The Cheltenham Festival is a brilliant time for punters due to the huge number of different betting options that are available throughout the festival, from outright winners to each-way bets and the coveted Prestbury Cup. The 28 Cheltenham races offer a huge range of fantastic betting opportunities for matched betting experts and casual bettors to make use of.
Here at OddsMonkey, we are going to look through some of the biggest odds winners and upsets throughout the history of the Cheltenham Festival. Looking at which horses won at the largest odds and how much the odds were set, we are showcasing some of the most iconic and exhilarating moments that the Cheltenham Festival has to offer!
Norton’s Coin – 1990 – (100/1)
Trained by Sirrel Griffiths, who was a dairy farmer from Carmarthenshire in West Wales who trained three horses for a ‘hobby’. Norton’s Coin is the biggest upset in the history of the festival and was the winner of the Gold Cup in 1990!
There was no fluke about the race, as Norton’s Coin won the race on pure merit, but given he had won just once in 18 starts beforehand, horse racing experts cannot understand how Norton’s Coin was able to pull it off that day!
Form is a huge part of horse racing, with different race results being a great indicator of how future races could pan out. If you are looking to learn more about horse racing strategies, we have a horse racing betting guide full of informative tips.
Carrickboy – 2013 – (50/1)
Jockey Liam Treadwell, who is sadly no longer with us, is always remembered for his performance at the Grand National, winning with a chance of 100/1 in 2009. However, his greatest ride could possibly be in 2013 when he rode Carrickboy to victory at 50/1.
Winning in a 22-runner handicap race, Carrickboy bravely kicked on from the front clear two furlongs from home, delivering a hugely shocking win! This was accompanied by other winners, such as 20/1, 25/1, 16/1 and 14/1, making it one of the best ever for the bookmakers.
Cue Card – 2010 – (40/1)
Cue Card began his career in outstanding fashion with the 2010 Champion Bumper race, where the British-bred horse sprung a 40/1 shock by trouncing highly-regarded opposition by eight lengths at huge odds of 40/1! Described by the race card as ‘romped home’, Cue Card is one of the biggest upsets seen in Cheltenham Festival history!
For those who are looking to learn more about the Cheltenham Festival, we have a Cheltenham matched betting guide available on-site that covers plenty of the details surrounding the festival.
L’Escargot – 1970 – (33/1)
With the name of the horse translating to ‘The Snail’, L’Escargot showed no slowness with the performance in the 1970 Gold Cup after winning with the odds of 33/1. Despite being completely unfancied, the horse managed to win the race with trainer Dan Moore retaining the Gold Cup in 1971, and L’Escargot won again at odds of 7/2.
Minella Indo – 2019 – (50/1)
He might be well-known mainly for his victory in the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but the 2019 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle race was one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 calendar. Early on in his career, Minella Indo had been beaten on all three of his previous starts, yet coming to this race in Cheltenham, he won in command of the race by two lengths!
Horse Racing At OddsMonkey
With horse racing being a surprise and a twist throughout the sport, it is one of the most popular choices for bettors around the globe, making it one of the most exhilarating sports in the world!
For those who are looking to place bets on horse races across Cheltenham and different meetings, then OddsMonkey is the place to be as the site is full of different tips, guides and tools that players can take advantage of, such as our accumulator calculator.
While also looking at horse racing and other sports betting, the site is fantastic for matched bettors, as we have a specialised matched betting blog that discusses everything to do with matched betting, including different techniques, sporting events, and how matched betting works. The matched betting blog is the perfect place for both matched betting experts, and newbie matched bettors!
