Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2020 (14:50)

Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2020 summary – What happened at the Cheltenham Festival?

Winner: Dame De Compagnie

A monster gamble developed on Dame De Compagnie in the 2m 5f Grade 3 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. Trained by Nicky Henderson for JP McManus, this seven-year-old mare had previously won twice at the course in the last 12 months. That form proved key as she was backed from 10/1 the night before into half those odds and returned at 5/1.

Dame De Compagnie was always going well in the Coral Cup. She raced in midfield and tracked the leaders approaching the penultimate flight. McManus’ retained rider Barry Geraghty then shook the reins and she threw down a challenge approaching the last. Dame De Compagnie led and ran on well up the Cheltenham hill, asserting close home to score by 2 1/4 lengths from 12/1 Irish raider Black Tears – winner of a valuable graded handicap for mares at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out.

Seven Barrows handler Henderson scooped Coral Cup success in the previous season with William Henry too. Dame De Compagnie had another Irish gamble, 10/1 chance Thosedaysaregone, a further 2 1/2 lengths behind Black Tears in third for trainer Charlie Byrnes. Gordon Elliott also had Gigginstown House Stud’s Cracking Smart placed further at 33/1 and he had previously beaten dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan.

McManus has several classy mares in training both with Henderson and in general. Where Dame De Compagnie goes from here will be interesting. It’s not out of the question that she could run in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle over 2m 4f on the opening day of the Grand National Festival at Aintree. She could well be back at Cheltenam next season.

Best Bookmaker Offers For 2020 Coral Cup (Upd. Feb. 2020)

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Coral Cup 2020 Tips (Upd. 11/03)

This incredibly competitive 2m5f handicap hurdle is difficult to solve on the day with a maximum field of 26 set to line-up, each looking to grab the £56,000 first prize.

Not all of them will prove to be very well handicapped however, and that’s the crucial thing in races of this nature and is in fact even more of a factor than ground conditions for example.  Being well-in at the weights and showing a liking for Cheltenham, or at least a stiff uphill finish, are crucial and with that we like the chances of a few at this stage with one standing out more than the others.

Having whittled the field down as much as possible, it’s tough to call at the weights between Birchdale, Dame De Compagnie and Champagne Well.

Nicky Henderson’s DAME DE COMPAGNIE, the choice of Barry Geraghty who could also have ridden Birchdale, could prove to be one of the best handicapped horses in the race but at around 7/1 she no longer represents any great value.

Coral Cup 2020 Ante-Post Preview

The Coral Cup is usually run on the second day of action which falls on a Wednesday. The history books can be traced back to the first outing in 1993 when Olympian cemented himself as the first ever champion for Peter Scudamore and Martin Pipe. We have enjoyed some memorable renewals over the years with previous champions including Monkerhostin, Carlito Brigante and Supasundae. William Henry took the winner’s cheque 12 months ago under the ride of Nico de Boinville.

CORAL CUP 2020 Ante Post Favourites

This incredibly competitive 2m5f handicap hurdle is difficult to solve on the day, let alone in advance.  To put it into context; there can be a maximum of 26 runners on the day and yet at the ante post stage fully 148 have held their ground.

Not all of them will prove to be very well handicapped however, and that’s the crucial thing in races of this nature and is in fact even more of a factor than ground conditions for example.  Being well-in at the weights and showing a liking for Cheltenham, or at least a stiff uphill finish, are crucial and with that we like the chances of a few at this early stage.

Having whittled the field down as much as possible, it’s tough to call at the likely weights (which aren’t confirmed) between Burrows Edge, Canardier and Eglantine Du Seuil.

The first named is a last-time-out winner for Nicky Henderson who monstered his Lanzarote Hurdle field and has been understandably strongly backed for this, however Kempton and Cheltenham are poles apart.

Willie Mullins’ Eglantine Du Seuil is race-fit after finishing fourth during the Dublin Racing Festival although he may not be the very best treated horses in the race, possibly less so anyway than his stablemate Canardier who was a course and distance winner in 2018.

Nicky Henderson’s DAME DE COMPAGNIE however could well be the best handicapped horse in the race and at 16/1 generally she is worth an each-way punt, particularly with ‘best odds guaranteed’ if you can get it.

The seven-year-old mare only has one bad run to her name over hurdles, handles Cheltenham brilliantly as evidenced by her two wins there and in beating Indefatigable in the manner she did last time, her form is rock solid entitling her to easily cope with the 10lb weight hike she has taken from the assessor.

Coral Cup Ante Post Tip: DAME DE COMPAGNIE

Antepost Betting

Antepost betting markets have begun to creep in covering the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. These allow punters the chance to get their cash down early and secure a better price on their predictions than will be available to those betting after the final declarations or on the day of the race. The sooner you gamble on the winner of the top races at Cheltenham the better price you’ll get.

