There are many short-priced favourites at this year's Cheltenham Festival and punters have been putting their best fancies together in their pre-festival accumulators. Let's outline the "four bankers" on Day One. If they were all to win, it would be a disaster for the bookmakers.
Kopek Des Bordes (4/5) - Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Won the Grade 1 event at Leopardstown that has historically been a good stepping stone for Cheltenham Festival winners. He was catapulted to the top of the market after trouncing his rivals by 13 lengths with minimal fuss. Although his jumping was better than on hurdling debut, pundits have picked holes in his technique and raised concerns about his pre race temperament. There have only been two outright market leaders that have won this race since 2005. But his talent is undeniable.
Majborough (4/9) - Arkle Chase. A very lightly raced individual but has managed to achieve an exceptionally high level of form over both hurdles and fences within a very short space of time. He won last year's Triumph Hurdle at the 2024 festival and has continued in the same vein this year, impressively landing both of his Chase starts. With only 4 rivals to beat, he should have little trouble dispatching the opposition if his jumping holds up.
Lossiemouth (4/6) - Mares Hurdle. Connections have decided to swerve the Champion Hurdle and opted for this much easier race. She's by far the best mare in the field when she's at her best, as shown by the gulf in Official Ratings between her and the remainder of the field. She's stepping back up in distance to 2m4f after racing more recently at the minimum 2 mile trip. Her form when chasing home Constitution Hill at Christmas would be good enough to win this, but she also took a heavy fall last time out and will have to show no ill effects from that.
Constitution Hill (8/13) - Champion Hurdle. The unbeaten superstar for Nicky Henderson missed last year's festival and is looking to make amends here. In past seasons he's put up devastating performances in the Supreme (2022) and Champion Hurdle (2023), on both occasions winning by huge distances. This year he hasn't quite replicated his peak form, but still been plenty good enough to beat everything put in front of him. Conceding 7lbs to the progressive Brighterdaysahead won't be easy, but it'll be a disappointment if he's not up to the task.