4 Cheltenham Festival 23/24 Ante-Post Favourites
The countdown is on to the Cheltenham Festival of 2024, and the best racehorses on the planet are being put through their paces in preparation for jump racing's biggest meeting. It is the week that all horse racing enthusiasts look forward to, and the one that betting fans love to get their teeth into.
With four days of action and 28 races, Cheltenham is the holy grail for all trainers, jockeys, and owners. Not everyone will enjoy the buzz of having a winner at the meeting in their careers, but sometimes top-class horses come along that will bring their connections to the top of the racing world.
Below are this year's most supported horses for the top races of the week.
Constitution Hill
Anyone who has even a fleeting interest in horse racing will have heard of the great Constitution Hill. Unbeaten in seven starts, he currently looks unbeatable in every race he competes in and he is a firm favourite for all those having horse races bets for this season's Champion Hurdle.
That race will be the aim again at Cheltenham in March, and although we have yet to see him this season, the noises coming from his stable yard are highly positive. Expect him to continue to build his legacy with yet another win in March.
El Fabiolo
Coming from the stable of the greatest Cheltenham trainer there has ever been - Willie Mullins, El Fabiolo is another considered to be one of the best horses in training today. Currently five from five over the larger obstacles, El Fabiolo trounced the field in last season's Arkle Chase and is a well-fancied favourite for this year's Champion Chase.
His main rival in the race will be Jonbon, but he had that horse behind him in last year's race, and although it may be closer this time, El Fabiolo looks a cut above.
El Fabiolo makes a pleasing seasonal reappearance, looking forward to the season ahead with him now! ???????????? #ElFabiolo #DoubleGreen pic.twitter.com/bT8X3KGYaI
— Simon Munir (@simon_munir) December 10, 2023
Galopin Des Champs
Last year's winner of the coveted Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs is once again a popular choice to win the big one in 2024. Another to be trained by Willie Mullins, he was super impressive last year, but this year's contest is building up to be a much better race.
There is a collection of young pretenders stating their case for Gold Cup Glory as the season continues, and Galopin Des Champs won't have it all his own way in his title defence.
Lossiemouth
Yet another ante-post favourite that will come from the all-powerful Willie Mullins yard is the striking grey mare, Lossiemouth. The youngster has tasted defeat just once in her career to date and was victorious against the boys in last season's Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
This year's target is likely to be the Mares Hurdle, giving her an even greater chance of victory against her own sex. Lossiemouth is a supremely talented performer and is a worthy favourite for whichever race her wily trainer decides to run her in.
Rich Ricci on LOSSIEMOUTH:
— Road To Cheltenham (@RoadCheltenham) January 29, 2023
"She's a horse we really liked and tried to buy her before she ran in that Listed race at Auteuil.
"I don't tend to buy winners from France but that performance was really taking. She's very exciting."
(via @AtTheRaces) pic.twitter.com/t8jLkZ4jx4
These are just four horses that currently head the ante-post markets for their respective races at Cheltenham 2024. All four will be popular with racing fans, but there is still plenty of water to pass under the bridge until then, and things can change very quickly in the sport of horse racing.