The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race is run during The Showcase, a two-day National Hunt horse racing meeting that takes place at Cheltenham Racecourse towards the end of October every year.
The Showcase offers 14 brilliant races split over its two days into two seven-race cards, with a high-value, significant featured race on each day. The two featured races of The Showcase are The Bentley Flying Spur Handicap Steeple Chase on Day One and The Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap Steeple Chase on Day Two.
This wonderful occasion is the first National Hunt meeting that is held at Cheltenham Racecourse each season, opening its gates for the first time in nearly six months each time the event comes around.
The Cheltenham Showcase will take place this Autumn on Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd of October 2021.
About the Race
The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race is a Class 3 National Hunt hurdle race that is open to horses aged three and above with a rating of between 0 and 140.
The jockeys that take part must be under the age of 26 and have won fewer than 75 point-to-point races under official National Hunt rules.
The total distance of this race is 2 miles and 87 yards and it features 8 fences and a purse of £10,000, with £6,256 assigned to the winning horse.
The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race is scheduled for Friday the 22nd of October 2021 and will be the final race of the day at 17:15.
Runners
The fiercely contended Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race at The Cheltenham Showcase provides an intense spectacle, year after year.
Here are the runners, their starting prices and how they fared in this fantastic race the last time it was contested in 2020 (ordered by saddlecloth number):
- Sternrubin (GER) – Fell – 20/1 starting price – weighing in at 11-12 – ridden by jockey Sean Houlihan and trained by Philip Hobbs
- Benny’s Bridge (IRE) – sixth-place finish – 6/1 starting price – weighing in at 11-8 – ridden by jockey Connor Brace and trained by Fergal O’Brien
- Clemencia (IRE) – Fell – 18/1 starting price – weighing in at 11-6 – ridden by jockey Charlie Price and trained by Tim Vaughan
- Wild Max (GER) – fourth-place finish – 17/2 starting price – weighing in at 11-5 – ridden by jockey Lorcan Williams and trained by Paul Nicholls
- Fair Mountain (GER) – eleventh-place finish – 50/1 starting price – weighing in at 11-4 – ridden by jockey Callum McKinnes and trained by Dan Skelton
- Byron Flyer (GB) – Non-runner – starting price N/A – weighing in at 11-4 – assigned jockey Charlie Todd and trained by Ian Williams
- Nanabelle (FR) – tenth-place finish – 18/1 starting price – weighing in at 11-1 – ridden by jockey Jack Tudor and trained by Nicky Henderson
- Ashington (GB) – third-place finish – 11/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-12 – ridden by jockey Theo Gillard and trained by John Quinn
- Hijran (IRE) – fourteenth-place finish – 125/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Ben Godfrey and trained by Henry Oliver
- Endlessly (IRE) – eighth-place finish – 28/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Fergus Gregory and trained by Oisin Murphy
- Miss Heritage (IRE) – ninth-place finish – 14/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Maxime Tissier and trained by Lucy Wadham
- One True King (IRE) – second-place finish – 4/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Jordan Nailor and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies
- Scorched Earth (IRE) – fifteenth-place finish – 22/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey William Marshall and trained by Dan Skelton
- Percy (IRE) – twelfth-place finish – 33/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Harry Reed and trained by Sophie Leech
- Magic Dancer (GB) – fifth-place finish – 5/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-11 – ridden by jockey Richard Patrick and trained by Kerry Lee
- Tegerek (FR) – first-place finish – 5/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-10 – ridden by jockey Kevin Brogan and trained by Jonjo O’Neill
- St. Gallen (IRE) – seventh-place finish – 28/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-9 – ridden by jockey Lewis Stones and trained by Oisin Murphy
- Hallings Comet (GB) – thirteenth-place finish – 22/1 starting price – weighing in at 10-4 – ridden by jockey Danny McMenamin and trained by Shaun Lycett
Tips
Check back here for in-depth betting tips from our team of expert tipsters so you can turn The Showcase 2021 into a profitable occasion.
We’ll compile all the best offers from bookies and betting sites across the web here too, including free bets, money back in cash for losses and boosted prices.
Odds
The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race, as you now know, takes place at Cheltenham Racecourse. The amount of attention this first-class venue attracts creates high levels of competition between the leading bookmakers.
Great news for us gambling enthusiasts, as this means odds for The Showcase are very generous – and that’s before enhanced odds promotions.
Just four years ago, 33/1 outsider Bobble Emerald turned the £10 outright bets of those that had faith in him into £330 of profits. With a free bet, this could have been a risk-free small fortune.
Previous Winners
Here are the previous 4 winners of The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race at The Showcase in Cheltenham, including their odds, closest competitors and race stats:
2020
Behind closed doors at The Showcase last year, 5/1 likely contender Tegerek won The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race, ridden by jockey Kevin Brogan and trained by Jonjo O’Neill.
4/1 race favourite One True King finished 5.5 lengths behind the leader in second-place, followed by 11/1 outsider Ashington in third and 17/2 Wild Max in fourth.
2019
The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race at The Showcase 2019 was won by 5/2 race favourite Benny’s Bridge, ridden by jockey Connor Brace and trained by Fergal O’Brien.
16/1 outsider Falcon Sun finished 8 lengths behind the leader in second-place, followed by 5/1 likely contender Oakley in third and 25/1 outsider Hallings Comet in fourth.
2018
In 2018, The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race at The Showcase was won by 13/2 hopeful Storm Rising, ridden by jockey Charlie Hammond and trained by Dr Richard Newland.
9/2 race favourite Magic Dancer finished 4 lengths behind the leader in second-place, followed by 8/1 Sunnytahliateigan in third and 12/1 outsider Mad Jack Mytton in fourth.
2017
Back in 2017, The Back and Lay at Matchbook Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race was won by 33/1 outsider Bobble Emerald, ridden by jockey Harry Stock and trained by Martin Keighley.
Joint 11/2 favourite Man Of Plenty finished 2 lengths behind the leader in second-place, followed by 20/1 outsider Cleni Wells in third and 6/1 Percy Street in fourth.
