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Tuesday 18th January 2022
   

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Cheltenham Festival 2022 Dates, Ticket Information, And Odds

The time of year when the Cheltenham Festival usually takes place is nearly upon us. Gone are the holidays and festivities, with 2022 now well underway - for horse racing fans, it's all about that calendar.

The Festival, one of the most prestigious in the UK, will soon present some of the top horses in the country across four days of exciting racing.

This one will be particularly intriguing given the consequences prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic that made it so the grandstands were kept void the last time around. Fans are now allowed back into the grounds and are expecting a spectacle.

The likes of equine racers such as Honeysuckle and Minella Indo will be vying for consecutive victories in two of the competition’s bigger races, with riders Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore dominating last year.

Willie Mullins, who snagged an eighth trainers’ title, will have Ferny Hollow and Galopin Des Champs representing his stable while Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin will be the headliner from the home team as they look to reclaim the bragging rights from Ireland.

Britain only won five races in 2021 as the Irish departed with 23 victories.

The tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 15, and culminate on Friday, March 18. Fans could look to various Sports Betting Apps to stay updated.

A total of 28 races will be had over the span and the schedule could be viewed right below, courtesy of The Jockey Club.

TUESDAY

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Champion Hurdle

David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle

Arkle Chase, National Hunt Chase

Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Ultima Handicap Chase

WEDNESDAY

Coral Cup

Grand Annual Handicap Chase

Champion Bumper

Champion Chase

Ballymore Novices' Hurdle

Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

Cross Country Chase

THURSDAY

Paddy Power Plate

Kim Muir Challenge Cup

Mares' Novice Hurdle

Turners Novices' Chase

Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle

Ryanair Chase

Pertemps Network Final

FRIDAY

Triumph Hurdle

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

Gold Cup, County Hurdle

Foxhunters' Chase

Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase

As for tickets, several packages are available from The Jockey Club.

Pandemic considerations require venues accommodating more than 10,000 people to check everyone’s COVID-19 status as long as they are over the age of 18. While this might change by the time the Cheltenham Festival comes around, would-be attendees should be looking to sort out an NHS COVID Pass.  A negative PCR or rapid lateral flow test taken 48 hours prior will also be accepted.

The Guinness Grandstand is already sold out.

Meanwhile, ITV1 and Racing TV - the latter requires a subscription - will be broadcasting the Festival throughout its course.

Odds are already available for punters and, considering the number of races involved, there should be plenty to bet on.

Participants Shishkin and Energumene are being prepared for what’s expected to be a thrilling showdown. The horses are the first and second-favourites for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and are the ones taking up the most attention where the two-mile division is concerned.

Both of these horses will have lots of fans and punters backing them as Britain and Ireland will clash on the Wednesday event. Shishkin and Energumene are unbeaten in Grade 1 races over fences and onlookers will likely get a taste of what could be when they go head-to-head at the Clarence House Chase at Ascot this month.

Of course, there are more competitors to consider such as Chacun Pour Soi, although he was far from his best last year. Mare, Put The Kettle On, won this race but her form has since dropped and odds have widened on her chances of a repeat.

Typically, a winner of the Tingle Creek Chase would be a formidable Champion Chase participant. However, Greaneteen took a loss to Shishkin, who triumphed by 10 lengths at Kempton in December. It looks like it will take quite a lot for him to win the Chase.

Shishkin’s victory over Greaneteen in the Desert Orchid Chase suggests that Energumene is the only horse who could really make things competitive with Henderson’s ace. As pointed out above, they could meet at Aston in what would be a prequel to the highly-anticipated Festival. The results will have a huge influence over the odds heading into Cheltenham.

Chacun Pour Soi has the ability to stake a claim where it pertains to two-mile races by winning the Dublin Chase for three straight years when he competes next month but, as noted earlier, he did not look like himself when he was beaten in the Tingle Creek, leading to suggestions he won’t fare that well on British soil.

Allaho is a horse who could really make things interesting if he's brought back. The odds would be a lot harder to pick should that be the case. The Mullins-trained ace was the outstanding performer in the 2021 Festival and certainly has the pace to compete over a two-mile stretch.