The 2021 Cheltenham Festival gets underway on March 16 to kick-off four days of thrilling National Hunt action.
The meeting always attracts the top horses, trainers and jockeys in the business and this year promises to be no different in that respect.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup on the final day is the highlight of the event, although there are plenty of other top-class races taking place across the four days.
Read on as we take a closer look at some of the main bets you can make at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Shishkin set to shine
There are many horses are tipped to win at Cheltenham, but one of the most popular selections is undoubtedly Shishkin in the Arkle Novices’ Chase.
Nicky Henderson’s charge won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last year, overcoming severe interference to get up on the run-in.
However, his future was always expected to lie over bigger obstacles and three impressive victories this season have done little to dispel that notion.
For any punter looking to place a single bet on one horse to win at the Festival, Shishkin looks banker material to deliver the goods.
Chase a treble on Wednesday
The second day of the Festival offers the chance to be a little braver with your bets, with three horses fancied to deliver a tasty looking treble.
Monkfish is another horse aiming to follow up at this meeting and he looks nailed on to run a big race for Willie Mullins in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
The Mullins-trained Chacun Pour Soi will also be strongly fancied as he attempts to win the two-mile Champion Chase later on the card.
Easysland should complete the treble in the Cross Country Chase – a race he won by a 17-length margin ahead of Tiger Roll last year.
Thursday looks tricky
Picking winners looks tough on day three, but the news that Cheltenham free bets are also available for this year’s event certainly helps in that regard.
Envoi Allen should win the Marsh Novices’ Chase to kick-off proceedings, and he is viewed by many punters as the banker bet of the week.
The third and fourth races provide a good opportunity for an each-way double, starting off with Allaho to win the Ryanair Chase.
Thyme Hill should also run a massive race in the Stayers’ Hurdle to deliver a tidy return ahead of the Gold Cup on Friday.
Tritonic fancied to triumph
With the Festival being held behind closed doors, there will be a limited attendance watching Al Boum Photo’s bid to win the Gold Cup for the third successive year.
The nine-year-old warmed up for the race with an easy victory at Tramore on New Years’ Day and is likely to be tough to beat.
The Triumph Hurdle gets the final day underway, and features a horse that can form a lucrative double with Al Boum Photo. Tritonic was Listed class on the flat and produced a dominant display to romp away with the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton on his recent debut over jumps.
