Mullins sweeping Cheltenham hurdles heads 2015 racing specials
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Fancy Willie Mullins to hoover up the novices’ hurdle events at Cheltenham, but unsure which of the County Carlow handler’s cadre of top runners to back? Your luck may well be in with Ladbrokes.
As part of the bookies’ array of 2015 racing specials, there’s 16/1 currently available about Mullins sending out the winners in the Festival’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Neptune Novices’ Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
This outcome seems more likely than not to happen at present, making 16/1 meaty odds, as Mullins has the favourites in the first two races, plus outstanding supporting casts, and looks very well represented in the other.
Douvan is the clear jolly in both the Supreme Novices’ and the Neptune, with the likes of Shaneshill, Tell Us More, Alvisio Ville and Sempre Medici, each of whom have huge potential, also prominent ahead of the 2m-2m5f races.
In the 3m Albert Bartlett, Black Hercules, Tell Us More, Shaneshill and Milsean are all priced up between 10/1-14/1, with only Gordon Elliott’s No More Heroes shorter at 6s.
The beauty of this bet is that we know Mullins will have strong contenders in each race, but with so much crossover in the markets at present it’s hard to back anything with confidence, meaning a blanket punt makes sense.
Only a fall from 2/1 favourite Briar Hill in the Albert Bartlett prevented the Prestbury Park expert completing this treble last year. He’ll go all out to pull it off this time round.
Faugheen flew home by four-and-a-half lengths in the Neptune 10 months ago, and he’s 5/4 favourite to take the Champion Hurdle this March, but 16/1 on the seven-year-old emulating the likes of Istabraq and Hatton’s Grace by winning the next three renewals seems a bit short.
Not even Hurricane Fly managed that feat.
Of the 2015 Flat specials, 33/1 about Aidan O’Brien training all five UK Classic winners appeals a whole lot more than the 25/1 about a British-trained Triple Crown winner.
No horse has managed as much since Nijinsky in 1970, with Frank Butters’ Bahram the last to do so for the home team 80 years ago.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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