The proverbial ‘banker’ accumulator ahead of the Cheltenham festival

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We all remember the ‘bankers’ of years gone by.

The 2015 edition is without doubt the most infamous of all, renowned due to a certain, unforgettable final fence fall.

It has since emerged that, as Annie Power faced down the final flight in that year’s mares’ hurdle, with their head in their hands, the bookies were staring down the barrel of a €50 million pay-out.

Punters, on the other hand, were eying up a €50 million wind-fall.

Annie Power was the sure thing, she was arguably the most fancied leg of the vaunted four-fold that included Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Faugheen.

But then she came crashing down, Glens Melody won, and that spelled the end of accumulators all over.

As punters, we’ve had our eyes on ante-post accumulators ever since. We were one away yet again in 2018, with the temperamental Apples’ Jade the only horse to bust a well-backed 17/1 five-fold.

It’s time to, literally, get back on the horse.

Seeing as there were a number of upsets, particularly in February, at the Dublin Racing Festival, it’s a touch harder to go all-in on certain hotshots.

Facile Vega and Lossiemouth, for example, were both stunned over successive days in Leopardstown.

But there are still good things dotted across the week. And, to our minds, these could be the best of all.

Constitution Hill 2/7

Since joining Nicky Henderson’s yard in 2021, Constitution Hill has ran five times, won five times and, in each of those races, has had more than ten legnths in hand.

His Supreme Novices’ triumph last year was arguably his most impressive run of all, having beaten the highly rated Jonbon by no fewer than 22 lengths.

This six-year-old hasn’t yet shown any weaknesses, is reported to be in good form by trainer and jockey and, as sure things go, this is as good as you’ll get.

He looks like a Champion Hurdler in waiting.

Delta Work 10/11

Delta Work was the big party pooper of last year’s festival, when chinning Tiger Roll late on in the Cross Country Chase.

The horse almost went one bigger a month later, when giving connections a tremendous run to finish third in the Aintree Grand National. Back for another cross country chase this year, it’s very hard to see Gigginstown-Gordon Elliott combo beaten.

Delta to make it back-to-back on Wednesday.

Shishkin 8/11

After two disappointing runs in a row, in Cheltenham last season and then in Sandown earlier this season, it’s fair to say that the search parties were out, and they were out in force for the Shishkin of old.

As it turned out, he was hiding in plain sight and he showed up, looking as good as ever, last time out in Ascot. That was the perfect prep-run, and that’s why Shiskin looks like a good thing for Thursday’s Ryanair Chase.

Vaucelet 2/1

Fermanagh trainer David Christie has targeted Friday’s Foxhunters’ chase to the extent that he has the three leading runners in the market.

Winged Leader and Ferns Lock are both good sorts, but Vaucelet heads the market and looks the pick of the bunch. The French bred horse was unlucky to be beaten by Billaway in Punchestown last year, and will rue a final fence mistake that day, though he looks a better horse again this time around.

Altogether, the accumulator works out at just over 10/1.

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