Cheltenham Festival: 2008 World Hurdle odds and contenders

Cheltenham Festival: 2008 World Hurdle odds and contenders The Thursday's Cheltenham World Hurdle race has been moved from 3:15 to 3:30 in order to accommodate the Wednesday's races which have been cancelled, but we have the latest odds on the top contenders for the 2008 World Hurdle. The Cheltenham World Hurdle may have been moved by 15 minutes, hardly a setback for those not attending the racecourse, but the odds have shown little movement this week. Here is the race overview along with the best online odds on the 2008 World Hurdle by the British online bookmaker Bet365.

Inglis Drever can send himself into a happy retirement if securing a third championship and we take him to see off Lough Derg and Hardy Eustace in the process. Howard Johnson's team were allegedly under a cloud earlier last month but the performance of Tidal Bay on Tuesday shows us that they are running well enough and provided that Inglis Drever turns up fit and well, the double champion can justify the short odds that one anticipates of one so dominant in their division. Lough Derg has had hard race after hard race but he is unflinching in his efforts. He wrestled himself off the canvas to see off My Way De Solzen and Elusive Dream in his latest endeavour. Hardy Eustace steps up in trip after a correct decision to miss the Champion Hurdle.

Connections are confident that he stays three miles but the jury is still very much out as to whether it was the ground or the trip that was culpable for his demise at the hands of Lough Derg earlier in the season. Blazing Bailey is exposed at top grade as not quite being good enough but he has place claims if bringing his "A" game to the table and it would be no surprise to see him the subject of support if those odds are pushed out a little too far. Kasbah Bliss won well at Haydock and went a small way to justifying plenty of the hype that has accompanied him in the past. He is likely to be under the severe hold up here.

Wichita Lineman needs to desperately get his season on track and it remains to be seen as to whether he can do it here. He has looked all over a three mile stayer though his fortunes this term have been entirely symbolic of those of his trainer. Failed chaser, Kazal could give a good account at big odds as Barry Geraghty looked to get on well with him when the partnership saw off Aitmatov at Navan. The Market Man has been spoken of as a lively outsider by many tipsters over the course of the winter despite the formbook suggesting that he'll need to find a fair degree of improvement on paper. Inglis Drever looks difficult to oppose this afternoon and we seek not to do so.

Full list of betting odds on the 2008 Cheltenham World Hurdle contenders, as posted online by Bet365:

Aitmatov 26.00
Blazing Bailey 8.00
Chief Dan George 67.00
Ebaziyan 51.00
Flight Leader 81.00
Hardy Eustace 15.00
Inglis Drever 2.10
Kasbah Bliss 10.00
Kazal 13.00
Lough Derg 21.00
My Way de Solzen 10.00
Redemption 201.00
Sonnyanjoe 101.00
Special Envoy 41.00
The Market Man 21.00
Wichita Lineman 13.00
Material World 51.00

Published on 03/12/2008