The David Nicholson Mares Hurdle is a Grade 2 event run over two and a half miles, and has been run now for four years, and has been dominated by Quevega winning the last three.

Over the last three years the race has been won by the superstar racemare Quevega and trainer Willie Mullins will be sending her try and complete a historic four-timer in the race, named after the legendary David Nicholson, who rode 5 winners and trained 17 more in a fantastic career. Nicholson trained some of the fantastic festival favourites which include Barton Bank, Charter Party and the formidable Viking Flagship and to this day is sadly missed.

Quevega
8yo bay mare
Robin Des Champs (FR)— Vega IV (FR) (Cap Martin (FR ))
Quevega returns again this year to defend her crown, and looks to have an excellent chance of doing just that. She readily accounted for her field in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and she made light work of nearest rival Sparky May (10L behind in second). She followed that victory up with a win in the World Series Hurdle (Grade 1) at Punchestown beating Mourad, and the way she travels through her races with an exceptional turn of foot it is surprising they haven’t tried pitching her in against the males in the Champion Hurdle before now, she certainly has the class to be competitive in that sphere but I guess Hurricane Fly has that area covered for the stable, based on last year’s performance.

Voler La Vedette
8yo bay mare
King´s Theatre (IRE) (11.4f) — Steel Grey Lady (IRE) (Roselier (FR) (16.0f))
Currently second favourite in the Antepost market, but has had documented problems with settling throughout her races in her career to date, and has clearly been revitalised by the application of a tongue-strap on her last four starts which has yielded three wins and a close second to Zaidpour over three miles when last seen. Despite this apparent improvement in form she is held on two runs by Quevega and I honestly can’t see her reversing form with Willie Mullins mare, but will probably run on into second place or so.

Our Girl Salley
7yo bay mare
Carroll House (7.7f) — Lenmore Lisa (IRE) (Phardante (FR) (12.7f))
Was touted to take up a position in this race last season but ended up swerving the contest for a race at Fairyhouse instead. Prior to that she was unbeaten in three starts over hurdles, but since then she has really struggled to find her form and in November was beaten in a handicap hurdle off 135. Despite winning a Grade 3 hurdle at Leopardstown in December her form is a long way from being competitive in this race against the principles and should really just be making up the numbers.

Kentford Grey Lady
6yo grey mare
Silver Patriarch (IRE) (11.2f) — Kentford Grebe (Teenoso (USA) (10.7f))
Has been improving with each run over hurdles after a low-key start, and she readily dispatched a handicap field off a mark of 122 in December before following that up with a close second to Violin Davis in a tactically run race and arguably won with a better position throughout the race and can be counted an unlucky loser. That said taking all this into account, and the expected improvement when she tackles a stronger pace she still has it to find with both Quevega and Voler La Vedette and looks likely to be battling it out for third place at the best.

Violin Davis
6yo bay mare
Turgeon (USA) (10.4f) — Trumpet Davis (FR) (Rose Laurel (13.0f))
Is another which really looks to be making up the numbers and was beneficiary of a tactically astute ride in a stop-start race at Ascot last time. On my knowledge of the form this daughter of Turgeon will be battling out third place at the very best, and I think Kentford Grey Lady is open to further improvement given the expected stronger pace available at The Festival.

Others to note:
Alasi finished fourth in this race last year and has since embarked on a novice chase campaign prior to making a successful return over hurdles. Her form falls somewhat short of being capable of winning this and should be another to make up the numbers should she line up here. Askanna is another which could revert back to hurdling after not making the grade over fences so far, but Colin Bowe’s mare would need to improve out of all recognition to feature here.

Verdict:
A race which ultimately boils down to the two excellent Irish racemares in Quevega and Voler La Vedette, it is impossible to see defeat for the Willie Mullins trained Quevega given she holds the edge over Colm Murphy’s mare on their encounters thus far (2/2) and despite her recent rejuvenation for the application of a tongue-strap it remains hard to imagine she’ll be able to throw it down to Quevega who has looked so impressive when coming to the Festival off a break (like she does here).

She may not be any sort of price at even money (slightly less on Betfair) at the time of writing, but she should have little trouble completing the four-timer, and will help pay for a few additional ‘Festival’ bets.

