Cheltenham 2022 is almost upon us and it is one of the biggest betting weeks of the year.
Favourites will be popular with punters over the four days, as they hope to back the winners.
Around £500 million in bets are placed on the meeting at Prestbury Park, where fans return this year.
Last year the meeting was held behind closed doors during the coronavirus pandemic.
Racegoers have been keen to get back on track, with general admission on Gold Cup day selling out quicker than ever.
In February, The Jockey Club reported overall ticket sales were up 37 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.
Dozens of ante-post bets have been placed in advance, including many of the market leaders.
Here we summarise the key runners that are most popular with punters for the fixture, which begins on March 15.
Six of the short-priced favourites
Honeysuckle
Unbeaten in 14 starts under Rules, Henry de Bromhead's eight-year-old races for a Festival hat-trick. Successful in the mares' hurdle in 2020, she won the Champion Hurdle 12 months ago and bids for a repeat. The likes of Istabraq and See You Then took two renewals – and added a third in successive years. Honeysuckle warmed up for Cheltenham with an easy top level victory at Leopardstown last month, where she travelled with zest and galloped six-and-a-half lengths clear.
Shishkin
Nicky Henderson's star two miler is another horse coming into the meeting with an unblemished record. It's over fences and he has taken all seven of his starts. His recent race was his toughest yet, where he faced Energumene at Ascot. Despite jumping to the left and a peck on landing at the sixth obstacle, he stayed on powerfully to thwart his rival up the run-in. Like Honeysuckle, he is already a dual Festival hero, with the 2020 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and 2021 Arkle on his CV.
Allaho
Willie Mullins' smart chaser is approaching his fourth Cheltenham Festival, on the back of his dominant 2021 display. From the front in the Ryanair Chase, he went a good pace the whole way and stretched 12 lengths ahead of the pack. With several rivals seemingly taking in other races, his task could be easier this year. Previously he finished third in the RSA behind Minella Indo and Champ over three miles, but the shorter Ryanair trip a year on really showed him his best light.
Galopin Des Champs
Mullins is to make a late decision over whether Paul Townend's mount runs in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase or the Turners. Nominated by Ruby Walsh as an outsider to follow on last year's programme, the scopey sort took the Martin Pipe hurdle for conditional riders. Strong at the finish that day, over 2m 4f, he has been kept to a similar distance tackling the bigger jumps so far. He shapes as though he would have no problem with a longer trip however – and his trainer has a tough decision to make.
Facile Vega
The smartly bred son of Cheltenham legend Quevega, by Walk In The Park, routed his bumper opposition at the Dublin Racing Festival. In a field full of previous winners, the five-year-old quickened away with just over a furlong to go, in the manner of a very exciting horse. Jockey Patrick Mullins was able to take it easy in the final 110 yards and there must be every chance of Facile Vega joining his dam on the Festival roll of honour.
Bob Olinger
A ready scorer in last season's Ballymore, seven-and-a-half lengths ahead of Gaillard Du Mesnil at the line. Switched to fences, he is two from two at Gowran and Punchestown. Some fans have been unconvinced by his jumping, however there is no doubting his class at the end of his races. Whether he would have benefited from another run over fences to brush up his technique remains to be seen.
Which horse is your Cheltenham Festival 2022 'banker'?
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