Make no mistake the Coral Cup is one of the most competitive handicaps of the week and there is usually any of four or five still in with a chance away from the last.

In recent years it has tended to favour lightly raced hurdlers who are less well known to the Irish and British handicappers. It is a race that has thrown up some upsets with just one winning favourite in the past 21 renewals. Nicky Henderson often targets this race so his runners are worthy of a second look.

My quick picks for the Coral Cup

• Impose Toi – 12/1 with bet365
• Santos Blue – 25/1 with Sky Bet

Cheltenham 2.40 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle – Key stats and trends

Age

• 10 of the last 12 winners were aged between 6 and 8
• 2 of the last 3 winners were aged 8

Price

• 1 of the last 12 winners were favourites
• 3 of the last 12 winners were in the top 3 in the betting
• 8 of the last 12 winners were priced 12/1 or bigger

Form

• 5 of the last 12 winners won on their last run before the Coral Cup
• 10 of the last 12 winners ran within the last 77 days
• 10 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous run at Cheltenham
• 5 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 win at Cheltenham

Rating

• 10 of the last 12 winners had a rating of 140 or higher
• 2 of the last 6 winners were rated 151 or higher

Other pointers

• 13 of the last 15 winners had run at Cheltenham before
• 1 of the last 31 winners were top-weight

Supreme Novices Hurdle preview & tips

I’d love to see Jeriko Du Reponet come for this race for Nicky Henderson but it sounds like he is destined for the Pertemps. That could leave IMPOSE TOI as his main hope and that is potentially a tip in itself.

This unexposed 7yo could easily be well handicapped off a mark of 141. He impressed winning at Newbury when last seen and the front pair came well clear from the third and the field well strung out in behind. This trip looks ideal and he’ll be smuggled into it before being played late which has often paid dividends in this race down the years.

I’d be confident of him going off shorter than 12/1 on the day even more so if Nico de Boinville rides as he has won the race twice.

Each way angle?

There is one at a bigger price that is ticking a lot of the trends and that is SANTOS BLUE. This 8yo is likely to go under the radar somewhat as the yard have Be Aware but he certainly shouldn’t be underestimated.

He was impressive winning at Newbury last month and also has course form at Cheltenham having ran behind Broadway Boy a couple of years ago. He is a strong traveller and the harder they go the better for him as he’ll be staying on strongly up the hill. He is around 25/1 at the time of writing which just looks too big for a yard that have won this race for the last two years.

My picks:

1. IMPOSE TOI

• Trainer: Nicky Henderson
• Form: 2121-123-1
• Age: 7
• Weight: 10-11

Bet on Impose Toi to win the Coral Cup at 12/1 with bet365

2. SANTOS BLUE

• Trainer: Dan Skelton
• Form: 4-7571113-2721101-521
• Age: 8
• Weight: 10-12

Bet on Santos Blue to win the Supreme Novice at 25/1 with Sky Bet

Last 12 winners of the Coral Cup

More Cheltenham opportunities:

• Cheltenham 2025 free bets and betting offers
• Cheltenham ante-post tips
• Cheltenham 2025 Cheat sheet
• Champion Hurdle tips
• Stayer’s Hurdle tips
• Champion Chase tips
• Arkle Chase tips
• Supreme Novice tips

About the author

Joe Norris

I’m Joe Norris, co-founder and Director of GetYourTipsOut (GYTO), which I launched in 2009 to provide daily sports betting tips, with the main focus on horse racing. Over the years, I’ve earned a reputation for offering reliable and profitable tips, which led to being named “Best Sports Betting Tipster” in 2023. Alongside my work at GYTO, I also contribute predictions to platforms like Oddschecker, allowing me to share my insights with a wide community of sports enthusiasts and bettors.

Find Joe on X: @JoeNorrisGYTO

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