The third race on Thursday will be the eighth renewal of the Ryan Air Chase and the fifth renewal since it gained Grade 1 status. The race is open to horses aged five and above, run over two miles five furlongs, on the Cheltenham New Course, with a total of seventeen fences to be jumped.

The race was won last year by the Jonjo O’Neill trained Albertas Run, under a fine ride by AP McCoy, winning at odds of 6-1, successfully defending his crown having won the race the previous year. It looks like Albertas Run will be coming back to attempt to win his third consecutive Ryan Air Chase but will be heading to The Festival off the back of an injury, and it’ll be some performance if he can pull it off.

KEY TRENDS:
7/7 had previous winning form at Cheltenham
7/7 had no more than four runs since October
7/7 had an official rating of at least 152
5/7 had a top three finish last time out
5/7 had placed in either the Paddy Power or December Gold Cup
6/7 came from first three in the betting market
6/7 had winning form at 2m5f or above

Albertas Run – Jonjo O’Neill
11yo bay gelding
Accordion (11.9f) — Holly Grove Lass (Le Moss (12.4f))
Bidding to make it a third successive victory in this race, Albertas Run came into last year’s renewal in abysmal form having been well beaten behind Monet’s Garden at Aintree, before falling at Ascot when beaten in the Amlin Chase and then pulling up in the King George behind Long Run. However he bounced right back to form with battling success to hold Kalahari King all the way up the run-in to retain his crown. Looking through the career of Albertas Run shows a real liking for Cheltenham (11911), with his only defeat over obstacles coming in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when not lasting out the extended three-mile trip. If he is over the injury problem that has kept him off the track since his gritty Old Roan win at Aintree in November you’d have to think he’d go close to retaining his crown again but looks to face his toughest field to date.

Riverside Theatre – Nicky Henderson
8yo bay gelding
King’s Theatre (IRE) – Disallowed (IRE) (Distinctly North (USA))
Arrived at the 2010 Festival as a potential player in the Arkle, but after getting close to being tailed off, stormed home to up the straight to finish fifth. He then disappointed at Punchestown soon after, but was under pressure a long before home, prior to falling five out. Riverside Theatre has looked a vastly improved performer since having the summer off, winning easily on reappearance before a career best performance saw him take second in the King George behind Long Run, who would go on to confirm the level of form when landing the Gold Cup at the 2011 Festival. Nicky Henderson’ gelding duly confirmed the promise of his second placing in the King George when slamming some useful performers in the Grade 1 Ascot Chase on his next start, readily quickening clear when Barry Geraghty asked him to quicken. His jumping has looked solid and it is very hard to find a reason why this horse will not run a massive race, come March, other than the layoff he has had through injury which has seen his career curtailed since that effort at Ascot.

Noble Prince – Paul Nolan
8yo bay gelding
Montjeu (IRE) (11.7f) — Noble Pearl (GER) (Dashing Blade (9.0f))
There looks to be every chance that last year’s Jewson Novices Chase winner Noble Prince will revert back to this trip after plying his trade over the minimum distance so far this season, taking on the likes of Champion Chase elite Big Zeb twice so far. He has clearly shaped to me like the specialist distance of twenty or so furlongs to be his trip so the decision to continue to run him over shorter is somewhat baffling to my eye. The way he dispatched Wishful Thinking at Cheltenham last season, and the manner in which he had put Realt Dubh to the sword at Punchestown before coming to grief at the second last suggested he was a horse going places and the extra furlong here will be no problems whatsoever. That said at around 6-1 in the market (Antepost joint favourite) he is plenty short enough based on what we have seen (Jewson form hasn’t really worked out) and he isn’t of interest at this stage, despite being a very smart animal.

Medermit

Medermit – Alan King
8yo grey gelding
Medaaly (9.3f) — Miss D´Hermite (FR) (Solicitor (FR) (7.7f))
Although he has yet to register a success at Cheltenham, this likeable grey brings solid Cheltenham form to the table, most recently with an excellent second in the Spinal Research Handicap Chase (Grade 3) over course and distance in December, giving away 12lbs to winner Quantitativeeasing for around 0.75L. Also getting 12lb but suffering a 10.75L beating at the hands of Medermit was Calgary Bay who has since won two big handicaps on the bounce (most recently off a 6lb higher mark) to suggest the form looks strong. I’msingingtheblues beaten 10.25L by Medermit getting 5lb has since gone really close when a head second to Tatenen off the same mark on his next run (who was a further 6.5L back here). Medermit’ course form reads (2337242) with his only below par run coming in the Champion Hurdle behind Binocular. I wouldn’t be so worried about the lack of a course win, as with a better passage through I strongly believe he would have won the Supreme Novices Hurdle and the weight carrying performance last time in a race working out very well stands him in good stead for this, and is overpriced in the current market.

