Cheltenham Festival punters poorer for introduction of new mares' chase

There are some groups within racing who are sure to be delighted at the prospect of a mares' novice chase as part of the Cheltenham Festival programme from 2021: mostly breeders, big owners and those with the Mullins surname.

Punters will not be jumping for joy, however, as since their respective inceptions the two current mares-only contests at the festival – the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle and the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle – have had an odds-on favourite in ten of the 16 contests.

The most commonly observed positive of lop-sided betting races is increased turnover as punters take a strong view one way or the other on the pivotal runner. This has rarely been observed in the two mares' races. A look at their place in the rankings by betting turnover would suggest they are about as welcome at the festival as the UK's entries in the Eurovision Song Contest.