Of the races on day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival, the Mares’ Hurdle is one of the newest but also potentially fascinating.
This race brings together some of the best mares in racing for a 2m4f hurdle race.
The Mares’ Hurdle has been dominated by Irish runners and they have won every race except the first and most recent.
This is worth noting for those who bet on Cheltenham and are placing their Cheltenham free bets, take note of the Irish.
With Honeysuckle running elsewhere and Benie Des Dieux out of Cheltenham, the Mares Hurdle of 2021 will have a very different feel to it.
However, what that seemingly does is open the door for Concertista to not only win this race, but to win it with ease.
The standard of mares behind her is not strong, she appears to have more than enough in hand to take this.
Roksana for the Skelton team represents the best chance the UK have to win this, but Concertista looks rock solid and not only is she our pick, but she goes down as one of the bankers of the week.
The betting market for this race has been able to settle down now that Honeysuckle has been confirmed as going elsewhere and Benie Des Dieux has been ruled out.
Since then, Concertista has been strong, and is 11/10 to win the race, and clear favourite.
Behind her, two British challengers come in the betting. Roksana is 3/1 while Dame De Compagnie is available at 6/1.
*Odds correct at time of writing