Henderson’s Charges Shorten For Cheltenham

Arkle Betting
Sprinter Sacre is a best price 11/8 (BetVictor) from 9/4 for the Arkle after an impressive victory at Newbury on Sunday. Doubters will point to his defeat in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle as he tired up the hill, but owner Raymond Mould revealed that Sprinter Sacre had a wind problem at Cheltenham that has since been rectified.

Gold Cup Betting
Long Run gave backers a fright when holding on by a diminishing half-length to win the Denman Chase at Newbury. The seven-year-old remains largely unchanged at 9/4 (Betfred) to retain his Gold Cup crown. His supporters will point to the 10lbs he was giving to his rivals at Newbury but he looks more vulnerable than he did last year.

Champion Hurdle Betting
Zarkandar ground out a win on his seasonal reappearance, taking the valuable Betfair Hurdle in the process. The bookmakers cut him a couple of points to 6/1 (Betfred) for the Champion Hurdle. On the bare form his Newbury win won’t be good enough to dethrone Hurricane Fly but trainer Paul Nicholls admitted there is ‘huge improvement in him’.

Binocular was a facile winner of the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday and could be a live contender for the Champion Hurdle. He was cut from 11/1 to a best price 8/1 with Coral. 

Ryanair Chase Betting
Riverside Theatre returned from a year off the track to win the Betfair Ascot Chase for the second year running. The Ryanair at Cheltenham is his next stop, where he is a best price 7/1 with Ladbrokes, although he is as short as 4/1 with Paddy Power and Stan James.