The reason for that is antepost betting comes with a few risks attached. The main one of these is the horse you back to win a race may not run in that contest. It may be steered in a different direction or it may suffer an injury and miss the festival entirely. If that happens and you have laid your cash down before the non-runner no bet promotion becomes live you will lose your stake money. What’s more, you’ll lose it without ever getting a run for your money. Check that the price on your favourite horse is bigger than the risk of it missing the race and you dropping your cash.

Many of the biggest races of the week have been prices up early with antepost betting markets available on the likes of the Gold Cup. There have been odds available on the top races for many weeks now, almost as soon as the 2019 results were added to the book.

All that will change in the coming months and by the turn of the year there should be betting for the 2020 Coral Cup. Keep checking this page for an updated list which we will add and review as and when it becomes available.

Unlike Coral Cup, many Cheltenham races have already recieved ante post quotes – visit our Cheltenham Betting Guide to check them out.

Coral Cup Betting Offers

In this section of the article you will find Coral Cup offers and deals available to both new and existing customers on the upcoming Cheltenham Festival. 

The types of deals you’ll find below include free bets for new customers, money back for fallers, enhanced odds on favourites, extra places each way and plenty more besides.

Cheltenham Money Back Specials

Bookmakers Paying Extra Places On 2021 Cheltenham Festival

Bookmakers Offering Best Odds Guaranteed On 2021 Cheltenham Festival

Enhanced Odds Promotions

Race Stats & Trends

An interesting fact about the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2020 is that no horse has won the previous races more than once, but followers of the trends shouldn’t fret as we have plenty of hints, tips and clues to go on. Read on as we dissect the race before offering our expert betting guide designed to help you beat the bookies and land a profit from the Prestbury Park showpiece.

We have picked out a few of the more important points below:

• Davy Russell is the leading jockey who has won this race more times than any other rider with three previous titles. He nailed his first in 2008 with Naiad de Misselot and followed that up with victory on Carlito Brigante in 2011. Diamond King rates as his most recent success when riding that one to victory in 2016.
• Martin Pipe is the leading trainer and he also has three winner’s medals sitting at home. The first came in 1993 with Olympian and was boosted by success for Big Strand in 1997 and Ilnamar in 2002. Three is the current benchmark for other trainers to aim at.
• Age is important when looking through the Coral Cup trends of recent winners and the stats show us a seven-year-old has won two of the last three runnings of this race. That was Supasundae in 2017 and Bleu Berry 12 months later. The further we go back the more of a mix of ages we uncover, and the trend begins to be watered down.

Coral Cup Betting Guide

Do Your Research

You’ll find no shortage of Coral Cup tips available as we approach race month with many different sites promises to help you beat the bookies. Do your research on a tipster before taking their advice. It is advised that you always go with your own feeling and use these types of sites as a guide. Read previews, reviews, the trends, interviews and everything else you can get your hands on before parting with your hard-earned cash.

Enjoy Perks of Antepost Martket

Antepost betting is a great tool for those wishing to jump the queue and secure a better price about their selection. This should be played wisely, however, to minimalize the risk of you losing your stake money without a run. The earlier you bet the better price you’ll get. Check recent results and form before trusting a horse to run in one Cheltenham Festival race over another. The distances, results and type of race will give backers an idea of what to expect come March in Gloucestershire.

Get Access to Live Streaming

You’ll notice live betting and live streaming is now available on every UK and Irish horse race throughout the year and this extends to the Cheltenham Festival. If you place a bet on a race you are able to view the action unfold through an HD quality live streaming service that also offers expert commentary and exciting camera angles, all at no extra cost to you. Place a bet and watch the race through your desktop or mobile app.

Coral Cup Past Winners

Last 10 Coral Cup winners:

• William Henry – 2019
• Bleu Berry – 2018
• Supasundae – 2017
• Diamond King – 2016
• Aux Ptits Soins – 2015
• Whisper – 2014
• Medinas – 2013
• Son of Flicka – 2012
• Carlito Brigante – 2011
• Alberta Run – 2010

What Happened in 2019?

Last year’s Cheltenham Coral Cup was won by William Henry, ridden by Nico de Boinville and trained by Nicky Henderson. He was a nine-year-old at the time of becoming champion and was Nicky Henderson’s first success in the race since Whisper did the business in 2014.

The bay gelding won off an SP 28/1 to put a smile on the faces of those who had him backed but punters who played the antepost market in the run up to the event had even more to shout about. The champion held on to beat runner up Wicklow Brave by a short head in what was a thrilling finish to a tactical race. The second was also a 28/1 shot and we had Ballyandy back in third at 14/1, another ½ length off the pace in a bunch finish.

William Henry chased the early leaders approaching the last fence and backers were delighted to see the horse respond to the encouragement of his rider. He continued to eat away at the leaders and stuck strongly to the task at hand to win the cup by the tightest of margins. A challenge that was delivered perfectly and we ended with a worthy and deserving champion.