Rubi Light – Robert Hennessy
7yo bay gelding
Network (GER) — Genny Lights (FR) (Lights Out (FR) (8.0f))
Third in this race last year behind Albertas Run after just a handful of chase starts, Rubi Light has improved on his form of last season with a couple of impressive displays so far this year. Starting off when taking Sizing Europe’s measure at Gowran before taking an unlucky last fence fall (remounted to finish third) when the result was pretty much beyond reasonable doubt. He followed up that performance with an attacking display in the John Durkan (Grade 1) at Punchestown to land a decisive success (in a race where we sadly lost Kempes). He didn’t last home at Leopardstown on his latest effort in the Lexus Chase and the drop back to his specialist trip will definitely suit, as will the better ground on offer.

Somersby – Henrietta Knight
8yo bay gelding
Second Empire (IRE) – Back To Roost (IRE) (Presenting (UK))
Consistent horse, only finishing outside the places three times in twenty career starts to date. The gelded son of Second Empire finally got a deserved grade one success when edging out Finians Rainbow in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot on his most recent start, and showed the clear benefit for the application of cheek-pieces which seemed to focus his mind on the job at hand. Fifth in the Champion Chase behind Sizing Europe last season his Cheltenham form reads (3235) which includes a third placing in the Supreme Novices, second in the Arkle and fifth in the Champion Chase which represents three solid efforts at three consecutive Festivals. An admirable horse you once again expect him to run a solid race, but I honestly believe he’d be better off in the Champion Chase as opposed to this race and therefore I’m passing him up this time round.

Great Endeavour

Great Endeavour – David Pipe
8yo grey gelding
Great Palm (USA) (12.0f) — Strong Irish (IRE) (Corrouge (USA))
Aside from Medermit, Great Endeavour is another bidding to make it a first win in the race for the ‘greys’ and with his course form he holds an excellent chance (03162F10). Clearly a better chaser than hurdler, if you discount his first two efforts at the track, and then forgive him his fall when racing over further than ideal at last year’s Festival he quickly comes back to (16210). His latest effort you can forgive also as he was still travelling well when making a shuddering mistake at the tenth and was still travelling well when knocked sideways by stable-mate Matuhi when that one made an error three out. That error knocked all the momentum out of Great Endeavour and he was allowed to coast home in his own time, so this run can be written off. He had previously been an emphatic winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup over this course and distance (beating Quantitativeeasing 7L giving 3lb), and then ran a storming race in the Hennessy travelling up noticeably well before the petrol ran out, and kept on for fourth (beaten 5L). Taking all this into account it is hard to imagine this likeable grey not running a big race at The Festival, he is clearly improving and this can be a welcome winner for David Johnson who as an owner, hasn’t had a Festival winner for a while now (Our Vic in 2008).

Others of note:
Kalahari King looks sure to come straight to The Festival after a layoff forced by injury, and he placed in this race last year. It is difficult to envisage him being able to throw it down with some of these younger improve sorts though, and he isn’t really one for me to be honest. Poquelin has admirable form over this course and distance but just doesn’t seem to do it on Festival week, and he isn’t getting any better either so it is hard to imagine him winning this also. Kauto Stone should improve from the step-up to this sort of trip and looked seriously impressive in Ireland, but you’d expect he’d want plenty of juice in the ground to be competitive and it isn’t likely he’ll get this at Cheltenham based on weather from previous years. Realt Dubh could be another potential threat providing he proves his wellbeing after a long layoff enforced by injury.

Verdict:
Despite the good record that Paul Nicholls has had in this race (majority of horses hitting the places) it is difficult to envisage him having the winner of this with his two entered charges Poquelin and Kauto Stone. Somersby I would prefer to have another crack at the Champion Chase with those same cheek-pieces applied as I’m not thoroughly convinced he stays this longer trip, so on that basis I can’t entertain a bet on him either. Noble Prince although holding solid form is underpriced at the head of the market, and with Riverside Theatre needing to prove his wellbeing after being off with injury since February 2011 – I believe the race revolves around the two horses coming from the handicap route in Medermit and Great Endeavour. In truth it is extremely difficult to split the two as they are both closely matched on form, and although I’m forming a narrow preference for Medermit after that weight carrying performance last time it isn’t with any real conviction and for that reason I have to back them both.

