Tag: Douvan

Punchestown Festival – Tuesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Punchestown festival gets under way on Tuesday with a number of Cheltenham winners in action on the opening day.

Douvan got Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh off to a flyer at Cheltenham when living up to expectations in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He reappears in the Champion Novice Hurdle at 4.20 and is impossible to oppose. Sizing John was seven lengths adrift at the festival and looks clear second-best here.

Punters are unlikely to get rich by supporting RSA Chase winner Don Poli at 6.40 either. He was one of the most impressive winners of the meeting in the RSA Chase and is now one of the market leaders for next season’s Gold Cup. It remains to be seen just how good a race it was this year but there will be some long faces in the unsaddling enclosure if he fails to win on Tuesday.

Just as in Douvan’s race, the biggest threat looks likely to come from a horse that was behind at Cheltenham. Wounded Warrior was an honourable third, eight lengths behind Don Poli.

If those two races look like a cakewalk for Mullins, the same cannot be said for the Champion Chase at 5.30. He runs three here, led by Champagne Fever. The grey came within inches of completing a third successive victory at the festival when beaten on the nod in the Arkle Chase last season. His chasing career has spluttered along since, seemingly with no clear indication of what his best trip is. Mullins seemed convinced that it was two and a half miles after he failed to stay in the King George but is now reverting to two miles. My guess is that Ruby Walsh will try to reproduce the front running display that so nearly won the Arkle.

He is joined in the field by Felix Yonger and Twinlight. I much prefer Felix Yonger of the pair, a winner over Argocat at Navan last month. John Hanlon is trying blinkers on Hidden Cyclone for the first time after a disappointing run behind Uxizandre at the festival. He has some top class form in the past and will be an obvious threat if the blinds have the desired effect.

A Mullins treble on the opening day would not hit the bookmakers too hard at the prohibitive prices on offer but 3-1 looks fair for Champagne Fever.

Douvan 4.20 @1-4 William Hill

Champagne Fever 5.30 @3-1 Paddy Power

Don Poli 6.40 @4-9 Betfred

Cheltenham blog – The £100 million fall!

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The bookmakers were saved an estimated £100 million pay-out on the opening day of the Cheltenham festival when Annie Power crashed out at the final hurdle in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Bookmakers had feared a multi-million pound pay-out with Irish trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh having four red-hot favourites on the card. Douvan started the ball rolling in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and was quickly followed by Un De Sceaux in the Arkle Chase.

The bandwagon rolled on in the Champion Hurdle when Faugheen led home stable companions Arctic Fire and Hurricane Fly in a Mullins 1-2-3. Everything appeared to be going to plan for Annie Power as Ruby Walsh moved her through to lead on the home turn. They quickened up going to the last but took off a stride to early and crashed out of the race.

The race was battled out by Nicky Henderson’s Polly Peachum and the Mullins-trained Glens Melody, runner-up to Quevega a year earlier. The photo finish went in favour of Glens Melody to provide him with a fourth winner on the day. Fortunately Annie Power and Ruby Walsh returned unscathed and it is only the punters left nursing their wounds.

Most of the special offers from bookmakers had focussed on the Mullins runners so they still face a hefty pay-out, but not nearly as bad as it might have been. There were enhanced prices offered on the first three Mullins winners for new customers and money back offers on the Supreme and the Arkle. With four winners already on the board, Mullins is now closing in on Nicky Henderson’s record of seven festival winners in one season.

Special Offer

Open a Racebets account and you can get 10-1 about either Sire de Grugy or Sprinter Sacre for tomorrow’s Champion Chase (maximum £5 stake per customer – new customers only).

Latest Festival Updates

Coneygree will definitely run in the Gold Cup after being taken out of the RSA Chase on Wednesday. Boston Bob is also thought likely to run in Friday’s feature race in preference to the Ryanair Chase.

Willie Mullins has taken Briar Hill out of the World Hurdle but will still be represented by Zaidpour and Abbyssial. All of the other major contenders stood their ground.

