Irish punters to bet €450m on next week's Cheltenham Festival
Irish bookmakers Paddy Power predict an industry-wide figure of over €1.13 billion will be placed across Ireland and the UK ahead of next week’s Cheltenham Festival.
That amounts to 300,000 BETS AN HOUR across the four days of the bumper horse racing event kicking off this Tuesday, March 12.
Punters here are expected to wager a whopping €452m of that figure, with a third of tickets sold for the event purchased by Irish horse racing fans.
But hopes are high for the Irish to perform well there next week and Paddy Power Brand Ambassador Ruby Walsh, who has been the leading rider there on no less than 11 occasions over the course of the past 15 years with a total of 58 winners, is available at odds of 5/2 to be this year’s leading jockey for the 12th time.
Meanwhile, the horse the bookies fear most is the Paul Nicholls trained Clan Des Obeaux.
But Rachael Kane, spokesperson for Paddy Power adds: “If the three ‘Irish Bankers’ in the Gordon Elliott trained Tiger Roll, Sir Erec, trained by young buck Joseph O’Brien & Irish Gold Cup hopeful Presenting Percy all win, it will trigger the biggest pay-out of the week for Paddy Power.
“And if the latter wins, what his enigmatic trainer, Galway native Pat Kelly, does next could be the greatest cliff hanger of the week as the worlds media and racing fans alike wait with baited to breath to see if he breaks his silence to the press for the first time.”
Westmeath man Gordon Elliott is 5/4 favourite to be named top trainer at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival, followed by UK-based trainer Nicky Henderson (6/4) and Carlow man Willie Mullins (10/3).
Meanwhile, it looks set to be a neck and neck battle between two of the best known Irish businessmen in horse racing, with Limerick’s JP McManus (2/5) and horses owned by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary running in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud (13/8) the short-priced favourites be take the title of the most successful owner by the end of the four-day feast.
The annual battle between Irish and British trained horses at Cheltenham to claim The Prestbury Cup is already well underway as far as punters are concerned, with Irish bettors showing huge support for our chances this year.
But it will be a tight one as Ireland are currently odds of 4/5, meaning we have a only slight edge according to Paddy Power’s traders, who give Ireland 55.6% chance of winning the trophy.
CHELTENHAM STATS
€1.13 billion Expected amount of bets during the Cheltenham Festival 300,000 Expected number of bets per hour during Cheltenham
70 Percentage of bettors who have backed Ruby Walsh 5/2 Ruby to be top jockey
4/5 Ireland to win The Prestbury Cup.