This year’s renewal looks set to attract another high class field with a potentially memorable race on the cards. Currently at the head of the ante-post market are Peddlers Cross, Al Ferof and Silviniaco Conti. These three, however, seem very unlikely to participate as all have alternative targets. Al Ferof looks set to stick to two miles in the Arkle, unless connections decide to have a crack at the Queen Mother. Peddlers Cross should be another to follow suit and go for the Arkle, while Silviniaco Conti’s trainer Paul Nicholls has stated that the horse is likely to bypass Cheltenham and instead be trained towards the Grand National meeting at Aintree.

The main Irish challenger at this stage looks to be the Willie Mullins trained Sir Des Champs. An impressive winner of the Martin Pipe H’cap Hurdle last year, the six year old gelding has had a flawless start to his novice chasing career, which has included victory in a Grade Two Novice Chase at Leopardstown, where he beat smart prospects Fists of Fury and Hidden Cyclone. The form looks very solid at this stage and although the horse also holds an entry for the Royal and Sun Alliance, the Jewson trip looks ideal and the Betfair market suggests it is indeed his current favoured target.

One that has very much taken the eye is Champion Court. He ran a very respectable race at last year’s festival, when finishing fourth behind the smart Bob’s Worth in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles, a trip which arguable stretches the horses stamina. He started off this season back at Cheltenham where he ran a good race to finish second to the more than useful Grand Crus, also beating home Zaynar in the process, who has since gone on to run some respectable races. He was then stepped back up in trip in a very hot novice race which was won by Join Together, again running a solid race for a long way, when just fading out at the business end. He returned again at the start of January to gain victory in a two mile four furlong novice chase, beating off the Nicky Henderson trained Solix, who looks sure to re-oppose come March. It would appear connections have now realised that the horse is better suited to a stiff two and a half miles around Cheltenham, which makes the Jewson his ideal target.

Of the other likely runners, For Non Stop has some exceptional form to his name. He was running a mighty race in last year’s Coral Cup when coming down at the second last while still holding every chance. He ran a cracking race at Sandown to only go down by a quarter of a length to last year’s supreme novice winner Al Ferof. He looks likely to take his chance and should be capable of running a big race if his jumping holds up, which would be a worry. Bog Warrior has looked like a machine in previous runs over in Ireland, but it all went wrong last time when the horse took a very heavy fall at Leopardstown. Trainer Tony Martin has gone on record and stated that they will be taking their time with the horse and that the festival might come a bit soon for him. However, it is likely that the Arkle would be his first choice target even if he was to take his chance. Cristal Bonus could well turn out to be Paul Nicholls main hand in the race. The gelding has some smart form over hurdles and made an impressive start over fences, routing a weak looking field in a beginners chase at Chepstow on heavy ground. He has loads of scope to make a fine chaser, but at this stage would have a bit still to prove with only the one run over fences to his name. Solix ran a solid race when finishing just behind Champion Court, however he is another one who’s jumping lets him down, but couldn’t be totally ruled out if improving it before March.

As things stand, the value at the moment looks to rest between two horses. As stated above Sir Des Champs has done nothing but improve in each of his starts over fences and he might not be done with yet. A winner at the course previously shows he handles the unique nature of Prestbury Park and he should run a cracking race for the Irish and their champion trainer Willie Mullins. Champion Court is another that shouldn’t be overlooked. He has plenty of solid course form to his name, with the race distance of two miles four furlongs looking perfect. Gloucestershire based trainer Martin Keighley is having a good season with his small string and has proven he is adept at getting a horse right for the big day. The consistent gelding looks sure to be involved at the finish and is a solid each way bet at the current price.

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It doesn’t seem that long ago that Forpadytheplasterer narrowly repelled Kalahari King to win yet another Arkle Trophy for the Irish in arguably one of the most exciting finishes of the race to date, yet we’ve had subsequent classy winners in the form of Sizing Europe and Captain Chris since and this years’ renewal could yet produce a race capable of going down in memory as one of the hotly contested renewals ever.

