The Sandy Thomson-trained Benson pounced late to win Saturday’s bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso and now has his sights set on landing the sponsors £100k bonus – should he win ANY 2023 Cheltenham Festival race later this month.
Benson Wins Morebattle Hurdle And Now Has Two Options For Cheltenham
BENSON was the winner of Saturday’s bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso.
A race that not only carries a £51k first prize but also a possible £100k bonus if the winner can follow-up in ANY Cheltenham Festival race later this month.
We saw the 2021 Morebattle Hurdle winner The Shunter land the lucrative double a few years ago, but now it’s the turn of the Sandy Thomson-trained Benson to set his sights on the big payday.
Benson, who used to be handled by former Grand National-winning trained Dr Richard Newland, was always travelling well and pounced late on to deny Irish raider Colonel Mustard. Winning by 2 lengths at the line with Ryan Mania doing the steering.
That was his second win on the bounce, having won on New Year’s Day at Mussleburgh, and his sixth career success from 20 starts.
It’s now all roads to Cheltenham and a tilt and landing the bet365 bonus, where he’s entered in two races.
bet365 Offer a £100k Bonus If the Morebattle Hurdle Winner Follows-up In ANY Cheltenham Race
By winning the Morebattle Hurdle, Benson’s owners J Fyffe and S Townshend have already pocketed £51k and thanks to sponsors bet365 they will now have the chance to win another £100,000 bonus if they win a race at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.
Benson strikes for the locals!@LambdenRacing wins the £100,000 Morebattle Hurdle @KelsoRacecourse as Benson picks off Colonel Mustard after the last to land the feature contest.
Surely he'll have a crack at the £100,000 bonus by trying to win at The Cheltenham Festival now. pic.twitter.com/mUh4JO4ZAy
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 4, 2023
RELATED: 2023 Cheltenham Festival Bankers | Best Backed Horses For Your Festival Accas
Benson Entered In the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle and Coral Cup at The Cheltenham Festival
The good news for Benson’s owners is that their trainer, Sandy Thomson, has the horse in TWO races at Cheltenham. Of course, the horse is unlikely to run in them both, so connections will have to decide if it’s to be the Coral Cup (Weds 15th March) or the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Fri 17th March).
They are both over similar trips, with the Coral Cup over 2m5f and the Martin Pipe run at 2m 4 1/2f.
- Benson @ 20/1 with BetUK for Coral Cup
- Benson @ 16/1 with BetUK for Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
Imperial Cup at Sandown Next Saturday Will Also Carry a Similar Bonus
The Cheltenham ‘bonus bandwagon’ continues next Saturday (11th March) too.
The Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown races also has a bonus attached to it if the winner follows up at the Festival the following week. Gaspara was the last horse to do the double in 2007.
Related Horse Racing Content:
- Best Horse Racing Free Bets Offers at UK Sportsbooks – Top Horse Racing Bonuses for 2023
- Top Free Horse Racing Tips & Advice for UK Betting Today
- Free Horse Racing Lucky 15 Tips for Today – Best Lucky 15 Bet Today
- Today’s Racecards – View Horse Racing Cards Today
- Horse Racing Results Today – See All Recent Race Results & Winners
- The Best Cheltenham Betting Sites for 2023
- Cheltenham Results Past & Present – See All Cheltenham Festival Results 2023
- The Best Grand National Betting Sites for 2023
- Grand National Runners & Riders 2023 – Guide to All Horses & Weights
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
