Cheltenham 2023: Best Bets for the Festival

The upcoming Cheltenham Festival will provide punters with plenty of betting opportunities throughout the prestigious four-day meeting.

The Cheltenham betting markets are always hugely competitive, which can make it extremely difficult for bettors to make a profit.

Most of the big handicaps present an impossible puzzle for punters, but some of the graded events are a little easier to unravel from a form perspective.

With that in mind, we have scoured the 2023 Cheltenham Festival ante-post markets to identify our four best bets for the meeting.

Honeysuckle – Mares’ Hurdle

With Constitution Hill looking unstoppable in the Champion Hurdle, Honeysuckle’s connections will take the easier option of the Mares’ Hurdle this year.

The hugely popular nine-year-old has shown signs that she is not quite the force of old this season, but should still have too much class against her own sex at the Festival.

A recent defeat behind State Man in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown prompted the decision to switch Honeysuckle to the Mares’ Hurdle.

Although the two-time Champion Hurdle winner has nothing left to prove, a victory in her final race would be the perfect way to end a glittering career.

Delta Work – Cross Country Chase

The epic battle between Delta Work and Tiger Roll in last year’s Cross Country Chase was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 2022 Festival.

Tiger Roll was bidding for a sixth win at the meeting on the final start of his career, but was pipped on the run-in by his hugely talented stablemate.

The five-time Grade 1 winner went on to run a fine third in the Grand National and looks a good bet to enjoy another productive spring this year.

Delta Work is strongly fancied to romp away with the Cross Country Chase before having another crack at the prestigious long-distance race at Aintree.

Mighty Potter

Mighty Potter was an impressive winner on his most recent outing at Leopardstown and will be tough to beat in the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

Gordon Elliott’s charge was always up with the leaders before easily pulling clear of the field around the final bend on his way to a stylish eight-and-a-half lengths success.

Mighty Potter was pulled up in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle after making a bad mistake, but he looks a much stronger animal this season.

While there are plenty of other talented horses entered in the race, Mighty Potter is a banker bet to give Elliott yet another Festival winner.

Galopin Des Champs

The highlight of the final day is the Cheltenham Gold Cup – a Grade 1 event featuring the finest staying chasers in the business.

Last year’s winner A Plus Tard will be back to defend his crown, but has plenty to prove after running a stinker on his seasonal reappearance at Haydock in November.

By contrast, Galopin Des Champs heads into the race in tip-top shape after showcasing his credentials with a superb win in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last weekend.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old travelled really well during the race, and will likely be even better over the slightly longer trip at Cheltenham.