Heading the market at current is the tantalising jumping prospect that is Nicky Henderson’s Sprinter Sacre (5-2). Since his debut over fences at Doncaster in December Sprinter Sacre has been somewhat of a buzz horse thanks to his exceptional jumping ability and a recent defeat of Peddlers Cross on December 27th at Kempton did nothing but enhance that reputation. To some Sprinter Sacre is the nearest possible thing to a cert at the Cheltenham Festival and his speed and finesse over the bigger obstacles is certainly a tasty proposition at the Festival but – as we all know – there are no certs at Cheltenham (unless your name is Big Buck’s) and the one possible chink in his armour is the worrying empty that occurred when coming up the hill in last years’ renewal of the Supreme Novices. In that race Sprinter Sacre looked to have the race at his mercy before being collared by stable mate Spirit Son and subsequently Al Ferof close home. However, his exceptional jumping from fence to fence may just guide him home in front here even if he doesn’t thrive up the hill as well as some believe he needs to.

Al Ferof (6-1) is taking an unorthodox route to the Festival with a run in the Victor Chandler at Ascot on 21st January his next stop. His performance at Cheltenham in November showed a decent round of jumping and to the naked eye he looked to thrive around Cheltenham. To some, Al Ferof is a Gold Cup horse in waiting, a horse not quick enough to win an Arkle and not neat enough to win an Arkle yet to me he looks to have a lively chance. The concern is whether Paul Nicholls and John Hales opt for this race or whether they opt for the more riskier option of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. This year has seen many a novice escalated at a rate of knots before their natural progression and any jump towards the Champion Chase may have much longer consequences for the horses’ progression. If they stick to the Arkle he could challenge but may struggle to keep up with the pace of Sprinter Sacre.

What of Peddlers Cross (5-1) who failed to impress like so many had hoped at Kempton? Donald McCain has looked high and low for excuses as to why Peddlers Cross ran so poorly at Kempton but seemingly hasn’t found anything concrete as of yet and with previous talk of stepping up in trip to ‘try something different’ I’m struggling to see how anyone can be so confident to back Peddlers Cross to turn around the form at Cheltenham. However, the one thing in Peddlers Cross’ favour is course form and he has fired on both visits to the Cheltenham Festival when victorious in the Neptune Novices Hurdle and narrowly repelled by the Irish hurdling sensation Hurricane Fly in the 2011 Champion Hurdle. A lot has to be taken on trust that Peddlers Cross can improve yet again for the return to Cheltenham but I he is more a hurdler forced to go chasing than a natural chaser in my eyes.

Another hurdler en route to Cheltenham in his new capacity as a chaser is the quirky Menorah (12-1). Despite a brief holiday back to hurdling for the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December, Menorah came back for his second run over the bigger obstacles at Taunton and got right back to winning ways despite a massive last fence blunder. More recently Menorah stepped back up in race class when beating a sketchy jumping Kumbeshwar at Kempton and is quietly bubbling along nicely towards the Cheltenham Festival. Being honest, Menorah’s jumping is about as sketchy as that of Finian’s Rainbow last year and it would be a reasonable surprise to see him good enough to beat the afore mentioned horses but at 12-1 he’s worthy of an each way play and could be good enough to place…..but you may need a few things to go your way if you want the win.

Now for something of a controversial horse, Cue Card (10-1), who has been up and down in trip more often than something quite crude. Joe Tizzard has taken a lot of stick for the quality of rides and the standard of jumps he has been able to get out of Cue Card this year yet his ride on Cue Card at Newbury last time out when beating For Non Stop and Walkon was an exceptional measured ride and it would be fair to say that Cue Card has now found his optimum distance. Admittedly, Cue Card does look to idle slightly at the end of his races no matter what trip he runs over. Could Aidan Coleman give him a better ride? Some believe so and the form Aidan is in recently it’d be an interesting prospect but Joe looks set to keep the ride and deservedly so after Newbury. This one is a dark horse for victory at Cheltenham.

Last but not least the best of the Irish looks to be that old dodge-pot Blackstairmountain (16-1). Blackstairmountain was a favourite-backers nightmare and a Betfair layers paradise when hurdling as he hit the front and bottled on more than one occasion yet his transition to the bigger obstacles has been met with surprising success most recently in the when beating Notus de La Tour in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Boxing Day. Paul Townend has long deserved the chance to ride a live Grade 1 festival contender and this could well be his best chance yet. Controversially jocked off of Hurricane Fly in last years’ Champion Hurdle despite being on board for every prep run, Townend looks to keep this ride if Al Ferof and Nicholls claim the services of Ruby Walsh. Could it be another for the Irish?

