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With the busy Festive fixture list completed, we now focus our attention to the impending greatest show on turf: Cheltenham Festival 2025!
This year’s Cheltenham Festival takes place on 11th to 14th March and for the next couple of months, we will keep you up to date with all the big news and Cheltenham Festival 2025 antepost best bets in this exciting preview series.
In this first section, we concentrate on the big championship races: The Champion Hurdle, The Champion Chase, and of course, The Cheltenham Gold Cup.
How much impact did the big Christmas races have on the Cheltenham Festival 2025 antepost betting markets?
We check out best Cheltenham Festival 2025 bets and best Cheltenham Festival 2025 offers from our partner firms: Bet365, William Hill, Bet Victor, Betfred and Boylesports.
Non Runner No Bet
William Hill were fast off the blocks last week. They are the first firm to offer Non-Runner No Bet on all Cheltenham Festival 2025 races.
What is Non-Runner No Bet?
Antepost betting often offers lucrative odds but at an enormous risk as stakes are not returned if the horse does not participate in the race. Non Runner No Bet means that if a bet is placed on a particular race, stakes will be returned in the event that the horse is declared as a non-runner.
Current Antepost Betting Markets for Cheltenham Festival 2025 Championship Races
The Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill 8/11 (Betfred) or 4/7 NRNB (William Hill)
Brighterdaysahead 5/1 (Bet Victor) or 2/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Lossiemouth 7/1 (bet365) or 7/2 NRNB (William Hill)
State Man 11/1 (bet365, Bet Victor) or 7/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Anzadam 12/1 (bet365, Bet Victor) or 10/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Constitution Hill’s efficient comeback victory in Kempton’s Grade One Christmas Hurdle has clearly shaken up this market significantly, along with Brightterdaysahead’s emphatic win in the Leopardstown Grade One 2 mile hurdle race.
Brighterdaysahead clashing with Constitution Hill will be box office on day one of Cheltenham Festival 2025.
However, the each way race is of interest and the best bet looks to be State Man. The Willie Mullins trained 2024 Champion Hurdler is sure to improve and 11/1 with bet365 and Bet Victor looks good, especially as Lossiemouth will surely defect to the Mares Hurdle.
Best Bet: State Man EACH WAY 11/1 bet365, Bet Victor.
The Champion Chase
Jonbon 2/1 (bet365, Bet Victor, Betfred, Boylesports) or NRNB 7/4 (William Hill)
Energumene 5/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Gaelic Warrior 5/1 (bet365)
El Fabiolo 8/1 (Bet Victor) or 6/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Il Est Francais 16/1 (bet365) or 8/1 NRNB (William Hill)
A fascinating market with plenty of horses looking to make epic comebacks and with old scores to settle, none so more than El Fabiolo who ran a stinker in last year’s renewal.
Former champion Energumene is re-emerging as a major force whilst favourite Jonbon has not put a foot wrong this season.
However, judging by his brilliant King George performance, French challenger Il Est Francais could blow them all away if connections feel their talented chaser could cope with the Cheltenham undulations and tough fences over 2 miles. 16/1 (bet365) is definitely a tempter.
Best Bet: Il Est Francais EACH WAY 16/1 bet365 or 8/1 NRNB William Hill.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup
Galopin Des Champs Evens NRNB (William Hill)
Fact To File 4/1 (bet365, Bet Victor, Betfred, Boylesports) or 7/2 NRNB (William Hill)
Gerri Colombe 14/1 (bet365, Bet Victor, Betfred, Boylesports) or 10/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Montys Star 25/1 (bet365, Bet Victor, Betfred, Boylesports) or 20/1 NRNB (William Hill)
Banbridge 33/1 (bet365, Boylesports)
The Willie Mullins trained Galopin Des Champs bids for an historic hat trick of Cheltenham Gold Cup victories, the first time since Best Mate triumphed in 2004.
And there is truly little to suggest that Galopin’s hat trick bid has any significant party poopers to contend with.
He looked back to his best with his superb win in the Leopardstown Savills Chase over the Christmas period. Fact To File could be a danger if he can reproduce his Brown Advisory win form from last year’s Cheltenham Festival but he was put to the sword by Galopin in the Savills Chase run.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup each way bet is definitely Banbridge who looked as if he had more in hand beating Il Est Francais in the Kempton King George race.
Best Bet: Banbridge EACH WAY 33/1 bet365, Boylesports
Please note all odds are correct at the time of publishing (10am 3rd January 2025) and are subject to change.
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