Ladbrokes Winter Carnival 2023 Betting Odds

What Races Take Place During the 2022 Ladbrokes Winter Carnival?

On Friday 25 November, we’re looking forward to Gentleman’s Day and the highlight race will be the Grade 2 Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle, with this being a massive precursor for the Stayers’ Hurdle which takes place at the Cheltenham Festival.

This is a three-mile spectacular over hurdles, with Big Buck’s famously winning this race on four successive occasions. Previously to this, Inglis Drever won on three occasions and the past two runnings have seen Paisley Park and Thyme Hill land the spoils.

Eklat De Rire and Ontheropes Among Ladbrokes Trophy Favourites

The 2021 Ladbrokes Trophy is a prestigious race, with this being run over a distance of three miles and two furlongs. There have been some notable winners and this includes Cloth Cap in 2020, with many winners of this encounter going on to compete in the Grand National on the following April.

Denman was the winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy in 2007 and 2009, with Eklat De Rire among the favourites for the 2021 renewal. Henry de Bromhead’s horse won his first race on a seasonal debut, with the seven-year-old claiming an odds-on victory at Wexford and there could be more to come at Newbury.

Ontheropes is an interesting runner and Willie Mullins saw his runner finish second behind Monkfish in a Beginners’ Chase at Fairyhouse a year ago. This was followed by a more recent victory in a National Handicap Chase at Limerick, with a wide open field likely to be lining up for this clash.

Trainer Paul Nicholls has a couple of lively entrants in the form of Enrilo and Next Destination, with the latter boasting lots of class and he finished second behind Galvin in the Sam Vestey National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Chase.

Newbury racecourse hosts a range of brilliant festivals and meetings on both the flat and over jumps. As winter approaches, all thoughts turn to betting on National Hunt racing and Newbury’s Winter Carnival is one of the early season highlights.

Over the two days of the meeting, sponsored by Ladbrokes and taking place at the end of November/start of December, there are a range of great races. Our odds comparison makes betting on the Winter Carnival a doddle too. Just decide who you want to bet on and swiftly get the best odds with no fuss, meaning that you make the most profit possible on all your winners.

Racing odds can vary significantly from one bookie to the next but our comparison service means you never need miss out on the best betting odds. Read on for more info on the meeting itself, including a little info on the history of the Winter Carnival, as well as its biggest races and some useful pointers for finding those winners!

Racing Betting Highlights

The Ladbrokes Winter Carnival regularly sees some of the best horses in racing competing over a range of distances, with some big hurdles events as well as chases. If you love betting on the horses this is not to be missed. Many horses who land one of the festival’s feature races have gone on to greater things and here are just some of the races to look out for.

• Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle, Grade 2, 3m0.5f
• Ladbrokes Novices' Steeple Chase (Registered as The Berkshire), Grade 2, 2m4f
• Ladbrokes John Francome Novices' Chase (Registered as the Worcester), Grade 2, 2m7.5f
• Ladbrokes Intermediate Hurdle (Registered as The Gerry Feilden Hurdle), Listed, 2m0.5f
• Ladbrokes Trophy Steeple Chase, Grade 3, 3m2f

That said, the two feature races are the clear highlights, with Friday’s Long Distance Hurdle having been won in the past by the likes of Baracouda, Inglis Drever, Big Buck’s (just the four wins for this Cheltenham Festival legend!) and Thistlecrack.

On Saturday it is the Grade 3 Ladbrokes Trophy that will attract the most column inches and the most betting attention. Who can follow equine greats such as Arkle and Denman into the racing history books at the next renewal? This one was known for so long as the Hennessy Gold Cup but call it what you will, there is no doubt that this prestigious handicap is a race to be savoured.

Betting Insight

Newbury is renowned as one of the fairest tracks around and that applies equally to both racing on the flat and over fences or hurdles. The going is usually fine at this left-handed venue and there are few undulations. The obstacles are not as big a test for inexperienced horses as those found at many other tracks and more often than not the best horse wins at Newbury.

That means that betting on the Winter Carnival should be approached with a good degree of optimism. The course’s large, gentle bends and two lengthy straights means that horse and jockey alike have time to get into position.

Favourites certainly have as good a chance at the Carnival as at any other meeting but particular attention should be paid to galloping types. With little to put them off their stride Newbury can be run at a good pace for the biggest horses.

Key Trends

When it comes to the biggest races of the meeting, there are certainly some trends worth looking out for. Starting with the big one on Saturday, this is a really gruelling and testing race, with 21 fences spread over more than three and a quarter miles.

None of the trends are overwhelming, with a relatively equal split when it comes to the age of the winners over the past 20 years or so. You have to go all the way back to 1981 to find a winner that wasn’t aged between six and nine inclusive though.

Moreover, whilst seven year olds appear to have a good record, when looking beyond simply the winners, they haven’t been as impressive as it seems. Looking at runners that placed as well and factoring in how many horses of each age actually went to post, it is actually the younger horses who have over-performed.

Moving onto Friday’s feature, the Long Distance Hurdle, there are perhaps some slightly stronger trends in evidence that are worth considering before placing your bets. Again, age isn’t perhaps the most important, although we see a similar picture, with the vast majority of winners aged between six and nine.

Of course, this age bracket also accounts for a large percentage of the entries too. Since the race was established, in 1990, there have been two five year old winners. A previous win at Newbury is certainly something worth looking out for, as is a decent winning record in general, although that’s hardly a surprise in such a classy event.

Winter Carnival Racing History

This early winter meeting at Newbury has long been about one thing, the Hennessy. Hennessy’s association with this famous jumps race, which first featured at Cheltenham way back in 1957, was one of the longest running sponsorship deals in sport.

However, after the 2016 renewal it was announced that the famous cognac house would no longer sponsor the event. Not long after, Ladbrokes took over and the race so many fans probably still think of as the Hennessy Gold Cup became the Ladbrokes Trophy.

The feature of the two day meeting moved to Newbury in 1960 and is one of many jewels in the crown of the Berkshire track. The other feature is a much newer affair and is one for the Hurdlers, but the Long Distance Hurdle is an equally classy affair.

Newbury itself has hosted racing for more than 100 years, although the first recorded horse racing – and no doubt betting! – In the area happened 100 years earlier. Interestingly that initial meeting all the way back in 1805 was also a two day affair, although it cannot be considered a real forerunner of the Winter Carnival.

As said, Newbury hosts a huge number of big races, both flat and jumps. However, for those that prefer the latter this November/December carnival of racing really is hard to top.