Author: Joel Roberts

2m1f  (2m179y) (New) JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)  (Class 1) (4yo) I’m a huge advocate of backing front runners at Cheltenham, particularly on the New Course, and ALLMANKIND is guaranteed to make the pace in this classy renewal of the Triumph Hurdle. His jumping is solid and he seems to stay two miles at his…

3m½f  (3m80y) (Old) RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)  (Class 1) (5yo+) Quite a few surprises among the final declarations for this race. Copperhead has taken up his entry instead of running in the National Hunt Chase on Tuesday, but his yard’s jockey Robbie Power has chosen to ride Slate House instead, which the market…

Here are our best bets for an excellent opening card at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. Best of luck with everything you back throughout the week. 2m½f  (2m87y) (Old) Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)  (Class 1) (4yo+) We only put up two ante-post selections for this year’s Cheltenham and both run in the opener.…

2m3½f  (2m3f58y) Thames Materials Novices’ Hurdle  (Class 2) (5yo+) Only the four runners but this is a very good little race. Master Debonair sets a high standard with his course form also coming on bad ground – it may literally be unraceable tomorrow with awful conditions forecast – but his price is prohibitive and…

2m  Tattersalls Ireland Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)  (4yo) Triumph Hurdle favourite Aspire Tower sets a good standard and probably deserves to be odds-on considering his stand-out piece of form came at Leopardstown, but NEVER DO NOTHING was rated higher on the flat, beating him three times including when conceding 3lb at…

2m4f  (2m4f10y) Betway Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)  (Class 1) (5yo+) I’m backing ITCHY FEET to get the better of star mare Laurina, who has to put a disappointing effort last time out behind her. She apparently bled so perhaps can be excused that run, but it wasn’t the first time in her…

2m½f  (2m128y) Napoleons Casino & Restaurant Owlerton Sheffield Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2)  (Class 1) (4yo+) On ratings, the 130-rated TIMETOCHILL has a lot to do to win this Grade 2, but she beat Notre Paris well enough two starts ago, and that equally-rated foe looked well handicapped when crashing out at the…

3m1½f (3m1f56y) (New) Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) (Class 1) (5yo+) Colin Tizzard has all but confirmed his Grade 1-winning novice chaser SLATE HOUSE a runner in Saturday’s Cotswold Chase, and at 9/1 the betting market hasn’t reacted, which really surprises me. He was the stand-out entry in the race on Monday and I…

2m½f (2m87y) Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) SHISHKIN just bolted up over hurdles at Newbury. It may have been just a maiden but, having never been sent off odds-against since his purchase, he had clearly been a hype horse from the Henderson yard since blitzing a bumper at Kempton last…

2m (1m7f216y) Read Nico De Boinville’s Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-145) This doesn’t look the deepest race as there are a fair few older, exposed handicappers and only two six-year-olds. The one I want to be in is the top-weight ELDORADO ALLEN for Colin Tizzard. He looks the yard’s first string…