Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2020 (14:50)

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also have ridden Birchdale, could prove to be one of the best handicapped horses in the race but at around 7/1 she no longer represents any great value.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