I’m not a fan of tipping handicaps, but seeing my hard earned go the way of the bookies in the Welsh Grand National when my horse finished first past the post has put revenge on the agenda. That horse was Black Thunder and the caveat is his rider wasn’t with him…
Author: Joel Roberts
33/1 Cheltenham Festival 'Banker' Fourfold
Accumulators at the big spring festivals are a lot of fun, so in this piece I’m putting forward the horses that – in my opinion – look as close to certain winners at the Cheltenham Festival as is possible in the sport of horse racing. Faugheen – Champion Hurdle His…
1pt win Native River @7/2, Wetherby 14:45
Wetherby hosts the Grade 2 Towton Novices’ Chase on Saturday, where seven go to post and the ground is soft. Native River looked a bit unlucky at Kempton when third behind Tea For Three in Grade 1 company at Christmas, as he jumped left throughout and never got into a rhythm.…
1pt win Maximiser @14/1, Sandown 14:25
A good renewal of the Grade-1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase with seven going to post, though the betting market has this as a match between Tea For Two and the five-year-old Bristol De Mai. Both look too short around the 6/4 mark with class and potential behind them in the…
0.5pts each-way Last Encounter @11/2, Clonmel 14:25
A cheeky bit of Grade 3 action at Clonmel this afternoon, where seven go to post over 22 furlongs. Gigginstown have three runners and retained rider Bryan Cooper opts for Willie Mullins’s Stone Hard over Roman Gold and Arkwrisht. There seems to be money for him as well, though the…
Cheltenham Festival ante-post update, 3rd February
A mixed week for our ante-post selections, with a couple seemingly dead in the water along with some good news, too. Camping Ground didn’t stay the three miles in the Cleeve Hurdle and whatever form claims he had over Thistlecrack before, those are now firmly reversed and trainer Robert Walford says…
0.5pts each-way Baden @20/1, Cheltenham 15:00
A top renewal worthy of its status as a trial for the Neptune at the Festival. Let’s start from the top of the betting where Yanworth and Shantou Village dispute favouritism after unbeaten seasons and easy Grade 2 victories apiece. Yanworth steps up in trip and hasn’t come off the…
1.5pts win Camping Ground @11/4, Cheltenham 15:35
This year’s renewal of the Cleeve Hurdle looks top-class with first and fifth in the World Hurdle betting – for which it’s a trial – out to strengthen their claims. We really like both, having tipped the odds-on favourite Thistlecrack to land the Long Walk Hurdle in December and having…
1pt win Acapella Bourgeois @7/2, Leopardstown 13:20
Two leading fancies for the first day of the Cheltenham Festival take centre stage today for Willie Mullins, his champion hurdler Faugheen and ante-post Arkle favourite Douvan. The latter is long odds-on for the seemingly straightforward task of following Un De Sceaux’s hoof prints in winning the Irish equivalent today, though Faugheen…
1pt each-way Aurore D'estruval @8/1, Ascot 13:50
This is a big test for the prolific Vroum Vroum Mag, who has won all seven of her Irish starts and has so far been kept against her own sex. She’s another in the familiar Rich Ricci silks from the Mullins yard, and Ruby has made the trip to Ascot,…