Bookmakers still fight hard for your custom at Cheltenham and one of the best incentives for a wager is enhanced each-way betting, which will be a feature throughout the four days.
You will be able to avail of seven places in some races and each-way bettors through the years are aware of one basic truth: your horse is far more likely to place than win.
Mystical Power is perhaps not the most obvious each-way bet in that he is far from certain to get this distance in Thursday’s feature Stayers' Hurdle. When this horse's dam had her infamous last-flight fall at the Festival ten years ago, she reportedly saved the betting industry in the region of £50 million.
Read more: The FIVE best bets at the Cheltenham Festival 2025
Annie Power stayed well and, in finishing second as a novice here last year before top-flight wins at Aintree and Fairyhouse, Mystical Power appeared as though he wanted a trip. Clearly he has massive questions to answer on the basis of his two runs this term but he goes for this race, which lacks depth, and is available at 16-1.
The Fred Winter is one of the races introduced since the Festival became a four-day event that has patently added to the spectacle.
Joseph O'Brien and Sean Mulryan teamed up last year and Naturally Nimble was very solid but so is stablemate Puturhandstogether, with Naturally Nimble scratched in recent days. A smart horse on the Flat, Puturhandstogether looks to have been laid out for this race, and has really taken to hurdling for a yard having an outstanding campaign.
On to the big one on Friday, a Gold Cup that has fallen apart in terms of genuine challengers.
JP McManus had a host of candidates and it was bizarre that Inothewayurthinkin was taken out of the race earlier this season, having been so impressive in the Kim Muir here last year and subsequently at Aintree.
Read more: Best accumulator bets at the Cheltenham Festival
With neither Spillane's Tower nor Fact To File likely to go, Gavin Cromwell is set to supplement the sophomore, who has been eye-catching this season and can at least make the frame, even if he has work to do to beat Galopin Des Champs.
Mulryan's James's Gate is an intriguing runner at decent odds in the Turners Novices Hurdle. Trainer Martin Brassil, a master of his craft, has twice narrowly missed out on winning the Coral Cup and that was this horse's aim this season until he was rerouted owing to changes Cheltenham have made to race rules.
Whilst he has been difficult to keep right, James's Gate was superb at Navan last time. A very smart bumper horse, if he retains his ability he has a big chance in Wednesday's novice race and he is available at 10-1.
Finally, I Started A Joke is interesting at 33-1 in the bumper on Wednesday. Charles Byrnes' only entry at the Festival, he was not disgraced in a muddling race at Leopardstown and is better than that.
Best each-way bets
Puturhandstogether (Fred Winter, Tuesday): 10/1
I Started A Joke (Champion Bumper, Wednesday): 33/1
James's Gate (Turners Novice Hurdle, Wednesday): 10/1
Mystical Power (Stayers' Hurdle, Thursday): 16/1
Inothewayurthinkin (Gold Cup, Friday): 7/1
(Odds subject to change.)
