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3.30 Champion Hurdle tips
- Selection: State Man to win Champion Hurdle – 4/11 with Unibet
- Next Best: Iberico Lord each-way in Champion Hurdle – 10/1 with bet365
The Champion Hurdle is the premier hurdles contest in Jumps racing. It has been won by some of the greatest hurdlers in history, including Night Nurse, Istabraq, Monksfield and Persian War.
Eight runners have been declared for the Championship race this year (3.30pm, ITV1), with three of those travelling across from Ireland. Three of the last five renewals of the day one highlight have been won by Irish-trained horses.
The outlook on gambling sites for this year’s race took a huge twist last week when defending champion Constitution Hill was withdrawn on the back of an unsatisfactory blood test. His trainer Nicky Henderson was not prepared to take any chances with his superstar horse. Hopefully, he can return at Aintree next month.
Although it’s a huge blow to miss a star as big as Constitution Hill, the size of this field is probably bigger now without his participation. Henderson and JP McManus have opted to supplement Iberico Lord at the cost of £18,000, while Gordon Elliott has opted for this contest with Irish Point.
Henderson holds the record for the most victories as a trainer in this race. He has been successful nine times throughout his career.
Horse racing betting sites all have State Man as their hot favourite to prevail. Last year’s runner-up is one of the shortest-priced horses across the week. Ireland will be hoping he can give them a major success in their bid to defend the Prestbury Cup.
Champion Hurdle preview: State Man can go one better than 2023
The 2023 Champion Hurdle turned into a dual between Constitution Hill and State Man, just as we had expected heading into the Championship race.
The pair of talented hurdlers stretched away from their rivals in the closing stage, with the former finding an extra gear for a large-margin success. Despite the defeat, it was another huge run from State Man.
The Irish runner has recorded four straight Grade One successes since the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, so there is a strong argument to suggest he is a much better horse going into this year’s meeting.
Wins have come in the Morgiana Hurdle, Matheson Hurdle and Irish Champion Hurdle this season. The latter was at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.
If Constitution Hill wasn’t in training right now, we’d be talking about State Man in the same light as the Seven Barrows superstar, asking the question, ‘is he one of the greatest hurdlers in history?’
There is still plenty of time left in this horse’s career for him to make a case for being in that elite club.
Under the hands of Paul Townend, the seven-year-old travelled so smoothly at Leopardstown last time out. Expect to see him just off the pace in this year’s Champion Hurdle, and once they turn for home, the pair will make their move.
With an official rating of 169, State Man is a long way clear of his rivals in the ratings. It looks set to be his time to shine in the biggest hurdles race of the season. He can be backed at 4/11 with Unibet.
Champion Hurdle tip 1: State Man to win Champion Hurdle – 4/11 with Unibet
Supplemented Iberico Lord set to be in the mix
Although he is missing his stable star, Henderson will still saddle two horses in this year’s Champion Hurdle field in his bid for a record-extending 10th success.
Iberico Lord and Luccia have both won graded races this season and deserve their place in this field.
Iberico Lord is one of only two C&D winners in the line-up, and he represents the best each-way value in the race. He landed the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle earlier in the campaign in what was an excellent performance.
The six-year-old gelding was outshone by his stablemate Luccia on his second appearance of the season at Ascot. However, he pulled far too hard in that race, consuming too much energy in the early stages of the contest.
Iberico Lord was back to his best in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month. He beat 20 other runners in the premier handicap contest.
He is now bidding to become the third horse in history to win the Betfair Hurdle and Champion Hurdle in the same season, matching what Persian War (1968) and Make A Stand (1997) both achieved.
Henderson’s gelding will relish the soft ground on Tuesday, which is another reason connections are opting for this race over the County Hurdle. The progressive horse has an excellent chance of hitting the frame, at the very least, and may offer some each-way value at 12/1 with bet365, who offer each-way terms on three places.
Champion Hurdle tip 2: Iberico Lord each-way in Champion Hurdle – 12/1 with bet365
Cheltenham free bet offers for the Champion Hurdle
Plenty of new betting sites are running Cheltenham free bet promotions this week, offering bettors the chance to grab a free bet in time for the start of the festival on Tuesday.
PriveWin are running a ‘Bet £20 get £30’ Cheltenham offer, which is open to new customers only, so first you will have to open an account and deposit a minimum of £20 to qualify.
Players must then make a minimum bet of £20 - which can be placed on Cheltenham odds or any other sporting event - at a price of 1/2 (1.5) or greater to receive the £30 free bet.
All 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival are available to use your free bet offer on, including the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and the Gold Cup.
If you need a little advice on which horses to back in these races and more, you can check out our Cheltenham tips and race predictions.
Check all the terms and conditions of the sign-up offer before registering with PriveWin and remember to gamble responsibly if you are having a bet on Cheltenham this week.
Cheltenham offer of the week
Bet £10 get £60 in Free Bets with BetMGM
This BetMGM Cheltenham welcome offer is one of the best available for Cheltenham 2024.
Open to new BetMGM players only, the offer can be claimed after opening an account and placing a £10 bet on their Cheltenham odds at 1/1 (2.0) or greater.
Once this bet is settled you will receive £60 credit in the form of six £10 free bets. Four of these are specifically horse racing free bets while the other two can only be used on accumulators with minimum odds of 3/1.
Meanwhile, BetMGM offer Best Odds Guaranteed betting and this feature extends to the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
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Last Updated: 30th April 2024, 10:29 AM
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