• DO you expect Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins to dominate the festival again? If so, you may want to snap up some of the 4/6 being offered by Paddy Power that the champion Irish trainer and jockey will top their respective tables next week.Walsh has been the leading jockey at Cheltenham no less than 10 times, while Mullins has trained a massive 41 winners at the meeting.
  • J.P. McManus is hot favourite at 1/4 to be the top owner next week. Gigginstown House Stud is next at 7/2, Rich and Susannah Ricci are 9/1, Graham Wylie is 20/1, and Simon Munir and Isaac Souede can be backed at 66/1.
  • If you expect a lot of close finishes at the festival you might want to check out Ladbrokes’ odds of 11/4 that nine races or more will be won by a length or less. Under seven races is 11/10, and betwen seven and nine races is 15/8.
  • Last year, Ireland and England shared the Prestbury Cup with 14 winners each, until England’s Any Currency was disqualified from first place in the Cross Country Chase, handing Ireland the title. This year, the bookies expect an English win. Paddy Power are a top price of 2/5 about the home side, while bet365 go 7/2 on the Irish retaining the title. The chances of a tie are slim, at 13/2. You can of course bet on the exact number of Irish-trained winners at the meeting. Between 11 and 13 is the 5/4 favourite with Paddy Power. The price on 10 or fewer Irish winners has been cut from 5/2 to 9/4.
  • One of the most unusual markets concerns which race will be won in the faster time – the Arkle Chase or the Queen Mother Champion Chase? Surprisingly Ladbrokes make the Arkle their 8/11 favourite, while the Champion Chase is a generous-looking even-money.
  • Altior’s trainer Nicky Henderson is likely to have a good week. He can be backed at 4/6 with Paddy Power to have over 2.5 winners at Cheltenham. It’s 11/10 he has less than 2.5 winners. Henderson has had an impressive 53 successes at the festival so far.
  • Douvan looks to be a certainty in the Champion Chase but by how far will he win? Paddy Power offer 4/9 (from 4/7) that he wins by five lengths or more. A 10-length win (or further) is 5/4 and it’s 4/1 Douvan scores by 15 lengths or more.
  • Have you a view on which day of the meeting will produce the highest aggregate winning distances? Ladbrokes will tempt you to punt on this and they reckon Tuesday is the favourite at 15/8. Wednesday is 9/4, Thursday 11/4 and Friday is the outsider at 100/30,
  • You don’t even have to wait for the racing to start to back a winner at Cheltenham. Paddy Power is betting on the official description of the majority of the ground announced by the clerk of the course before Tuesday’s first race. The 1/4 favourite is good to soft. At time of writing the ground was good to soft and the forecast for the coming days suggests that this is one special bet very likely to be landed.