Cheltenham Festival 2020 Betting Preview

The eagerly awaited Cheltenham Festival 2020 is almost here. The famous four days down in Gloucestershire are renowned for being the biggest and best week on the racing calendar and this year will be no exception for all involved. In this preview with Oddschanger, we have put together all the information you will need to prepare yourself for the week ahead, with expert Cheltenham tips and Cheltenham predictions and the best Cheltenham betting odds for all punters, experienced and new.

Action at Prestbury Park will get underway on Tuesday, March 10 with eager eyes, sweaty palms, and bedlam from office to office and town to town. Officially billed as 'Champion Day', Cheltenham Festival's opening event the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle 2m 87y will kick off proceedings at 13:30. Then, the remaining six races of Champion Day will take place every 40 minutes until the closing event.

The same applies for each day of the Cheltenham Festival, and here at Oddschanger, we will be providing bettors with expert analysis, tips and predictions consistently throughout the week on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and here through our website. Be sure to follow along for all our betting previews for each day and daily content regarding everything Cheltenham Festival.

ICYMI: Read our Cheltenham Festival top trainers and jockeys preview and take a look at who to keep on eye on this year.

Leading trainers:

2019: Willie Mullins (4 winners)

2018: Gordon Elliott (8 winners)

2017: Gordon Elliott (6 winners)

Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have dominated in recent years and it will be no shock to see either of the two come out on top again this year.

Mullins is sending no fewer than 36 of his runners to this year's festival and with the likes of Al Boum Photo, Benie Des Dieux and Chacun Pour Soi in his line-up there’s no surprise to see he’s the strong favourite to be the leading trainer.

Gordon Elliott will be looking to prove the market wrong with an expected team of 50 runners, which include multiple Grand National and Cheltenham Cross Country winner Tiger Roll, the unbeaten novice hurdler Envoi Allen and Gold Cup hopeful Delta Work.

Leading Trainer Odds:

Willie Mullins - Evens (SkyBet)
Gordon Elliot - 3/1 (Bet365)

ICYMI: Read our preview and the odds the Presbury Cup between Great Britain and Ireland.

Leading jockeys:

2019: Nico de Boinville (3 winners)

2018: Davy Russell (4 winners)

2017: Ruby Walsh (4 winners)

With no Ruby Walsh in the saddle, all eyes will be on Paul Townend for Willie Mullins. He gave the trainer his first Cheltenham Gold Cup win last year with Al Boum Photo and has proven to be one of the best jockeys in the business.

There’s no surprise to see he is the bookies favourite to land the top jockey title this year, but he has strong competition in the form of 2018 winner Davy Russell and 2003 & 2012 winner Barry Geraghty.

Top Jockey Odds:

Paul Townend - 2/1 (Bet365)
Davy Russell - 5/1 (William Hill)
Barry Geraghty - 6/1 (Bet365)

ICYMI: Read our Cheltenham Festival top trainers and jockeys preview and take a look at who to keep on eye on this year.

Mares Hurdle (Tuesday 10th March) – Benie Des Dieux

The Willie Mullins mare was odds on for last year’s Mares Hurdle and had the race in the bag until unfortunately falling at the last hurdle. She has been very impressive in her three runs since (winning by a total of 37 lengths over the three races) and there’s a great chance she will make amends for that fall in the same race this year.

Best Odds - Benie Des Dieux - 8/11 (SkyBet)

Cross Country Chase (Wednesday 11th March) – Tiger Roll

Gordon Elliott’s fan favourite will arguably be the most backed selection at this year’s Cheltenham festival. The 9yr-old has won both this race and the Grand National for the past two years and is looking to make it a history-making third consecutive win in both.

Best Odds - Tiger Roll - 1/1 (PaddyPower)

Stayers Hurdle (Thursday 12th March) – Paisley Park

When it comes to short-priced favourites for the week, Emma Lavelle’s stayer will probably be the shortest. He was well backed in this race last year and did not disappoint his backers, staying on powerfully to win comfortably. He is unbeaten since won over course and distance back in January and will surely be the one to beat.

Best Odds - Paisley Park - 8/11 (Bet365)

Previous winners:

2019: Al Boum Photo

2018: Native River

2017: Sizing John

The big race of the week (Friday 13th March) and Al Boum Photo will be looking to defend his crown. He comes into this race on the back of a comfortable win at Tramore, but will face stiff competition in the form of Santini for Nicky Henderson and Delta Work for Gordon Elliott (both have also won in the lead up to this race).

There’s not much between the top six in the market and it looks set to be the race of the festival.