A Bet On The Grand Annual Is To Touch Upon English Tradition

A bet on The Grand Annual is one of those British traditions. A popular flutter alongside that mandatory bet on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This crazy race sees a simply massive field throw themselves over two miles and fourteen fences. As you might imagine, online betting sites in the UK like Bet365 do a roaring trade. What is a little more tricky to get to grips with is just how short the odds on the Grand Annual are for the longshots. This unpredictable race is all longshot. 

They first ran this race in 1834 making it the oldest in the festival. Over the years it changed location more than once and has varied a little in distance. However, after settling down, it’s been going at Cheltenham for over 100 years now. At just a touch over two miles and with fourteen fences it doesn’t appear to be all that special. Then you see the size of the field that will run and understand. This is no race for the faint of heart. Even a bet on the Grand Annual is tough call.

This is not just because there are some amazing horses in the field. It’s because the field size makes it hard to very hard to predict. Even the favorites are only hovering around 6/1 at online sportsbook sites in the UK like Bet365. That’s not all that short over this distance. But this race can hinge on position in the pack, not just outright speed. So when you bet on The Grand Annual you have to understand the prices reflect the risk. Which is why there are no extreme longshots.

Have A Bet On The Grand Annual At Bet365

You’ll have seen Cheltenham Festival odds of 150/1 or more. Horses with little to no chance of a win. In a field this big then you’d expect there to be more than one or two of them. There aren’t. The longest price is perhaps 50/1 at sensible sites like Bet365. That’s in a field of over forty. So you’ll see why this is keen flutter fodder. The lack of predictability allows casual gamblers to join in without feeling they’re missing out on experience. Experience and knowledge won’t help here.

The Grand Annual

• Location – Cheltenham
• Track – New Course
• Distance – 2m 62y (3,275m)
• Surface – Turf (Left-handed)
• Fences – 14
• Qualification – 5yo+
• Weight – Handicap
• Purse – £110,000
• Inaugurated – 1834

That’s not to say, of course, that it is entirely random. Those taking advantage of UK gambling laws will quickly spot Bet365 have their eye on some likely winners. Entoucas, Sky Pirate, and Embittered all get similar prices at around 6/1 only just ahead of Zanza or The Shunter. Now some of those will lose out in the shuffle, but each makes for a great bet on The Grand Annual this year. This unpredictable race also provides a whole host of very tempting each-way wagers. 

Massive Field Makes Predictions Very Tricky

When it could go anywhere, where no one or two horses own the course, each-way can be the better bet on the Grand Annual. The longer prices give you a better reward and can make for a more exciting bet on the Cheltenham Festival. Does that mean you should bet on Chosen Mate to win two years on the trot? Well possibly. At 14/1 a place bet doesn’t seem all that out of place. But the same can be said for Tamaroc Du mathan or Us and Them which got third last year. 

Bet On The Grand Annual

• SELECTED ODDS

• Moonlighter – 16/1

• Paddy’s Poem – 16/1

• Pont Aven – 16/1

• Sizing Pottsie – 16/1 

• Eldorado Allen – 16/1

• MORE ODDS
• Amoola Gold – 16/1
• Ibleo – 16/1
• Us and Them – 16/1
• Umbrigado – 14/1
• Chosen Mate – 14/1
• A Wave Of The Sea – 14/1
• Tamaroc Du Mathan – 12/1
• The Shunter – 15/2
• Entoucas – 15/2
• Zanza – 8/1
• Sky Pirate – 7/1
• Embittered – 6/1
• See more at bet365…

Sure, a bet on Sky Pirate, or snapping up the odds on Embittered is the sensible option. They’re both a great bet on sports in the UK at the Festival. However, this is a flutter and one should enter into the spirit of the thing. That means whilst you can obviously back one of the favorites with  your bet on the Grand Annual, you ought also take a punt on something a little less likely. It makes it all more far more fun, and in this massively unpredictable race, you simply never know. 

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Read more about the opportunities at the Cheltenham Festival.

We take a look at some of the great prices on offer for a bet on The Grand Annual the simply crazy race at the Cheltenham Festival.