Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton could make the big jump from the bike saddle to a horse saddle at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The double Olympic champion retired from cycling in 2012 to focus on completing another one of her dreams – to race at Cheltenham.
Pendleton is aiming to ride in the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham despite only completing in one race over jumps previously. Despite her inexperience, she has shown enough potential to impress racehorse owner Andy Stewart who has offered her a ride on Pacha Du Polder. The horse has previously been a runner-up in the Foxhunter Chase and is one of the most promising horses riding in the race this year. Bet site Coral currently have the horse at 25/1 but those odds could soon drop if Pendleton is officially announced as riding in the race. Whilst the former cyclist is sure to attract a lot of interest from fans, there is a real risk that she could fail to finish the race. But at these odds, she could well be worth a bet and you could even get a free bet on the race when you register on the Coral website. The Cheltenham free bet can be used on any of the odds on the site, and could be extremely lucrative if you take a change on a horse with long odds.
As there are so many different races during the festival on the Cheltenham free bet site, has she got enough experience and potential to deserve your Cheltenham free bet? Well she has been working closely with trainer Alan Hill and his wife Lawney since deciding to make the career switch in March 2014. She made her racing debut in July 2015 at Newbury as an amateur jockey and finished a respectable 8th on the Mighty Mambo in the George Frewer Charity Race. After looking thrilled at finishing her first race, she took out her professional race license a month later.
Once she turned pro, she narrowly missed out on a win on Royal Etiquette at Ripon but was thrilled to take second place. She then returned to Yorkshire in September when she raced in Beverley but failed to recover from a bad start and could only secure a disappointing 13th place. Her bad luck continued when she was unseated from her horse after she lost balance on the final furlong of her third competitive race at Newbury. The result was a real shock as she was 4-1 favourite on most bet sites on horse Satanic Beat.
But Great Britain’s most successful female Olympian performed a lot better in her most recent race. She finished fourth on Supreme Danehill, proving to fans that she could win a healthy return on your Cheltenham free bet. Her next race is now highly likely to be at the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham – a race she has very publically said has been her goal ever since she raced in her first amateur race. Despite a few disappointments in her career, she could use some of that Olympic competitive determination to perform well at her dream race this March.