What were the top 40 betting races of 2022?

All 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival featured in the top 35 biggest betting races of 2022 for Entain, the gambling giant which owns Coral and Ladbrokes, reaffirming the importance of the week to the sport.

The Grand National was Britain's most popular punting race in 2022, but Cheltenham Gold Cup day is of huge significance for layers with all but one of the races on the card featuring in the top 11 races of the year.

The Gold Cup itself, memorably won last year by A Plus Tard and Rachael Blackmore, is second in the list, while the Albert Bartlett, which precedes it, is fourth, ahead of races such as the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase.

Turnover on jumps racing outshone key races on the Flat. Although the Derby was third in the list, the next highest performer was the Oaks at 29th. The 1,000 Guineas and St Leger failed to make the top 40, as did any major Flat handicap.

The 2022 Derby: Desert Crown wins what was third-highest in Entain's betting turnover listCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

"The turnover figures for last year prove beyond doubt that the Cheltenham Festival is the biggest, most important week of the year for bookmakers and their customers, and well deserving of the attention on it for months leading up to it," said Coral's David Stevens ahead of the four-day meeting, which starts on Tuesday.

"Betting turnover on Gold Cup day steps up to even greater levels compared to the first three days of the festival, with six of the seven races on Friday in the top 11 betting races of the year.

"This is a sporting and betting event that builds to a crescendo and ends on a high with a massive final day of betting that can leave us celebrating or counting the cost, but either way, looking forward to doing it all again in 12 months' time."

A recent research project estimated that the festival was worth £274 million to the local economy, according to a study by the nearby University of Gloucestershire.

The special report, released earlier this week, also estimated the average expenditure per racegoer was £697, an increase of £113 from when the research project was last published in 2016.

Entain's top 40 betting races of 2022

1 The Grand National
2 Cheltenham Gold Cup
3 Derby
4 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
5 Champion Hurdle
6 Champion Chase
7 Triumph Hurdle
8 Hunters' Chase
9 Ryanair Chase
10 County Hurdle
11 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle
12 Supreme Novices' Hurdle
13 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle
14 Scottish Grand National
15 Mares' Novices' Hurdle
16 Coral Cup
17 Stayers' Hurdle
18 Cross Country Chase
19 Pertemps Final
20 Arkle Trophy
21 Brown Advisory Novices' Chase
22 Plate Handicap Chase
23 Champion Bumper
24 Ultima Handicap Chase
25 Boodles Handicap Hurdle
26 Mares' Hurdle
27 Mares' Chase
28 Kim Muir
29 Oaks
30 King George VI Chase
31 Grand Annual
32 2,000 Guineas
33 Irish Grand National
34 Turners Novices' Chase
35 National Hunt Chase
36 Marsh Chase (Aintree)
37 Platinum Jubilee Stakes
38 King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes
39 Ascot Gold Cup
40 Coral-Eclipse

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