FOOTBALL TIPS
Cheltenham Festival Day 2 Tips
Day 2 at the Cheltenham Festival sees 4 more Grade 1s and some cracking contests. The Champion Chase is the feature with a rematch of the Clarence House on the cards which saw Edwardstone just lose out.
The first two Grades 1s on the card could see some potential superstars running with the unbeaten Gerri Colombe a favourite of mine. The bumper caps off the card and it does look a very competitive renewal.
My Day 2 Double pays 6/1 with my lucky 15 paying well over 300/1. Both can be found at the bottom of the page under my bets.
Bet365 are Super Boosting a horse each day at the festival and the prices are usually far bigger than they normally are. They boosted Constitution Hill on day 1! They are live each day from 10am so check the latest big priced boost on the link below.
The momentum really seems to be gathering behind IMPAIRE ET PASSE in the Ballymore, so much so that he is now clear favourite for the race. Willie Mullins had always pinpointed this race for him so it was no great surprise to see him scratched from the Supreme. He won on debut over 2m3f at Naas, quickening away like a very smart horse. He was dropped back to 2 miles to win the Moscow Flyer at Punchestown looking very exciting. The way those closely associated are talking he could still be anything and he is one of those horses I cannot wait to see.
Hermes Allen is comfortably the best of the British having made it 3-3 to win the Challow. That race is rarely a good marker for the Ballymore though and even with the form franked I’m struggling to warm to him against the Irish. I think the danger will come from stablemate Gaelic Warrior who impressed again carrying a big weight to win a handicap at the DRF and he has done little wrong. They think he’ll be more effective over this longer trip and he should run a big race hopefully behind the selection. Good Land won nicely at Leopardstown and is another horse that adds real spice to a very strong looking renewal.
With the rain hitting Cheltenham just in time the momentum is really building behind GERRI COLOMBE now and I think he can remain unbeaten in the Brown Advisory on Wednesday. He has never tasted defeat even winning his point to point. He made it a perfect 3-3 over fences winning the Scilly Isles at Sandown last month. That came over 2 and a half miles so a trip on the sharp side and on quicker ground but his class really came to the fore and he stayed on strongly to win readily in the end. He is a horse still learning his trade and with improvement to come back up in trip I have him a cut above anything in this field.
Sir Gerhard looks like he is going to take his chance and he is the one I see emerging as the main danger. He obviously has Festival form to his name winning the Champion Bumper and then the Ballmore last year. He won his sole start over fences at Gowran Park back in January but hasn’t been seen since and he is going to need to jump more fluently to have a chance of laying a glove on this favourite. Thyme Hill is 2 from 3 over fences but that form from Kempton is hard to weigh up and I’m not convinced he is a natural in this discipline. The Real Whacker will be given a bold sight but he could help set it up for the selection who should relish that hill.
It often pays to look away from the top of the betting for the Coral Cup with just 1 winning favourite from the past 12 renewals. Commander Of Fleet stayed on best in gruelling conditions last year to spring a 50/1 upset and while I haven’t gone for anything quite as big as that I still have a few I like at juicy odds. The first of them and my main hope would be CAPTAIN CONBY for Eamon ‘Dusty’ Sheehy. This flashy chestnut matches quite a few trends and he arrives here in very solid form. He caught the eye bumping into Eric Bloodaxe on return at Fairyhouse before finishing third under suspect tactics behind Shewearsitwell at Punchestown. He was given a lot to do before running on for second last time and put away since could easily still have a bit in hand off his mark.
My second play in the race is going to be GOOD RISK AT ALL for Sam Thomas. The way this horse won off a mark of 127 at Ascot last year was mightily impressive and it was good to see him back in the winners enclosure at Carlisle on return. He ran creditably to finish sixth at Haydock and dropping back in trip off the same mark I think this has always been the plan. He looks nicely weighted and should get seriously competitive.
At a massive price I’m also including BOLD ENDEAVOUR as Nicky Henderson has a good record in this. This horse was turned over at odds-on over fences at Ascot but won two prior to that blip and back over hurdles dropping back down in trip he may well be up to taking advantage of his lower handicap mark. With the rain Camprond may be opposable so dangers would be headed by HMS Seahorse and Langer Dan..
