Tuesday March 16th
3.05 Cheltenham – Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m ½f
Song For Someone we hope will be given the opportunity to take his chance for the Tom Symonds team. Rewatching Song For Someone’s Cheltenham performance in December in the Unibet International (tipped in my Unibet column) when winning and giving Silver Streak 2lbs really did dispel any notions that he doesn’t handle the track and that his pin-point jumping will keep him in the action too. That was three in a row as he won at Ascot in November, having been successful at Kempton last February. Note that Song For Someone runs in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton this Saturday where he is favourite.
Unibet 20/1 each way
SONG FOR SOMEONE wins the Unibet International Hurdle pic.twitter.com/euTSwYnP45
— Unibet Racing (@UnibetRacing) December 12, 2020
Wednesday March 17th
3.05 Cheltenham – Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) 2m
Nube Negra has really taken to fences and has form figures of 11221. He showed on his last start at Kempton when beating the mighty Altior that his oh-so-quick jumping is very effective, and he was on the bridle at the last that day. There was no fluke about this performance and the handicapper didn’t think so either as he was raised from 152 to 165. Nube Negra ran at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival in the Juvenile Hurdle, and was in the lead turning for home before finishing third and I’m confident he will stay on up the hill now. Chacun Pour Soi is obviously the one to beat, yet the seven-year-old Nube Negra will be right in the mix.
Unibet 9/1 each way
Thursday March 18th
2.20 Cheltenham – Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4½f
Mister Fisher, trained by Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson, is my idea of an ante-post selection in a race that looks much more open than the betting suggests. Mister Fisher was fourth last year at The Festival behind Samcro, Melon and Faugheen in the JLT and whilst he couldn’t get to the leaders he put in a good performance. This season he found the ground too testing at Cheltenham in November and then showed his class when winning the rerouted Peterborough Chase at The International meeting in December over this trip. The seven-year-old Mister Fisher is a very likeable type, clearly progressive and is very likely to get the right ground in March.
Unibet 14/1 each way
A good performance from Mister Fisher who powers up the Cheltenham hill for @sevenbarrows and @jandjpotterltd. pic.twitter.com/rlZRAcyW0n
— Nico de Boinville (@NdeBoinville) December 12, 2020
3.05 Cheltenham – Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m
Paisley Park was not at his best last year in the 2020 renewal because of heart irregularities on the day. He quickly recovered and it has been great to see the 2019 Stayers’ winner back in action.
This season Paisley Park has finished second to his main rival Thyme Hill at Newbury on seasonal debut and showed himself to be much sharper at Ascot in the Long Walk in December when coming from an impossible position to beat Thyme Hill on that occasion. We know Paisley Park is so effective at Cheltenham and that he will be travelling so well at the finish too. This nine-year-old can strike again and won at odds of 11/8 in 2019.
Unibet 3/1 win
Friday 19th March
3.05 Cheltenham – WellChild Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m 2½f
Al Boum Photo has a great chance of taking his third Gold Cup, which is being overlooked by many and whilst this is not the most original selection this top class nine-year-old is the most solid.
Many of his rivals have continued to blot their copybooks throughout the season and Al Boum Photo once again showed his wellbeing when winning at Tramore on New Year’s Day, beating Acapella Bourgeois by three times the distance that he did in 2019.
I tipped Al Boum Photo in my Unibet column for last year’s Gold Cup and believe he will strike again for the Willie Mullins team, even with the likes of A Plus Tard and Santini in the field.
Unibet 11/4 win
