Bookmakers braced for Festival favourites
Bshort. Favourite-backers will look to get the best possible start with Getabird in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Footpad in the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase. But bookmakers rate the pair, representing the formidable team of Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, as far from being certainties. The other two hotpots, Buveur D’Air in the Unibet Champion Hurdle and Apple’s Jade in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, are seen more like good things.
“The obvious starting point is the four short-priced favourites,” said David Stevens of Coral.
“On their own, we don’t fear them as they are short enough, but punters will put them in doubles, trebles, four-folds.
“As always in these situations, we’d just take one of them to lose tomorrow. There’s enough reason to think so, particularly in the Supreme – the ground is going to come up pretty testing, which is unusual for the Festival, and it’s a big field. It’s the same in the Arkle. I know it’s a small field, but there a couple of strong contenders against the favourite.
“We wouldn’t be looking to run away from them. Perhaps Buveur D’Air and Apple’s Jade less so. They look pretty bombproof. I think there’s enough question marks against the first two.”
As for the rest of the week, Stevens believes the state of the ground will have a big bearing on results.
“The big factor this year will be the ground and how much more rain we get,” he said. “I could see Native River starting favourite in the Gold Cup.”
Ladbrokes are wary of the Walsh factor today, not just with Getabird and Footpad but with another Mullins inmate, Faugheen, in the mix.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “Walsh has the ability to make or break our week and shape our entire year. We’ve known some costly Ruby Tuesdays at Cheltenham but a successful treble will be the most expensive yet.”