The 2008 Cheltenham Cup is set to be the jewel in the crown of the biggest day in horseracing history. With over 300 million pounds set to be bet on the expanded day four Cheltenham Festival card, the showdown between Kauto Star and Denman is likely to spark the biggest betting extravaganza ever seen at Prestbury Park.

With all the media attention on Denman and Kauto Star, the quality of the some of the other runners in the 2008 Cheltenham Cup previews is often overlooked. Only four horses are priced under odds of 25-1 by William Hill, the two race favourites, followed by Exotic Dancer and Halcon Genelardais.

Punters paying attention to Sizing Europe’s run in the 2008 Champion Hurdle will have noticed how easy it is for a favourite to run a poor race. Whilst it’s unlikely that both Denman and Kauto Star will run poor races on the same day, stranger things have happened in horseracing.

Many have tipped Exotic Dancer to spring a surprise with Tony McCoy onboard, however 14/1 priced Halcon Genelardais should not be overlooked as a serious contender. In eight starts in chases Halcon Genelardais has taken 4 wins, showing on another two occasions. Like Kauto Star, he began his career over the soft tracks of France, and the soft going he’ll encounter during the 2008 Cheltenham Cup could easily swing the race in his favour.