Cheltenham 2019 Gold Cup Early Favourites The National Hunt season may be yet to begin in earnest - won’t be long now though - but already the thoughts of many racing fans will be turning to those magnificent four days in March when the Cheltenham Festival lights up our lives once again. Topping the bill at Prestbury Park will be the greatest jumps race known to man; The Cheltenham Gold Cup. It’s not only racing fans who already have half an eye on the Cheltenham showpiece either; many horse racing experts, and of course our friends the odds compilers, are already having their say, via opinions on the likely favourites for the race, and the compilation of those all-important ante-post prices. Cheltenham 2019 Ante Post Betting Keeping an eye on those ante post betting market’s is of course all part and parcel of the anticipation and excitement in the build up to the Cheltenham Festival, and getting involved with an ante-post bet can often reap rewards, the early bird catches the worm after all. Staying abreast of the likely runners for the big races, and watching the trials and major events in the build may well put you onto a winner or two, and by taking those early ante post prices you may very well beat the starting price on the day - often by a significant margin. The downside of ante post betting is often rightly stated as being the fact that you will lose your stake should your selection ultimately not line-up on the day. With many bookies going non-runner no bet from as early as January for the Cheltenham Festival though, even this negative can be overcome. Keep an eye out for those non-runner no bet concessions. For those looking to get involved in the ante-post betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival, it really couldn’t be easier, and frankly punters have never had it so good, with almost innumerable sites competing for their business. With so much choice now available, it can however be difficult knowing just where to start when sifting through the wealth of options on offer. No need to get lost in the online betting jungle though, nor to dive straight into the first betting site that catches your eye. There are many comparison and review sites available, which have done the hard work of rating betting sites and apps, so you don’t have to. One website that caught our eye is cheltenham-betting-guide.co.uk, they focus on Cheltenham so you're bound to get the most suitable reviews there. Cheltenham 2019 Gold Cup Favourites The 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup may well be a few months off, and whilst new challengers will no doubt emerge as the season progresses, here are already a number of runners who look to have strong claims to the crown. Let’s take a look at three of the most likely contenders: Presenting Percy By Derby winner Sir Percy, and out of a mare by one of the top National Hunt stallions in the game in Presenting, this aptly named Pat Kelly runner was bred to have a bit of class about him, and has certainly lived up to expectations. Presenting Percy’s record at the Cheltenham Festival holds up to the closest scrutiny. Two starts at Prestbury Park in March have yielded two wins. Triumphant in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle in 2017, he then turned the RSA Insurance Novices Chase into a procession when romping home by seven lengths last year. Since the turn of the century, Denman, Bobs Worth and Lord Windermere have all gone on to land the Gold Cup having first claimed RSA glory. Will Presenting Percy be the next? A winner at up to 3m, it at least seems unlikely that the additional distance will prove an issue. This Philip Reynolds owned runner will be eight years old by the time the 2019 Gold Cup rolls around, which may well be a factor in his favour - four of the past six editions have been claimed by eight year olds. If there’s a horse to shake up the established order, it seems most likely to be him. Might Bite It takes two horses to make a great horse race, and whilst Nicky Henderson’s Might Bite was ultimately undone in the closing stages last year - when outpointed by Native River - he certainly went out on his shield, and positively oozed class in the manner in which he travelled throughout; that class just being blunted slightly on the day, as the soft ground placed the emphasis on dour staying power. Will he be able to turn the tables should the ground ride quicker this time around? Connections will certainly hope so. One of the most entertaining horses in training in his younger years due to his somewhat erratic tendencies - including when seemingly heading for the Guinness Tent rather than the finish line here in the 2017 RSA Chase, before eventually consenting to get back up and win by a nose - there were no signs of those idiosyncrasies last season. His only defeat came in this race and he was last sighted hacking up in the Betway Bowl Chase at Aintree. Lightly raced in 2017/18, it seems we may see a little more of last season’s King George winner this campaign, as Might Bite looks set to be sent in pursuit of the £1milion bonus on offer for winning the Betfair Chase - a race he skipped last year -, the King George and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He rates a big threat to all. Native River The one they all have to get past though is Colin Tizzard’s defending champion, Native River. The son of Indian River didn’t enjoy himself over the smaller obstacles at Cheltenham, falling and being beaten 53 lengths in two starts over hurdles around here. Over fences though he has proved to be a completely different proposition. Second in the 2016 National Hunt Chase over four miles, he then finished third in the 2017 Gold Cup, before of course claiming ultimate glory in that titanic tussle with Might Bite here last year. A lighter campaign seemed to be the key to the improved performance of Native River in this race last season. Whereas in 2017 he won two very tough races in the Hennessy Gold Cup and Welsh Grand National leading into Cheltenham, last season he was only given the one prep race in Newbury’s Denman Chase. Much like Might Bite though it seems the lure of the £1million bonus may prove too much to resist for connections this time around, with Haydock’s Betfair Chase being touted as Native River’s probable starting point for the season. Whatever route he takes into the race, this tough and tenacious stayer will be fancied by many to become the first back to back Gold Cup winner since Best Mate in 2003/04. Never Too Soon To Post Those Bets Whether you’re a Might Bite or Native River fan; can’t see past the claims of Presenting Percy, or perhaps have a suspicion that one of the current outsiders may come to the fore; when it comes to betting on the Cheltenham Festival, there’s really no such thing as getting involved too Early. Whatever your fancy for the big one at this stage, should they perform with credit at the track in the contests leading up to the showpiece event in March, their Cheltenham Gold Cup odds are only likely to shorten. Thankfully with the ante post betting markets now firmly up and running, there’s nothing to stop us firing an early bullet or two at jumps racing’s biggest target.
