Cheltenham festival 2018 uks biggest horse racing event ready biggest year

The Cheltenham Festival 2018 will emerge from the starting gates on Tuesday 13 March and conclude four days later on Friday 16 March. The festival will pay out more than £4.5 million in purse money and this year’s Gold Cup race – the most prestigious race taking place at Cheltenham – will hand out £625,000.

The Cheltenham Festival 2018 is expected to be another banner year in attendance. Cheltenham race course will see more than a quarter million people pass through its turnstiles. Many of these attendees will be wagering on the horse races taking place. Millions of pounds will be gambled on the 28 races taking place during the festival. Each day will see seven races and the chance for punters to walk away with pockets full of cash is high.

The 2017 event saw numerous surprise results. Horses that were expected to do well failed to make their mark. Due to the weather conditions that the United Kingdom is currently experiencing, the track’s surface could play a factor in results. However, race organizers have already stated the race track should be in good to soft condition.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Gold Cup will be run on the final day of the festival. Every year, the Gold Cup is the premier race at the festival. This year’s running will see the largest prize money packet awarded. The race will also see the return of last year’s winner Sizing John. The Grade 1 horse pulled off a spectacular Gold Cup treble in 2017. However, poor form this season has placed Sizing John at odds of 6/1. Might Bite currently leads the field in odds at 3/1. Native River has been set at odds of 11/2 in the build-up to the race. Trainer Colin Tizzard believes he has got Native River’s preparation spot on to win the Gold Cup and the biggest prize at the Cheltenham Festival. Native River could offer great value to punters as race day approaches.

Betting offers and advice

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is just one of 28 races that will take place during the festival. SkyBet’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdles will kick-start the event on day 1 featuring Grade 1 horses. To coincide with the race, SkyBet is offering a fantastic Cheltenham betting offer to all punters. SkyBet is offering money back as a free bet for punters who back a loser in the first race of each day. Those races include the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, JLT Novices’ Chase and JCB Triumph Hurdle.

SkyBet and other sportsbooks will also refund money for horses who don’t run at the festival. SkyBet’s offer in particular allows punters to wager on a winner or get their money back. It is a great Cheltenham betting offer for punters to take advantage of during the week. There are plenty of great betting offers and promotions from online sportsbooks. William Hill, Bet365, Ladbrokes and more are offering great incentives to bet online.

There are a number of great websites with expert horse racing advice punters can take advantage of. In addition, the official Cheltenham Festival betting guide for 2018 has been released in a digital format. It is the first time the guide has been released digitally. Punters should have plenty of great tools and betting offers to enjoy a successful festival this year.