For me it’s Sprinter Sacre who can shine here en route to being a major player in next years’ Champion Chase and usurp his stable mate Finian’s Rainbow in the 2013 renewal of the race but watch out for Cue Card who is a huge player is everything falls just right.

Paul Nicholls saddles Hinterland, a French import and graduate of Guillaume Macaire who won very easily on his hurdling bow at Auteuil, before transferring to Ditcheat and is owned by the yards sponsors Potensis.

Nicky Henderson saddles the filly Ozeta, a grey filly by Martaline who cut a favourable impression on her hurdles debut and the form has worked out rather well (second place ran 2nd in G3 hurdle next time). She has been purchased by JP McManus and looks to hold solid claims here getting the sex allowance from Hinterland.

My only worry with those two are that sometimes horses take a while to acclimatise to our conditions, and that worry would be more so over Ozeta having seen her race in September in her native France, and at the prices I don’t think there is any real value in either and both are likely to be overhyped.

Alan King looks to be plotting the same route through for Secret Edge that he gave Katchit prior to his Triumph Hurdle winning season, and he comes here off the back of winning the Juvenile race at Wetherby that Katchit could only finish second in. The time of that race was decent, and any rain would have helped his chances significantly, however he was only a mid-60’s horse on the flat and I don’t think he’s good enough to win this.

Jackie’s Solitaire doesn’t find much for pressure and with the hill to climb here I can’t have this one finishing in the frame at all despite previously beaten Secret Edge, I think he’ll turn the tables on her today though.

Traitor is a difficult one to get a handle on and he pulled furiously down at Ludlow on his hurdling debut, and won readily enough in the end. If he repeats that he won’t stay up the hill and his pedigree to me suggests he will be stretched by a true pace, and especially now we’ve had some rain his chances are diminishing by the minute.

Which leaves me with Hollow Tree, who beat a bunch of muppets at Bangor on his hurdling debut but the style in which he did so was fantastic. I hold a very good speed figure for his win in soft ground at Salisbury prior to him going hurdling, and I think he rates a value each-way play against the hyped up imports. Timmy Murphy is riding well at present, Donald McCain is in the winners and this gelded son of Beat Hollow will have no qualms with any slowing of the ground having won over a galloping fourteen furlongs on the soft on the flat.

The second race on the card is the £40,000 Rewards For Racing Handicap Chase (1:55) won last year by Neil Mulholland and Midnight Chase prior to their failed attempt at Gold Cup success later in the season.

I don’t think this field has anything that will go on to that sort of level of form but you never know, and I think if one horse could improve this season it may be the Jonjo O’Neil trained Galaxy Rock who tuned up nicely for this with a spin over hurdles recently (he’s a better chaser) so his third on comeback ahead of a recent listed chase winner Benny Be Good (despite getting weight) reads fairly well, and at around 8-1 he looks a decent angle.

Hey Big Spender tops the weights and although has gone well fresh in the past will need to find some improvement to win this off that sort of mark. Carruthers could go well if the rain gets in but he appears on the decline, and West End Rocker hasn’t been given any respite from the handicapper after his recent two runs.

Hennessy at the bottom of the weights could be a potential fly in the ointment, should Ferdy Murphy be able to coax something out of this former Bet365 Gold Cup winner, and he remains fairly well treated off his current mark – he will be primed for this after a recent eye-catching run.

The third and main race on the card is the Paddy Power Gold Cup at (2:35) and I’ve already penned my thoughts on this race: which you can see here.

We then get a staying handicap hurdle at (3:10) to dig our teeth in to, and topped by Golan Way at the head of the weights off a mark of 146. He refused to race last time at Wincanton, and looks in the handicappers grip here.

Pettifour was a mid 150’s rated hurdler in his day, and should Nigel Twiston-Davies have got him fit enough after a layoff of 605 days he could be dangerous off this mark of 138, but his forays to Cheltenham have yielded poor returns (apart from winning an egg-and-spoon races over fences).

