16:00
Cheltenham
Odds correct as of 1:43pm 26th Feb
Every National Hunt racing fan has at least one eye on the Cheltenham Festival at this point and the markets are very interesting at this time of year. There’s a monster market mover for the Champion Hurdle who was big as 100/1 as recently as last month and is currently as short as 8/1 in places. It’s fair to say that the market has been volatile throughout the season, for many reasons, but this is a big move for and no one will be surprised to hear that the horse on question is trained by Willie Mullins. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Poniros has come in for steady support in the last month but he was available at odds of 100/1 as recently as last month and that support has intensified recently. Some bookmakers are offering just 8/1 at the moment and it appears that someone somewhere is expecting a big run.
The five-year-old is no stranger to causing a shock, as he won the Triumph Hurdle on his first start over hurdles at the Festival last year. He was 100/1 that day but it didn’t stop him from getting the better of the very classy Lulamba. It’s entirely possible, and indeed likely, that we haven’t seen the best of him yet.
Making his seasonal reappearance at the Dublin Racing Festival, he finished third behind Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth and should be much sharper on the day. Obviously he’s got a fair amount to find but this is a wide-open renewal and Mullins’ gelding is thoroughly unexposed.
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