We have just over two weeks to go until one of the biggest horse racing events on the planet – the Cheltenham Festival – gets underway and it is time to start looking at some of the big races on show.
The first day of action in March 14 and one of the highlight events is the Arkle Trophy and this Grade 1 encounter looks like being full of quality.
It is run over a distance of around two miles and during its time, twelve fences are set to be jumped.
The current favourite with the bookmakers for this Arkle Trophy is Nicky Henderson’s Simonsig as the exciting grey is being tipped at 8/11 with Coral to follow in the footsteps of his stablemate – Sprinter Sacre – and win this event.
Henderson is the man training Simonsig and with the success he had with Sprinter Sacre last year, he is sure to be full of confidence. Betting on the favourite will be extremely popular when looking at his record in steeplechases as he is unbeaten.
It is going to be tough to stop Henderson’s charge and the bookies believe there is only one other horse in real contention for this Arkle Trophy – Donald McCain’s Overturn.
McCain’s Gelding is an 11/4 shot with Betfred and comes into this one on the back of three straight victories. The nine-year-old is capable of challenging the best chasers around, but he might need a bit of luck here.
One thing is for sure, the battle between these two looks to be one of the most eagerly anticipated of the whole Cheltenham Festival and it would be a shock if they aren’t battling it out towards the latter stages.
Of course, you can’t completely right off other contenders and the third-favourite is Arvika Ligeonniere. A bet on Willie Mullins’ horse gives you odds of 9/1 with Ladbrokes.
It is going to be tough for Arvika Ligeonniere, but with recent performances seeing him win three out of four runs, he cannot be ignored.
Captain Conan is available at 20/1 with Stan James, with Oscars Well and Benefficient at 25/1 with Sportingbet.
The remaining 14 entries are all available between 40/1 and 100/1.
When it comes to picking a winner for this event, we cannot look past the favourite and think that Overturn might challenge Simonsig in the early stages, but in the end, Henderson’s charge will storm to victory.
Bets on him winning by ten lengths or more look to be good value as you can get odds of 7/2 with SkyBet, which looks to be good value and that is our tip for this Arkle Trophy.
This certainly isn’t a race you want to be missing on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. So now you have read our Arkle Trophy Betting Preview you should think about placing those bets. Before you do place a bet though you should remember that not only can you get better odds at different bookies but these days most online bookmakers offer free bets and betting offers as welcome bonuses. We list all the best bookmakers free bets and betting offers such as the Betfred £50 free bet £20 Paddy Power free bet, so check out all our free bet offers and get a great betting offer to use on the Arkle Trophy.
[...] Arkle Trophy Betting Preview [...]