1:30pm – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

It looks like a wide open Supreme with Envoi Allen heading to the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. I was very impressed with ASTERION FORLONGE (11/4) at the Dublin Racing Festival and he can get Willie Mullins off to the perfect start.

Stablemate Shishkin looks a speedy type but the soft conditions will surely suit my selection and his stamina should prevail. Fair play to the owners for entering both in the same race.

From an each way perspective, SOVIET PIMPERNEL (28/1) is worth a look. Winner of a Grade 3 on his last outing, he also has Cheltenham form behind Quel Destin, who is now rated 156. It would be foolish to write him off...

 

2:10pm – Arkle Challenge Trophy

Notebook is a worthy horse racing betting favourite but I’ll be taking a chance on FAKIR D’OUDAIRIES (5/1) to reverse that Leopardstown form. Mark Walsh got it wrong on that occasion and he has been kept fresh, specifically with Cheltenham in mind.

He ran well at the 2019 meeting, finishing fourth behind Klassical Dream in the Supreme and he could be Joseph O’Brien’s best chance of the week.

MAIRE BANRIGH (12/1) is unbeaten in four starts over hurdles and the mare could run into the places with a bit of luck. She coped well with the step up in trip last time out and a quick race would certainly suit.

 

2:50pm – Ultima Handicap Chase

Second in the National Hunt Chase 12 months ago, DISCORAMA (8/1) can go one better this time around. He looks to have been laid out since Christmas with this race in mind…

The Paul Nolan runner will run off a mark of 148, which looks generous given his form behind the likes of Champagne Classic, Chris’s Dream and Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Delta Work.

CEPAGE (16/1) may be worth chancing despite uncertainty over the step up in trip. He was a gutsy winner at Cheltenham last time out and could feature prominently if conditions suit.

 

3:30pm – Champion Hurdle

This year’s Champion Hurdle is fascinating. While it isn’t the best renewal in terms of quality, the race has an open feel to it and at least six or seven runners are in with a decent chance of victory.

CILAOS EMERY (6/1) has been supplemented for the race and that could be telling. Willie Mullins must think that the Champion Hurdle is there for the taking and his runner will relish the soft conditions at Prestbury Park.

BALLYANDY (16/1) always gives you a run for your money and he got the better of Pentland Hills at Haydock in January. Given that the former is 16/1 and the latter is 5/1, he could be an each way play.

 

4:10pm – Mares Hurdle

This could be one of the races of the week. BENIE DES DIEUX (4/6) will be looking to make amends after falling with the final hurdle at her mercy last year – Willie Mullins himself will be banking on a Day One winner in this race.

HONEYSUCKLE (2/1) has done nothing wrong in her racing career, with seven wins from seven races over hurdles. Connections must have been tempted by the Champion Hurdle but they opted for the mares race, which is probably the right call.

It is hard to look past the two market principles; the heart says Honeysuckle but the head says Benie Des Dieux.

 

4:50pm – Northern Trust Handicap Chase

I’ve been a big fan of IMPERIAL AURA (9/2) for a while now and he looks well treated off a mark of 143. He has finished second on his two previous appearances at Cheltenham and should go close at the Festival. He is my NAP of the day.

BEAKSTOWN (12/1) was touted as a potential Graded horse at the start of the National Hunt season and he has reasonable form behind some solid horses, namely Sam Spinner, Champ and Mister Fisher.

Soft ground will almost certainly suit Imperial Aura more than Beakstown but a dry forecast could swing things in favour of the Dan Skelton runner.

 

5:30pm – National Hunt Chase

CAREFULLY SELECTED (13/8) looks the one to beat here. This has been his target for a while now and Patrick Mullins will be quietly confident of claiming his third win in this race since 2013.

I backed Carefully Selected for this race in May 2019 after he finished an eye-catching third behind Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner Minella Indo at the Punchestown Festival.

NEWTIDE (9/1) is an interesting each-way selection. The Kim Bailey runner has thrived since stepping up in trip, winning his last three races over three miles – with all three wins coming on soft ground.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo*

Horses such as Paisley Park, Tiger Roll, Benie Des Dieux etc are certainly going to be popular choices in ante post multiple bets at the Cheltenham Festival, but they are hardly going to get you rich overnight.

Half the fun of the annual pilgrimage to Prestbury Park for many punters is to find those elusive big-priced winners and they certainly go a long way towards paying for the sundries for the week.

Here at 888sport, we have picked out five longshots for you to follow at the Cheltenham Festival and provided you with all our reasoning.

 

Monalee - 25/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Many people have questioned my unfaltering dedication to this Gold Cup runner and whether the nine-year-old will be able to handle the 3m 2½f distance required to land this blue riband event.

However, I am fairly confident that his breeding will come to the fore on that front.

Sadler’s Wells has had the biggest breeding influence of all on the Gold Cup in the past 20 years, with winners Synchronised, Don Cossack, Lord Windermere and Kicking King all coming from his lineage.

His legacy continues again this year with Monalee, Santini and Chris’s Dream all being part of his progeny.

Monalee’s second to Delta Work in the Savills Chase (3m) at Leopardstown this season was very impressive, and I do believe that over a further distance the gelding would have re-rallied to win that day.

25/1 is a decent enough price about him and I suggest you give Monalee an each-way go.

 

Cepage - 12/1 for the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate

Your definition of a longshot may be somewhat different to mine, but if I manage to find any kind of a winner at the Cheltenham Festival that is a double-figured price, I feel I have done very well indeed and mark it down on my “longshots landed” list.

Venetia Williams has given Cepage the ideal preparation this season and he can be a leading player in the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate on the Thursday of The Festival.

Front-running horses often go well in this race and the eight-year-old is certainly one of those.

After watching him at Aintree on his seasonal debut, I’ve been really interested in the way Williams has plotted him this year and he showed his true colours when landing a Grade 3 Chase on Cheltenham Trials Day.

I expect him to be in the van all the way in this contest and once again he will be carrying my each-way money.

 

Fingerontheswitch - 25/1 for the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup 

Fingerontheswitch is also entered for the Ultima but he looks unlikely to get in. If he doesn’t, then the contingency plan for the Mulholland stable is to go for the Kim Muir with Millie Wonnacott taking the ride once again.

The ten-year-old has been in cracking form since Cheltenham’s October meeting and the pair of them were just denied victory in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster by Ok Corral.

The gelding is clearly a fantastic ride for an amateur rider and Wonnacott and Fingerontheswitch have certainly bonded this season.

At 25/1 in horse racing odds, they cannot be ignored in a bustling race of this nature where an in synch partnership generally reaps the rewards.

 

Supasundae - 12/1 for the Champion Hurdle

I’m pretty late to the party with this selection and have missed all the 33/1 that was readily available, but odds of 12/1 are still pretty handsome for a horse that is a multiple Grade One winner in his own right.

In what many pundits are saying is a pretty “ordinary” Champion Hurdle this year, the Jessica Harrington-trained ten-year-old has to be on the radar at least based upon his back class in these type of races previously.

He won the 2018 Irish Champion Hurdle and the Punchestown version the following month. He also won last year’s Aintree Hurdle, beating Buveur D’air before there was a reversal of that very same result at Punchestown last May.

Supasundae is a previous Cheltenham Festival winner, taking the Coral Cup 2017. He also finished runner-up to Penhill in the following season’s Stayer’s Hurdle and has run at every single Cheltenham Festival since 2015.

If his proven stamina comes into play in this, then the “veteran” has shown that he can still mix it with the best in this kind of company. He’s just like an old pair of comfortable jeans, forever reliable and enduring, and certainly worth a flutter.

 

Peregrine Run - 25/1 for the Cross Country Chase

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, on day two of the Cheltenham Festival, has been earmarked as the ten-year-old’s next port of call before a possible tilt at the 2020 Grand National three weeks later.

Any 16-time winner is hard to ignore when assessing the runners in any horse race and Peregrine Run looks well overpriced in a unique race like this.

He has had a break since finishing last of five behind Douvan in the Clonmel Oil Chase, but this is pretty much a step down in grade compared to the races he usually contests.

He could quite easily be a forgotten horse in a race that will be dominated in all the narratives and in the betting by Tiger Roll. 25/1 is an each-way shrewdies dream in a speciality race like this.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Amr Nabil / AP Photo*

The 2020 MLB season is almost here. An offseason marred with sign-stealing controversy still hangs over the league, the Houston Astros and their players are a topic of conversation more than anyone would like them to be.

The early knockings of free agency feel like a lifetime ago, the days when wondering where Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon would land was the biggest concern of MLB fanatics.

Baseball’s reputation has been hurt. A season of beanballs will not help that.

The 2020 campaign will forever be a famous one – hopefully there are some positive news stories to associate with the year after the biggest cheating scandal the sport has faced since the steroid era.

Whether a seasoned MLB.TV watcher or needing some help from baseball for dummies, take a look at our MLB season preview, starting with the American League…

 

American League

The New York Yankees lead the way at 2/1 ahead of the Astros at 5/2. Cole’s decision to swap Minute Maid Park for pinstripes might have shifted the balance of power at the top of the American League, but injuries are already cropping up for the Yanks.

Both are heavily favoured to win their divisions and Minnesota are odds-on to make it back-to-back Central crowns.

The AL remains top-heavy, and the Boston Red Sox’s decision to manage payroll has restricted the group of potentially elite teams. Even the Twins are out at 8/1 to make the World Series.

The Tampa Bay Rays are priced at 11/2 to win the East and 9/1 to make their second World Series. Projections don’t have them pushing the Yankees close, but with three legitimate Cy Young contenders and a deep line-up, the Rays could be a good bet.

The Chicago White Sox are a team to look out for. They made smart veteran additions to their immensely talented young core – Luis Robert will be joining Eloy Jimenez in the outfield and Yoan Moncada finally broke out in 2019.

A lot depends on the progression of their young pitching. They are solid price at 13/4 to win the division and will attract interest at 16/1 to make the Fall Classic.

Mookie Betts’ departure saw Mike Trout’s status as MVP favourite strengthen. The Angels centre fielder is 6/4, way ahead of the field - as you’d expect for one of the best MLB players of all-time.

Trout hit a career-high 45 homers last season: he keeps getting better. If healthy, it will (as it has in the past) take an historic campaign to stop him winning MVP.

There’s a bucketload of elite talent in the AL. Plenty of players could produce a Trout-rivalling year, so the longer-odds options will get some backing. Gleyber Torres at 25/1 represents good value after a great 2019.

The Cy Young award is more competitive. Former Astros teammates Cole and Justin Verlander will be battling it out again, and the Rays trio of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow are all lurking.

Morton racked up a career-high 194 innings last season, along with over 11 strikeouts per nine and a sub-three FIP. He’s the best bet of the three.

Watch out for Corey Kluber at 25/1. Injury ruined his 2019, but a bounce back year could be on the cards with the Rangers, who brought the best out of Mike Minor last year.

Prediction: Yankees win AL (2/1), Charlie Morton wins Cy Young (11/1), Trout wins MVP (6/4)

 

National League

Recent memory of online MLB betting odds is dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A former Cy Young winner and a former MVP were added this offseason to a roster already projected to cruise to an eighth consecutive NL West title.

They are the NL’s favourites to make the World Series, priced at 17/10 and favourites to win it all at 15/4.

The West is pretty dull. Turning our attention to the Central and East, however, things get much more interesting.

The Cardinals and Braves are respective favourites, but neither are foregone conclusions with the Cubs and Nationals sitting at 5/2. The Reds and Brewers in the Central and Mets and Phillies in the East are right in the mix, too.

Cincinnati were one of the busiest teams this winter, adding Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to a line-up that struggled in 2019.

The rotation remains after a good season and Cincy will be hoping they get the best of Trevor Bauer. Their 3/1 price to win the division represents very good value, and it’s surprising to see them as ninth favourites to make the World Series.

The Washington Nationals, the reigning champions, lost another superstar in Anthony Rendon after seeing Bryce Harper walk the year before.

Juan Soto stepped into the Harper-shaped hole, replacing Rendon will not be so simple despite Carter Kieboom’s presence. The innings on their starters’ arms in the postseason could make this a trickier year. They are too short at 7/1 to win the pennant.

While the Braves look good as East favourites, the Mets are worth backing at 27/20 to make the playoffs. They should win more than 85.5, too.

Betts has switched leagues and moved straight in as MVP favourite ahead of his new teammate Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich.

It was a toss-up between Bellinger and Yelich last season until the Brewers outfielder was sidelined. Both will be in contention once again, but it’s unlikely they keep up the standards of last season.

Ronald Acuna Jr. at 10/1 feels a fair price. Fernando Tatis Jr. at 20/1 is worth a few pennies if he can stay on the field.

Veterans Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are ahead of the pack for the NL Cy Young. The duo have the track record to deserve that, and have duelled for the award in each of the last two years.

Two younger arms in Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty (who had a monstrous second half of 2019) follow them in the market.

The pair will be competing for years to come and are already among the best starters in the game. Bauer, despite an ugly 10 starts with the Reds, is a worth consideration at 25/1.

Prediction: Braves win NL (11/2), Jack Flaherty wins Cy Young (10/1), Ronald Acuna wins MVP (10/1)