Horse Racing Sports

Cheltenham Festival 2022: your day-by-day guide on who to look out for in the key races

The 2022 Cheltenham festival starts in four days time and horse racing fans alike will be flocking to town to see if they can win big.

However, with casual fans as well as non-sport fans getting involved, many of them may be unsure as to who to bank on.

That is where we come in.

Here are the list of horses we think you should keep on eye out for over the four days of action. All odds courtesy of Paddy Power.

Champion Day (Tuesday)

Day one, also known as Champion Day, will see the first seven of the 28 races altogether. Here, there are four that stand out, starting with Supreme Novices Hurdle, which takes place at 13:30.

The tip for this one is Sir Gerhard at 2/1, but don’t forget about some of the other names taking part, such as Mighty Potter at 10/1 and, a phrase that will repeating up and down the country next week, Shallwehaveonemore at 33/1.

Elsewhere, Edwardstone (9/4) is favourite for the Arkle Chase at 14:10, but many people seem to fancy Blue Lord at 7/2. Appreciate It will be hoping to live up to expectations when they take to the Unibet Champion Hurdle (15:30). Finally, Concertista (7/2) is the pick for one of the final races that take place (16:10), but they are the second favourite behind Telmesomethinggirl at 3/1.

Rachael Blackmore celebrates after riding Honeysuckle to win The Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown Racecourse on February 06,...
Rachel Blackmore with her horse Honeysuckle

Ladies Day (Wednesday)

The showpiece race on Wednesday is the Champion Chase – the fourth race of the day – which begins at 15:30. Shishkin is the clear favourite at 4/6, but Energumene looks like a solid bet at 7/2.

But why be boring? When you name a horse Put the Kettle On, you have to give it some love, even if it is 20/1. You could be cheeky and bank on it in the race that will be taking place without Shishkin and Energumene (presumably to make it easier for everyone else), where it is placed at a healthier 5/1.

Sir Gerhard is also in action again, putting in one hell of a graft, when it takes part in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle (4/5).

St Patrick’s Day (Thursday)

Cheltenham goes green as there is a St Patrick’s Day theme on the Thursday. Some of the races that stick out here are the Ryanair Chase at 14:50, where Allaho is heavily fancied, but will Energumene is racing again. Will their sharpness show in this one after already racing the previous day?

The Stayers’ Hurdle is on just over half an hour later, where Nicky Henderson will be riding Champ at 5/1. No fancy names in this one, it’s all business.

The final meet of the day is the Kim Muir Challenge Cup. Presuming punters haven’t already gone home in anger after losing all of their money, they will most likely look at picks such as Frontal Assault (4/1) and Smoking Gun (6/1) to give them one last hope of leaving the town happy.

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Cheltenham Festival schedule and race times

Gold Cup (Friday)

The big day. The historic day. The day where there could be sheer elation, or it could all come crashing down.

Jack Kennedy celebrates with the trophy after winning the Gold Cup on board Minella Indo during day four of the Cheltenham National Hunt Racing...
Jack Kennedy celebrates with the Gold Cup trophy in 2021.

The bookies cannot split A Plus Tard and Galvin, both listed at 7/2, and it looks like we could see a repeat of the dramatic end to last year, where Minella Indo sealed Henry De Bromhead’s ‘holy trinity’.

Some outside bets to those hoping for one last shot to make up for their losses are Al Boum Photo at 8/1, while Conflated (10/1) has burst onto the scene recently and is coming into Cheltenham in good form after winning the Dublin Racing Festival last month.

Whatever the day holds, it’s sure to be one the public will enjoy, as thousands of racegoers will descend to hopefully see their horses come out on top and create memories they will never forget.

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