set by Badsworth Boy between 1983 and 1985 this year.
The bookies certainly expect him to do so, as he is currently the odds-on favourite. There is also money in the market for Defi Di Seuil, Chacun Pour Soi and A Plus Tard. Altior has proven this season that he can be beaten, as Cyrname beat him at Ascot in November, but this should be the banker of the second day.
Take a look at the best mobile betting odds from bet365 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase
16:10: Cross Country Chase
The race that most punters will be looking forward to on the second day of the festival will be the Cross Country Chase. The race is run over three miles and six furlongs and also includes 32 obstacles. The Cross Country Chase has been part of the festival since 2005. Garde Champetre, Balthazar King and Tiger Roll have all won this race a record two times.
The Gordon Elliott trained Grand National winner will be the heavy favourite for this race, as he gears up for his crack at history at Aintree in April. It would be a surprise if Tiger Roll didn’t win, but there is also money in the market for Easysland, Might Bite and Yanworth.
Here’s the best mobile betting odds from bet365 for the Cross Country Chase
16:50: Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
This Grade 3 race is run over two miles and half a furlong. The race is a handicap for juvenile novice hurdlers and was introduced in 2005 after the fourth day of the festival was added.
This could be one of the biggest betting races of the day. There is money around for Aramax, Mick Pastor, Thyme White and Sir Psycho. However, the preference would be for Cerberus, who has already won twice this season. The four-year-old could have a big career ahead of him for John P McManus.
17:30: Champion Bumper
The curtain comes down on the second day of action at the festival with the Grade 1 Champion Bumper. It is run over two miles and half a furlong and is only open to horses aged between four and six. This race is unlike most others at the festival as it is a flat race.
Appreciate It is the heavy favourite in the betting to get the win, as he has already won on two occasions. There is also money in the market for Panic Attacks, Ferny Hollow and Queens Brook. But the favourite should be too classy for the rest of the field.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Day Previews
Take a look at betting previews for each of the other racing festival days:
