Which Favourite Should Be Your Cheltenham Festival Banker?

During every Cheltenham festival there has been a number of horses that have ran across the four days that most punters class as there banker for the meeting.

These horses normally are either odds on or slightly above evens, but or normally the most well known horses known in the racing world.

There are a number of reasons why punters might believe a horse to be there best bet, with it either winning for them before or being in superb form, whatever it is we are taking an in depth look into this years five biggest favourites and looking at how strong they are in the market.

In most punters eyes Altior looks to be the biggest banker of the week and with his credentials and arguably the greatest horses over 2 miles to ever live you can see why.

The Nicky Henderson trained gelding is now 17 unbeaten over obstacles and is going in search of his second Queen Mother Champion Chase in consecutive years.

The nine year old has now won eight Grade 1s with seven coming over fences and the other over hurdles. At the short price of 4/9 it does put some punters off with the value being very small.

However, this horses form figures speaks for itself and for us it would have to take one of the biggest shocks in Cheltenham festival history to see this horse get beat if having a clear round of jumping.

Credit Racing TV

The next banker of the week for many and especially the Irish contingent that will be swarming Prestbury Park is 2018 Grand National winner Tiger Roll.

This staying superstar is a three time Cheltenham Festival winner and last year cruised to a victory in the Cross Country Chase.

This is the same race he will be going for this year and at evens is actually not that bad a price for how consistently good he is over this distance.

Last month he went on to win his prep race in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle, which no one saw coming but it just extended position at the top of the betting market for Cheltenham and he will hoping to replicate his performance here last year and then again at Aintree for the Grand National.

(Credit Cheltenham Racecourse)

Next up is one of the surprise packages of the season from Emma Lavelle's yard in Paisley Park who has been magnificent this season and what a story it would be for the small team.

The seven year old since racing at last years festival has gone unbeaten winning a Grade 1, 2 and 3 with his latest performance in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham looking like the best form to take into the race.

This victory over course and distance put to bed any suggestions that the track would not suit him and although this again will be a step up and his hardest test to date, he is one of the most improving horses in training and at 2/1 is an attractive price for a Banker.

(Credit Sporting Life and ITV Racing)

One of our biggest bankers of the week but maybe not for the population of punters going to the festival is Benie Des Dieux as compared to the rest of the horses on show in this blog there is a slight bit of doubt behind her.

This horse has not had a run all season, which for many favourite bankers is a problem as they want to see they still have all the ability of last season but for us she has got that and more.

Her trainer Willie Mullins and jockey set to ride Ruby Walsh have both said that she is there banker of the week and these pair don't use that term lightly with the Cheltenham festival being ran by those two for the past few years.

Benie Des Dieux is unbeaten in all her starts under Mullins and landed the Grade 1 Mares Hurdle last season beating this season's superstar Apple's Jade comfortably. Will be hard to beat.

(Credit Racing TV)

The final horse that we believe to be a favourite amongst the betting markets at the moment is the Joseph O'Brien trained Sir Erec.

The J P McManus owned four year old is leading the way in the betting for the Triumph Hurdle and has been emphatic in both his runs over hurdles to date but does look set to have his hardest test in his career.

Last time out at Leopardstown he landed the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle that looks strong form going into this race. He has been nothing but solid in the market being nudged in constantly and now a general price of 1/1 should tell you everything you need to know for this exciting youngster.

(Credit Racing TV)