Market Movers

Wednesday – Don Poli (RSA Chase) 2-1 BetBright

Thursday – Don Cossack (Ryanair Chase) 7-2 Sky Bet

Friday – Coneygree (Gold Cup) 12-1 Sky Bet

William Hill money-back offer on Supreme Hurdle

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Cheltenham Special offers are coming thick and fast now with William Hill announcing a great money-back offer on the opening race of the meeting.

Paddy Power are offering money back on losing bets in the Supreme Hurdle and the Arkle Chase if the Willie Mullins-trained Douvan or Un De Sceaux prove successful. The offer applies up to £50 per customer.

William Hill are also focussing on the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle but will refund ALL losing bets, irrespective of the result, up to maximum of £25 per customer. The stakes will be refunded as free bets in your William Hill account and the offer starts from 8.30am on Friday.

You need to bet via mobile or online to claim back the £25 which must then be staked within 24 hours. Betting shop customers can claim a refund of £10 which must be invested in the following race at the meeting, the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase.

The Supreme will be a very significant race for bookmakers this year, even more so than usual. Mullins, top trainer at the meeting for the past two seasons, saddles 7-4 favourite Douvan who is the first of four (possibly five) favourites for the stable on the opening day. There will doubles, trebles and accumulators in their thousands resting on the shoulders of Ruby Walsh in the opener.

The big danger is Nicky Henderson’s L’Ami Serge who would be favourite in a normal year. He won the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown by 14 lengths and is unbeaten in three races since arriving from France. There was no disguising Henderson’s confidence in the horse at his recent media day at the Lambourn stables and there will be plenty willing to take the 4-1 on offer with a money-back guarantee!

Although there are currently 83 entries for the race, there are relatively few serious contenders. Several have entries in the other novice races at the meeting but Jollyallan will have his supporters with Tony McCoy likely to take the ride. Harry Fry’s gelding is owned by JP McManus and was just beaten by Garde La Victoire in a Listed race last time. You can currently get 9-1 about Jollyallan with William Hill.

Remember, the refund only applies up to a maximum of £25 per customer or £10 to retail customers. (Open to win and each-way bets)

Latest William Hill prices; 7-4 Douvan, 4-1 L’Ami Serge, 9-1 Jollyallan

Paddy Power Cheltenham money-back offer

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Paddy Power have come unstuck in previous years with their generous money-back offers at Cheltenham and they are at it again this year!

In 2012 they offered refunds on all losing bets in the Arkle Chase if odds-on favourite Sprinter Sacre won. Nicky Henderson’s star chaser made short work of his rivals and the following year is was Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle. Last season Vautour romped to victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Paddy Power refunding bets on the placed horses.

The firm are to refund all losing bets as a free bet on two races at this year’s festival. Willie Mullins is responsible for the favourite in each with Douvan in the Supreme and Un De Sceaux in the Arkle. With the former currently 7-4 favourite and Un De Sceaux the shortest priced favourite of the meeting at 4-7, it is probably a way of generating some interest in the other runners. The offer applies to all bets up to £50/€50 per customer per race.

The offer will be of particular interest to punters who fancy those closest to the favourites in each race. There is a lot of confidence behind Nicky Henderson’s L’Ami Serge in the Supreme and he is currently trading at 9-2 with the Irish firm. The French import remains unbeaten and was particularly impressive when winning the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown last time out.

The market is similarly lopsided in the Arkle Chase with Vibrato Valtat offered at 5-1 with 10-1 bar. Paul Nicholls trains the grey who has won his last three races over fences culminating in the Kingmaker Chase at Warwick earlier this month. He cruised clear to beat Top Gamble by four and a half lengths to follow up his win at Kempton in December.

He is available at 11-2 elsewhere but the 5-1 with the refund offer should Un De Sceaux fluff his lines is well worth considering. L’Ami Serge is generally 4-1 with other firms so the 9-2 will make plenty of appeal to supporters of Nicky Henderson’s star novice. There does not appear to be much depth to the field for the Supreme and the market currently revolves around the two horses. With non-runner – no bet also applying, it could be a good time to get on the second favourites.

L’Ami Serge @9-2 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Vibrato Valtat @5-1 Arkle Chase

*Paddy Power special terms apply