Fings ain't wot they used to be!

Frank Norman called it right. Things certainly aren’t what they used to be in the world of ante-post betting. I can remember a time, in the not-too-distant past, when bookmakers offered ¼ the odds place terms for all Cheltenham Festival races. Nobody does it these days; now it’s 1/5 the odds across the board. On the face of it, a minor tweak, but for the place parts of each way bets, it makes a big difference. 

What else? Well, prices are lower than they used to be. They are now cut even further as soon as anyone with a sizeable following makes a recommendation, and don’t get me started on the NRNB markets that have replaced the traditional ante-post markets from as early as 1st January!   

It all makes for a more challenging environment for people like me who work our magic in these markets. If you’re serious about getting value, and by God, you should be, then the best time to place your bets is as early as possible. I started betting on the 2026 festival while the 2025 edition was still in full swing. Can you believe Final Demand was freely available at 10/1 in the Brown Advisory, or Jasmin De Vaux was 14/1 for the Stayers Hurdle? The New Lion was 7/1 for the Champion Hurdle, and Wodhooh was 8/1 in the Mares Hurdle. I have plenty more bets at much bigger prices than those available in the current markets, and the season has yet to start properly! 

Since the book was released and the Racing Post published their articles, Ladbrokes/Corals, in particular, seem to be paying even more attention to what I’m betting on, as you will see if you follow me on Twitter/X. The early bird catches the worm. Finding value bets for the 2026 festival is a lot harder in October than it was six months ago. I got stuck into Kopek Des Bordes at 7/1 in the Arkle before “Cheltenham Man” came out of the shadows, and I topped up recently at 5/1, which prompted a scythe-like cut to 3/1 with Ladbrokes/Corals. If anyone has a Bet365 account that allows more than £1.26 stakes, then firstly, you must be doing something wrong, and secondly, smash into their 5/1 while it lasts. Sell the family china, sell your Grandfather’s medals, sell the wife and kids if you have to, but grab that price, whilst of course remembering to be gamble aware!  

Keep an eye on @cheltenhamman25 for any more rants or nuggets of advice!