The most significant market mover for the Cheltenham Festival after racing on Saturday is Defi Du Seuil, which is now the +225 favourite at Bovada for the Champion Chase. Ballyandy does not have the ratings and proven form of a typical Champion Hurdle winner, but the horse could make the payout places at +4000. Vintage Clouds ran an eye-catching prep race for the Grand National at Haydock and is +3300 to win the world's greatest race.
More online bookmakers have introduced non-runner/no bet (NRNB) for the four major championship races at the Festival. You can now back a horse to win the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and Gold Cup and get stakes returned if the backed horse does not run. NRNB will apply to all 28 races at the meeting with several leading bookmakers in the next few weeks. The concession is designed to generate ante-post turnover at the jumps meeting that matters most.
Defi Du Seuil is now Britain's best two-mile chaser after winning the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in great style. The horse has an economical jumping style, travels strongly and also has a turn of foot. Connections seemed disappointed with how the runner-up, Un de Sceaux, performed. The 12-year-old was outpaced by Defi Du Seuil and cannot reverse the form over two miles. However, Un de Sceaux stayed on strongly and the Ryanair Chase is still an option.
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The Altior camp have still not played their hand, but the horse will have to produce something special in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury to dislodge Defi Du Seuil from favouritism for the Champion Chase. Altior is the two-time winner of the two-mile championship race for chasers and has won two other races at the Festival. Defi Du Seuil has won a hurdle and chase for novices at the Festival and can achieve the rare feat of winning three separate races at Cheltenham in March.
Pentland Hills looked to be about to take the Champion Hurdle betting by the scruff of the neck at Haydock. The horse travelled well in The New One Unibet Hurdle but found little under pressure when about to win the race. Ballyandy spoilt the Champion Hurdle trial by beating Pentland Hills by a nose. One particularly upset punter backed Pentland Hills at -10000 for £30,000 on a betting exchange. The individual was no doubt relishing the easy £300 before Ballyandy flipped the script.
Trevor Hemming has won the Grand National three times and Vintage Clouds has always been seen as a potential fourth winner for the owner. The horse was fancied for the race in 2019 but fell at the first fence. He was pulled up in the Becher Chase at Aintree in December, so contending in another National seemed to be a pipe dream. However, Vintage Clouds is now in the mix for the race in April after winning the Peter Marsh Chase by seven lengths from the staying-on Definitly Red.
Magic Of Light finished second behind Tiger Roll in last season's National. The horse took advantage of favourable conditions to win the mares' hurdle at Ascot at the weekend. Magic Of Light is now +1400 from +2800 to win the equivalent race at the Festival. It would be a strange prep race for the National, as no horse has won a hurdle race at the Cheltenham Festival and then a steeple chase at the Aintree Grand National meeting the following month. Even so, the most informative run at Ascot was delivered by Defi Du Seuil.