Cheltenham Festival Tips: Three horses to back in the Non-Runner No Bet markets

• Three horses to back with NRNB

• 2025 Cheltenham Festival three weeks away

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How to use Betfair's Non-Runner No Bet offer

The Betfair Sportsbook has gone Non-Runner No Bet ahead of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. The promotion is available for new and existing customers.

Our Non-Runner No Bet offer went live on Saturday 15 February on all 2025 Cheltenham Festival races. Only bets placed on the Betfair Sportsbook qualify for the offer.

So, if your antepost selection does not run in the race in which you have backed it, Betfair will refund your stake in full.

Multiples count too. If your selection is contained in a multiple bet and does not run in that race, we will void your selection.

On the flip side if you were adamant that a horse with multiple entries is going for a specific race and did not want to use the NRMB promotion, Betfair also has the Exchange and the outright ante-post markets without NRNB on the Betfair Sportsbook.

Often the Exchange will give you better value bets, although with that comes the added risk that if your horse does not run in that specific race then there is no refund on your money.

13:20 Cheltenham Tuesday - Supreme Novices' Hurdle: Back Kawaboomga E/W NRNB @ 12/113.00

The first NRNB selection for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is the Willie Mullins trained Kawaboomga for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

At 12/113.00 this horses looks exceptional value from an each way perspective if going for this race. However, at a shorter price of 9/25.50 for the Turners Novices' Hurdle playing with the NRNB makes it risk free if he doesn't.

I believe the shorter distance of the Supreme will play to his strengths and if he does end up here his form makes him a much better chance than his current double-figure price.

Bought by leading owner JP McManus and bought over to Ireland from France after winning on the flat and finishing a bright third in an AQPS race, he has looked a talented type in his two runs for Mullins.

Making his debut over 2m at Leopardstown on Boxing Day he gave a really eye-catching run when staying on to finish second behind Grade 1 winner, stablemate and Supreme favourite Kopek Des Bordes.

Boosting that formline, Kawaboomga got off the mark over hurdles when last seen at Fairyhouse in January when seeing off two smart rivals in William Munny and Koktail Divin.

He looks the type that will keep improving with every run and although the way he has hit the line in both his outings over hurdles this season suggests the step up in trip to the Turners would be beneficial, I think you need to stay as well as having speed to go close in a Supreme and he has both.

It looks a difficult act to reverse the form with Kopek Des Bordes so playing him each-way at his current price makes plenty of sense to me, as he will be half that price if going for this event.

14:40 Cheltenham Friday - Mares Chase: Back Bioluminescence NRNB @ 3/14.00

Moving onto the second NRNB ante-post bet for the Cheltenham Festival and this next horse runs in the Mares Chase on the Final day of the meeting.

Again we are backing a JP McManus owned horse but we are taking on the current favourite Dinoblue for the same ownership with Gavin Cromwell's Bioluminescence.

The seven-year-old has been a highly consistent animal throughout her career winning her PTP by 20 lengths back in 2022 and was then bought for just €60,000.

Sent hurdling last term having finished second in her only bumper run behind an unbeaten mare for Willie Mullins, she again finished second on her hurdling debut when learning a lot for the experience.

She put together two wins off the back of that run at Punchestown in January and Limerick in March when deciding to skip the Cheltenham Festival all together.

This set her up for a tilt at the Grade 1 Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse where she ran the worst race of her career to be pulled up in what looked a run that was too bad to be true.

Sent chasing this term she looks an even better animal and complete natural over the bigger obstacles.

Having started her life over fences in December last year when beating a nice field of mares at Limerick over Christmas, she was last seen chasing home multiple Grade 1 winner Dancing City in a Grade 3 Novice Chase at Naas.

She is a horse that still has plenty of improvement left in her compared to the favourite for this race Dinoblue who looks to have found her ceiling.

The reason for backing this horse under NRNB is she needs soft/heavy conditions to be at her best and arguably even run in March.

If it was to be dry conditions during the week she would be taken out of the race but with the NRNB concession you get your stake back.

She stays well, looks a classy jumper and with arguably only one horse to beat in the field on ability, she could rate as a strong bet if getting her ideal conditions.

16:00 Cheltenham Friday - Gold Cup: Back Banbridge E/W NRNB @ 6/17.00

The feature race of the four day meeting at Prestbury Park is the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Galopin Des Champs looks set to land his third successive win in the big race at odds of 1/21.50.

Looking at alternatives in the race will be on the minds of many a punter and using the NRNB concession King George VI Chase winner Banbridge at 6/17.00 looks a cracking each-way play.

Banbridge has been a superstar for the Joseph O'Brien yard running over 2m and 2m4f for the most of his career and landing some valuable races including Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase, Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase and Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.

Having been running over those shorter distances, the O'Brien team this season pegged him as a stayer and were hoping it would bring more improvement out of him. How right they were.

Stepping up in trip to 3m for the first time in his career, he was the only horse out the pack to run down long time leader Il Est Francais in the Grade 1 King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

He stayed every yard of the distance under Paul Townend and having been kept fresh since then deserves his chance in what looks an underwhelming renewal of the Gold Cup bar the favourite.

It really looks a tough challenge to beat the two-time winner of the race but there is very little in the field I can see challenging Banbridge for second on his recent form and overall Cheltenham form having ran at the track twice in his career and won both times.

The reason for playing him NRNB is similar to Bioluminescence as he is very ground dependant. He needs the ground to be on the quicker side for him to run or he will be sent straight to Aintree which we have seen from him before.

This has been backed up by Betfair tipster and racing manager to Joseph O'Brien, Kevin Blake, who explained the same on a recent episode of Cheltenham Only Bettor.

If he gets his ground he looks the second best horse in the race by a longshot and should fill the frame.

Now read more Cheltenham Festival previews here.