MY second Cheltenham Festival piece with only two weeks to go to the Cheltenham roar! A selection of four long-shots at double figure prices who look to have good opportunities here.
I’ll be following up with my Handicappers, including many Irish selections in the next few days.
Cheers!
The Wine Tipster
Wednesday March 16th
1.30 Cheltenham – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4½f
My Mate Mozzie for Gavin Cromwell has entries in the Supreme, the County Hurdle and a fanciful one in the Unibet Champion Hurdle but he looks a horse that needs a step up in distance to this Ballymore trip. It is worth remembering his bumper win was over 2m 2f and his short-priced defeat at Leopardstown in November where he travelled best but didn’t have the turn of foot of the winner late on over two miles. On his last start over two miles, he couldn’t handle Sir Gerhard at the Dublin Racing Festival on yielding/soft ground when a 7/1 shot and I think he is a much better horse on quicker ground, with two wins on good ground earlier in the season. My Mate Mozzie had looked a seriously smart horse before that run and this looks the ideal opportunity at The Festival.
Unibet 33/1 each way
2.50 Cheltenham – Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f
Gowel Road for the Nigel Twiston-Davies team was impressive over this trip when giving a stone to Unexpected Party when he won at Cheltenham in December, a superb effort despite not being best placed in a slow-run race, and the runner-up has franked the form in no uncertain terms. This was a really eye-catching performance by Gowel Road and his two subsequent runs at two miles have not seen him to best effect, though in quality races when third to Onemorefortheroad at Newbury and second to Metier at Lingfield. His mark of 145 is definitely workable, he has won on good and good to soft and importantly Gowel Road is back to 2m 5f here, which gives him a much better chance.
Unibet 16/1 each way
Friday March 18th
2.10 Cheltenham – County Handicap Hurdle 2m 1f
First Street for Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson looked really progressive on handicap debut, when quickening away in good style at Kempton in January. He then finished third in the big Handicap Hurdle at Newbury last month behind Glory And Fortune and I Like To Move It when challenging late on from the last showing plenty of speed. I like the way also he was staying on and Cheltenham looks sure to suit this progressive type, who has won on soft and good going.
Unibet 16/1 each way
3.30 Cheltenham – Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m 2½f
Fiddlerontheroof for the Colin Tizzard team, who know about winning a Gold Cup with Native River, have an overlooked contender in this year’s field. This eight-year-old has finished in the first three in seventeen of his eighteen career starts and was second to Monkfish in last year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase when staying on well up the hill. This season he has won the Colin Parker at Carlisle, ahead of just being beaten a neck by Cloudy Glen in the big Handicap Chase at Newbury when tipped up in my Unibet blog. He was then given an 84-day break and appeared at Ascot in testing conditions last month, when headed in the final strides by Fortescue trying to give the winner 17 pounds. Fiddlerontheroof wasn’t given the credit he deserved for that reappearance and whilst he has to find a few pounds on some rivals, he is a very talented performer who likes the course and is a totally genuine individual who is more than capable of finishing in the top three.
Unibet 40/1 each way
