One of the most celebrated meets of the horse racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival promises to be taken to new heights in 2020. Taking place across the 10th to the 13th of March, the meet includes some fantastic races including the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Ryanair Chase and the Gold Cup as Gloucestershire witnesses yet another horse racing phenomenon.
The likes of Pentland Hills, Espoir D’Allen and Al Boum Photo took home surprise victories in 2019 as the Cheltenham festival betting exceeded £500 million. This figure is expected to grow even further in 2020, but who are the underdogs heading into the Festival that could shock the rest of the field?
Supasundae – Champion Hurdle
Despite being offered odds at 33/1 across free horse picks sites, Supasundae is certainly a horse to look out for in the Champion Hurdle. Jockey Robbie Power has taken the reins of Supasundae for the past 18 races and has finished first five times with an average of placing third.
In 2017, Power and Supasundae combined to take home the Champion Hurdle title and the ten-year-old mare should not be taken lightly as the Festival approaches.
Un de Sceaux – Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase features the likes of Altior and Cyrname, but Un de Sceaux cannot be underestimated either. The 12-year-old mare has a past history of succeeding at Cheltenham with three victories in the past five years. Plus, in Paul Townend’s last three races on the mare, Un de Sceaux has finished second, second and first.
Townend’s relationship with trainer Willie Mullins has been well documented, so, given Un de Sceaux’s 25/1 odds, quite a few are likely to back the French four-legged fiend.
Cadmium – Ryanair Chase
Named after the chemical element, Cadmium is another horse from Mullins’ ever-burgeoning stables. The Ryanair Chase will be Cadmium’s focus, and, with odds of 33/1, the mare is likely to be backed by those fancying an outsider.
Cadmium’s chances of victory could depend on who controls the saddle. Un de Sceaux’s rider, Paul Townend, is likely to be on Cadmium also. And, Townend has ridden Cadmium to two victories from six races, with his Aintree success in April 2019 the most celebrated.
Townend took the reins in Cadmium’s last race at Naas, but Danny Mullins (no relation to trainer Willie) has also had a flurry – recently at Leopardstown where he finished sixth out of seven riders. A very talented horse, under Townend, Cadmium could spring a surprise come March.
Frodon – Gold Cup
Taking a step up after last year’s victory in the Ryanair Chase, Frodon is not exactly expected to thrash the rest of the Gold Cup competition with odds of 33/1. But, the evergreen Bryony Frost has ridden Frodon to five triumphs in her last eight races, ensuring both horse and rider have more than adequate preparation for the Gold Cup. And, the relationship between mare and rider is as strong as ever, giving Frost every chance of riding Frodon to glory.