Outsiders To Consider for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival
With 28 races at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, there are lots of opportunities to find some outsiders who could outrun their odds at the meeting. Last year the biggest priced winner was Commander Of Fleet who prevailed on day two at 50/1.
Here are three horses who look overpriced to add their name to the Cheltenham Festival roll of honour in 2023.
Diverge – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (14/1)
Irish trainer Willie Mullins has won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle seven times. He has a great chance of extending his tally to eight this year. One of his contenders is Diverge, a novice hurdler who could not have been any more impressive when winning by 23 lengths in a large field handicap at Punchestown last month.
As you can see from the Cheltenham Festival betting guide, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the opening race on Champion Day. Facile Vega, also trained by Mullins, is the favourite to prevail this year. However, such is the strength of Mullins’ yard, that it would not be a surprise if one of his other runners wins this race. Diverge is 14/1 to beat his stablemates and the rest of the leading 2m novice hurdlers this year.
Funambule Sivola – Queen Mother Champion Chase (33/1)
Energumene and Funambule Sivola finished first and second respectively in the 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase. The defending champion is 15/8 to defend his title, while last year’s runner-up is as big as 33/1 to go one place better. That’s a huge difference in price between those two horses, especially when you consider Mullins’ chaser was beaten in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham on his last outing.
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Funambule Sivola wins the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase 🥇
Back-to-back wins in the race!#ITVRacing | @NewburyRacing | @charliedeutsch2 | @VenetiaWRacing pic.twitter.com/9xqHJXIzI5
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) February 11, 2023
Funambule Sivola was back to his best on his latest appearance at Newbury in the Grade Two Betfair Game Spirit Chase. Venetia Williams’ runner scored by just over three lengths. If he builds on that performance when he returns to the Festival, he should not be ignored in what looks like a thrilling renewal of the Championship race on day two.
Eldorado Allen – Cheltenham Gold Cup (66/1)
Talented chaser Eldorado Allen has finished second in two major races this season in the 3m chase division. He chased home Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby back in October, while a month later, he was runner-up behind Protektorat in the Betfair Chase at Haydock. Despite that form, he can be backed at 66/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Eldorado Allen lands the Denman! pic.twitter.com/3zbOTLp21s
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) February 12, 2022
The Tizzard family won the Blue Riband event of the Cheltenham Festival in 2018 with Native River, so they know exactly how to prepare a horse for this race. If you take Galopin Des Champs out of the field for this year’s renewal, it is wide open. There are also some question marks about Mullins’ chaser’s stamina over this 3m2½f distance, so there are grounds to take him on. Eldorado Allen is good enough on his day to cause an upset in this race and win the biggest prize of his career.
Good luck with your bets at the four-day meeting and enjoy all the action across the week from “The Greatest Show on Turf.”
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