Cheltenham Festival Betting Odds: The 2008 Champion Hurdle

Cheltenham Festival Betting Odds: The 2008 Champion Hurdle The Cheltenham Festival festivities will open in 2008 with the Tuesday's featured race - The Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, and we have the best betting odds available. The Champion Hurdle is arguably the most sought after prize anywhere for 2 miles hurdlers and the British will look to gain some ground, after the Irish won seven of the last nine races. The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the U.K. for four-year-old and above horses. It is run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse with eight hurdles to be jumped in the race.

As usual, we will look at two online bookmakers with top odds, one specifically for the U.K. bettors and another for the rest of the world. Starting with the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle hosts, here are the best betting odds offered by the U.K. licensed online bookmaker Bet365. At this top British bookie, the favorite to win the 2008 Champion Hurdle is Sizing Europe with odds sitting at 2/1. Following Sizing Europe comes the last year's Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity, listed with betting odds of 4/1 to repeat the success of the 2007 race. Osana is third with odds 11/2, followed by Harchibald at 6/1 and Katchit paying out on 8/1 odds.

For the rest of the world (U.K. included) the best odds on the 2008 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle could be found at the North American online sportsbook BodogLife. There the favorite Sizing Europe is listed with odds 9/4 and the last year's champ Sublimity holds odds to win the 2008 Champion Hurdle of 5/1. Osana is also paying better at BodogLife with odds 6/1, Harchibald is sitting at 7/1 and Katchit holds odds of 8/1 on winning the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle on Tuesday.

Published on 03/07/2008