February’s Betfair Hurdle is one of the top events on the National Hunt series calendar. This year’s event should be another exciting race for fans and bettors to watch. The event is part of Betfair Super Saturday which takes place on the 9th of February at Newbury. Along with the Betfair Hurdle, horse racing fans will be able to see the £50,000 G2 Betfair Denman Chase and the £50,000 G2 Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase. The Betfair Hurdle is part of the lead up to the biggest race of the year and 2019 grand national betting offers are being made by leading sports right now. The Betfair Hurdle is the main event race the day. This year’s Betfair Hurdle will feature 55 entries with £155,000 up for grabs. Recent years have seen novices perform well in the race. Will this year see the same trend?
Al Dancer: 6/1
While the race’s sponsor Betfair has installed Getaway Trump as the event’s favourite, other major bookies have given Al Dancer the favourite’s tag. The six-year-old is trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and goes into Newbury in great form. Al Dancer won four of five races in 2018 and four of those victories have come in consecutive events.
Getaway Trump: 7/1
Bettors are bound to see the odds of Getaway Trump and Al Dancer adjusted in the lead-up to the Betfair Hurdle. Getaway Trump is a race novice and could end the day in the winner’s circle. Seven of the last nine winners of the Betfair Hurdle have been novices. Getaway Trump ran at Newbury in December 2018, finishing second. According to trainer Paul Nicholls’ camp, Getaway Trump should excel at the fast pace of Newbury.
Didtheyleaveuoutto: 14/1
Didtheyleaveuoutto heads to Newbury with four career wins in six outings. Although 2018 ended with a fifth-place finish at Kempton, Didtheyleaveuoutto won twice during the autumn race season. The six-year-old is trained Nick Gifford and should offer quite the challenge to the field at Newbury.
Monsieur Lecoq: 14/1
Monsieur Lecoq started off 2019 with a first-place finish at Sandown on the 5th of January. Trainer Jane Williams will hope her five-year-old horse can take that momentum into Newbury for the Betfair Hurdle. Williams has done wonders with Monsieur Lecoq since taking over as the horse’s trainer in December 2018. The horse’s reins were handed over to Williams from Nick Williams after starting four races. Prior to Williams taking over Monsieur Lecoq’s training, the horse’s best finishes were third place at both Uttoxeter and Fontwell.
Grand Sancy: 16/1
Paul Nicholls’ Grand Sancy completed his first race of the year at Sandown on the 5th of January. The five-year-old finished second over two miles with Sam Twiston-Davies in the saddle. The 2018 season was a big one for Grand Sancy as the horse started nine races. Even a 213-day break in which the horse had wind surgery didn’t slow it down. Grand Sancy’s first race following surgery ended in a win at Chepstow in October. Following wind surgery, Grand Sancy won three of five races to round out the year. Nicholls’ horse could be in store for a successful 2019.
