CHELTENHAM Festival Trials Day is a top-class pre-Festival meeting with day one of the Cheltenham Festival 2025 just over six weeks away!
Heading the cast list on Saturday is of course Constitution Hill Unibet 1/10 on to win the Unibet Hurdle (Grade 2) for Unibet Ambassadors Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville. Constitution Hill won the Christmas Hurdle on his comeback run in fine style, when taking up the running from two out and giving every indication there is plenty more to come. He is unopposable and whilst he won’t win by a big distance this will be the ideal preparation for the Unibet Champion Hurdle on day one of The Cheltenham Festival.
Earlier on in the card in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial East India Dock Unibet 4/6 on is going for a three-timer and won by eighteen lengths at the November meeting when last seen. He has a very strong chance and is currently second favourite for the Triumph Hurdle, with Lulamba heading the market for Nicky Henderson.
Enjoy the action from Cheltenham and Doncaster whether at a racecourse or watching #athome on ITV Racing.
See you at Cheltenham!
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
1.30 Doncaster – Handicap Chase (2m ½f)
Nells Son (nap) is having something of a renaissance at the age of ten; the winner of both starts this winter, and his form of his latest win, when defeating Matata at Kelso looks all the better after the runner-up won doing cartwheels at Windsor last week, putting himself into the Champion Chase picture. A 5lb rise looks fair and, despite the weight, can win again.
Unibet are BEST INDUSTRY PRICE every runner in this race!
2.25 Cheltenham – Cotswold Chase (3m 1½f)
L’Homme Presse’s to lose, in truth. Last year’s Gold Cup fourth to Galopin Des Champs made a really good reappearance to be third in the King George VI to Banbridge, perhaps race fitness telling late, and he has the best form in the race by some way. The danger on paper, Gentlemansgame, has to give him weight here, and that just looks too hard a task against the lightly raced L’Homme Presse, whose Cheltenham record is 114.
Unibet are BOOSTING the price of the favourite in this race!
3.15 Doncaster – Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase (3m)
Snipe can get back to winning ways having not being victorious since December 2023 at Aintree, though he has run some good races since then with form figures of 27-22. The latter performance, when second at Carlisle to subsequent Welsh Grand National winner Val Dancer when beaten 1¼ lengths, was a career-best performance.
Unibet are paying an EXTRA PLACE in this race!
3.35 Cheltenham – Cleeve Hurdle (Grade 2) (3m)
Crambo can get himself wound up too much – see last year’s Stayers Hurdle where he’s run his race before he’s left the paddock – but he was on his best behaviour when winning the Long Walk at Ascot last time out and that’s form that, if he can repeat here, gives him every chance. He has reportedly come out of Ascot’s race really well and given this isn’t the deepest Cleeve Hill he should win if keeping his temperament in check in the preliminaries.
Transmission has been a revelation since being campaigned over fences this season with form figures of 212 and all his runs have been at Cheltenham. Whilst this looks an ideal prep run for a race over fences in March, he won his last race over hurdles at Plumpton last April over a very similar trip and he had never appeared at Prestbury until taking to fences. He of course has lots to do on the official ratings, however with some questionable recent form of some runners in this Cleeve Hurdle, Transmission is worth an each-way wager with Unibet paying three places.
The Wine Tipster’s Treble
After a successful few weeks The Wine Tipster is right back in the saddle with this week’s selections… but will he end up back in the Winner’s Enclosure?
Roll these three picks from our red-hot tipster into a treble and the drinks really may well be on you! L’Homme Presse, Snipe, and Crambo. Add to your betslip, hit the ACCA BOOST option, and a £5 each way treble potentially returns over £475 if they come in! Of course, it’s a long shot, but stranger things have happened!
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