This looks setup to be a cracker of a race with Clarence House winner Editeur Du Gite trying to make it back-to-back Grade 1 wins but I do think EDWARDSTONE can reverse the form. Alan King’s superstar lost the Clarence House by a head as Tom Cannon was following Energumene thinking he was the one to beat and Editeur De Gite slipped the field. The way Edwardstone made the ground up was so impressive but he has a bit too much to do that day. He always travels like that and I think he will sit a bit closer to the pace this time and hit the front after the last and I feel he is the one to beat.
If last years winner Energumene is back to his best he is a threat to all but he really didn’t jump well last time, possibly due to the new white fences but he ran 10lbs lower than his win last year and has it to prove again. Editeur Du Gite likely won’t have it as easy in-front and I think he will be vulnerable to speed late on. If they go very quick off the front Nube Negra will be ridden to come home late and could pinch a place.
Delta Work broke many a heart at the Festival last year running down stablemate Tiger Roll to win by three-quarters of a length. He went on to back up that performance though running a huge race to finish third in the Grand National and then showing serious guts to win at Punchestown. It hasn’t been plain sailing this year finishing third behind Back On The Lash here before down the field back over hurdles behind Blazing Khal last month. That should have left him spot on for this but he might still be opposable at skinny odds.
I really like GALVIN to turn him over. This classy 9yo was sent off second favourite for the Gold Cup behind A Plus Tard last year and he is a fascinating recruit to this sphere. If he takes to it he certainly has the class to win this and I just think at the prices he is worth chancing. We know he stays all day so if he gets into a nice rhythm under Davy Russell watch his in-running odds crumble. I don’t think it’s just a two-horse race as a big run from Franco De Port wouldn’t be a huge surprise either last seen finishing down the field behind Galopin Des Champs. Of the rest Snow Leopardess will welcome the rain and may give her supporters a nice run for their money at huge odds.
This is a really open renewal bar one who I think really stands-out and that is DINOBLUE. She fits all the trends for this race and looks well handicapped off of a mark of 140. She has ran well on all 3 chase starts winning on debut before two good seconds behind Impervious and Magic Daze who are both decent horses. On her handicap debut she is likely to go very well and I would be disappointed if she wasn’t bang there at the finish.
At a much bigger price MIDNIGHT RUN looks a useful novice who could easily outrun his odds. He won a Grade 2 at Punchestown at the end of last year in impressive fashion and the disappointing 5th at Christmas at Grade 1 level likely had this race in mind. He is very unexposed and could run a massive race here.
As with most handicaps this week J P McManus will run 3/4 and he has Dinoblue plus the favourite at the time of writing Andy Dufrense. He is hard to catch right and carrying tip weight isn’t ideal. He was 2nd her last year though of the same mark so can’t totally write off. Last years winner Global Citizen returns to try and retain his crown but he hasn’t been in good form and it will be a tough task at the age of 11.
This looks a fascinating renewal of the Champion Bumper with any of 5 or 6 that could win this. Willie Mullins saddles 10 of the 24 runners with perhaps IT’S FOR ME his leading hope. This horse won his point to point going away before destroying the opposition in a bumper at Navan on debut under Rules. He has been put away since and it is no surprise to see Paul Townend ride. He took it up in that race hard on the bridle and quickened clear really impressively. This will be a completely different test and that form hasn’t work out great but I was really taken by it and he is a horse I want to keep firmly on side today and going forward over hurdles.
Fact To File has been the one for money with Patrick Mullins getting the leg up. He looked good winning at Leopardstown before bumping into A Dream To Share last time and should relish conditions. The latter is 3-3 and probably has the best form but he likely faces much softer ground here so it will be interesting to see how he copes with it. Fun Fun Fun should give Daryl Jacob a good spin too after winning so easily at the Dublin Racing Festival. This is a tough ask for a filly but I think she might run well and could rattle the frame. Better Days Ahead has seen her form franked and she is another one that could easily be capable of a bold showing in an intriguing renewal.
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