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Cheltenham Festival: Coral Cup Betting Tips

The Coral Cup is one of the most famous handicaps of the week at the Cheltenham Festival and the 26-runner cavalry charge will be a sight to behold around Prestbury Park on Wednesday.

Dan Skelton is a master in such races and seeks a hat-trick with Be Aware following the successive victories of Langer Dan in 2023 and 2024. Can he continue the yard’s superb record in the race?

NAP: Be Aware @ 5/1

Be Aware is the right place to start in the Coral Cup.

Those who gobbled up fancy prices about him earlier in the season will be delighted with their position and the fact he is Skelton’s chosen one in the race is of obvious significance.

He ran superbly when second in the Greatwood on his reappearance, bridging the gap to Burdett Road, who finished second in the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, all the way to the line over a trip which has looked on the sharp side.

He was ultimately given a little too much to do that day but the lightly-raced hurdler should eat up the extra half a mile and may be a Graded performer in the making. His price is about right now.

NB: Beat The Bat @ 11/1

There is always merit in looking beyond the obvious in races like the Coral Cup. Bunting has never been the best jumper and looks opposable for Willie Mullins.

If anything, it is a surprise Paul Townend has decided to ride him over Jimmy Du Seuil, who looks more interesting for that stable by dint of his second to Ballyburn in the 2024 Turners here. Perhaps he’ll need this on his return from 10 months off, though.

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Ballyadam was second to Langer Dan in the previous running and is only 4lbs higher so it is possible he has been laid out for another crack – but he’s 10 now and is vulnerable to younger legs.

All that considered, Beat The Bat could go well at a nice price for Harry Fry.

He is unexposed over intermediate distances and has been noted making some solid late headway in top two-mile handicap hurdles at Windsor and Newbury.

Long Shot: Minella Missile @ 40/1

Minella Missile is only seven and surely better than we have seen.

He was unbeaten heading into this season and followed his point-to-point success with a maiden hurdle victory at Chepstow and Grade 2 strike over track and trip in a novice hurdle at the end of 2023.

Off the track for the next 14 months, Minella Missile hasn’t pulled up any trees in three outings this term and fell on his latest one at Chepstow.

However, the assumption is Evan Williams has been working back from the spring festivals with him and he is unexposed enough to make a splash at this level.

He promises to stay well, so the demands of a well-run 2m 5f race could be exactly what he needs.

It is worth remembering that Williams had him entered in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle earlier in the campaign.

That suggests the trainer believes he still has a good horse on his hands and a mark of 133 looks enticing.

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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation

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