Cheltenham Festival 2017 - Preview

Published on: 10/03/2017

Cheltenham Festival 2017 - Preview

March 14-17, 2017

The 2017 Cheltenham Festival gets underway on March 14 and promises to be yet another exciting event for punters.

The showpiece event of the National Hunt season attracts visitors from all over the world and features many of the UK and Ireland`s most talented horse, trainers and jockeys. The Festival has also become a significant social occasion where exuberant punters can let their hair down for a few days by taking in the action, wagering on their favourite picks and enjoying a beverage or two in one of the many bars located on the grounds.

The 2016 edition of the event provided racegoers with some great action with the likes of Douvan, Annie Power, Vroum Vroum Mag, Thistlecrack, Vautour and Don Cossack claiming victories in the high-profile races. And who could forget Sprinter Sacre`s performance in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Gold Cup winner Don Cossack and Sprinter Sacre have both now retired, while Vatour suffered an unfortunate paddock accident and had to be put down. Of the remaining winners, Douvan and Vroum Vroum Mag, are the only two that will return to action this year. However, there are plenty of other contenders for punters to look out for including Charli Parcs, Altior, The New One, Cue Card and Unowhatimeanharry.

When it comes to the jockeys and trainers, the usual suspects will by vying for the top awards, with Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson, Gordon Elliott and Paul Nicholls set to battle it out for the title of leading trainer and Ruby Walsh, Noel Fehily, Sam Twiston-Davies, Davy Russell and Bryan Cooper among the front runners chasing the top jockey gong.

As the meeting approaches and the starting cards are confirmed we will bring you daily tips for all four days of the festival so keep an eye out on out previews page next week.

In the meantime, here is a full list of the schedule of events for next week`s big event:

Tuesday March 14

13:30: Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle 14:10: Racing Post Arkle Chase 14:50: The Ultima Handicap Chase 15:30: The Stan James Champion Hurdle 16:10: OLBG Mares Hurdle 16:50: JT McNamara National Hunt Chase 17:30: The Close Brothers Novices Handicap Chase

Wednesday March 15

13:30: Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle 14:10: RSA Chase 14:50: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 15.30: Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 16:10: Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 16:50: Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 17:30: Wetherbys Champion Bumper

Thursday March 16

13:30: JLT Novices Chase 14:10: Pertemps Network Final 14:50: Ryanair Chase 15:30: The Sun Bets Stayers Hurdle 16:10: Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 16:50: The Trull House Stud Mares` Novices Hurdle 17:30: The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase

Friday March 17

13:30: JCB Triumph Hurdle 14:10: Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle 14:50: Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle 15:30: Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup 16:10: St James`s Place Foxhunter Chase 16:50: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys` Handicap Hurdle 17:30: The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase

Betting at Cheltenham 2017

Throughout Cheltenham week, you should be able to find some great offers from the leading bookmakers. Bet365 are one of the biggest names in the business and all new customers can enjoy their £200 sign-up offer which equates to a 100% matched deposit bonus of up to £200.

What`s more, Bet365 will also ensure that every bet you make at the festival is paid out at the best odds available. So if the starting price is higher than the price you took, you will get paid out at the higher price. This rule also applies to all UK and Irish horse races.

Your Cheltenham wagers will also be further covered by the companys Non-Runner No Bet rule. So if your horse does not run your stake is returned (single bets) or adjusted to count the remaining selections (multiple bets).

Finally, if you back a winning horse at odds of 4/1 or higher on any televised race (ITV1 or ITV4) you will receive a free bet equal to the value of your stake. This must be used on the next televised race and there is no limit to how many times you can benefit from this bonus.

Published on: 10/03/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (10/03/2017 10:03:42) but are subject to change.