Oscargo could be anything based on that win at Chepstow (second has enhanced form since, and the third has won a handicap off 113). Ruby Walsh is down towards his lowest weight within the last twelve months (3lb off) and everything looks in place for a big run, but his market price suggests that.

My Shamwari is another at the head of the market who looks sure to go well here. He has improved for the step up in trip at the back end of last season, and readily disposed of Kings Legacy in the first time tongue-tie at this track when last seen. Looks like he is open to further improvement off this sort of mark, Phillip Hobbs’ yard are going well and he should be in the frame.

Cantlow will make up into a lovely chaser next year and he ran better than the form suggests behind Restless Harry last time and travelled up menacingly before fitness took its toll in the closing stages – he is another who could run into the frame.

One which catches my eye is for the in-form David Pipe, and it’s the Tom Scudamore ridden Battle Group who comes here off the back of a quiet run on seasonal return. He readily won a Grade 3 handicap hurdle off a mark of 138 earlier in the year before placing third in a Grade 2 hurdle in Ireland on his final start of the season. I wouldn’t read too much into his defeat on comeback as he posted a similar effort off a break on his first start of the year (when 4th to Spirit Son). At around 20-1 he has the potential to be competitive off this mark, will strip fitter for that comeback run, and could be dangerous.

The (3:40) on the card looks like a lottery to try and pick a winner from, and my advice would be to save your money here, and buy a lottery ticket instead.

In the last race (4:10) I think it is worth taking on the clear pick on hurdles form and likely favourite Restless Harry with the Paul Nicholls trained Join Together. He was travelling really well when crumpling on landing and unshipping Daryl Jacob at Chepstow and I think he can gain compensation here given that experience.

Viking Blond will appreciate any rain overnight that gets into the ground and made a favourable impression when winning on debut over fences and he is also in with solid claims.

My Bets:
1:20 – 1pt each-way Hollow Tree @ 13-2 (1/4 odds) with Betfred and Bet365
1:55 – 1pt win Galaxy Rock @ 8-1 with William Hill
2:40 – 1pt each-way Dave’s Dream @ 20-1 (1/4 1-2-3-4, Antepost)
3:10 – 0.5pt each-way Battle Group @ 20-1 (1/4 1-2-3-4) with BlueSQ
4:10 – 0.5pt win Join Together @ 9-2 with Bet365 and Betfred

The Paddy Power Gold Cup is without doubt the highlight of Cheltenham’s Open meeting, which this year, runs from Friday 11th November to Sunday 13th November. Run just a shade over two and a half miles (2m4.5f), it is a premier handicap chase which over the last few years has attracted some of the very best staying chasers around.

The likes of the ill-fated Exotic Dancer took this in 2006, future Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander won in 2008, and other greats like Our Vic, Fondmort, Cyfor Malta have all won this race prior to further success.

Last year Long Run ran third in this race, before progressing to win both the King George and Gold Cup in quite impressive fashion.

A quick look at the weather forecast for next week (metcheck.com) suggests we should be in for some dry weather in and around the Cheltenham area so hopefully we will get decent racing ground (we usually get good/good to soft at this time of year).

Poquelin (if he runs) tops the weights off a mark of 170, and although he has won handicaps over this trip off marks of 163 and 170 it is difficult to imagine him winning this race with so many unexposed and improving horses in the field, he remains an admirable and high-class sort though.

Should Poquelin not line up, Wishful Thinking will move up to the heads of the weights but for the time being he sits 6lb off Poquelin in the weights. On form he appears held by Noble Prince on their running here at the Cheltenham Festival, and it is difficult to imagine him reversing that judging by how impressive Noble Prince has been on his comeback.

19 horses aged ten and above have run in this race in the past ten years, and not a single one of those made the frame, so you can rule out Scotsirish, Holmwood Legend and Finger Onthe Pulse really on the basis of that one stat.

7 of the last 10 winners of this race had previously won at Cheltenham, which as we know is a big advantage given the stiffness of the fences.

10 out of 10 had won a chase at class 2 or above, and all ten had run in 6 or fewer handicap chases (last 7 had run in two or less).

One which immediately catches my eye in this is the Nicky Henderson trained Dave’s Dream, who returns after a long layoff since disappointing over C&D last December in the Vote A.P Gold Cup off a 1lb higher mark. He was given reminders after just the fourth fences, and was beaten before both the trip and his 11lb hike in the weights off his previous victory came into play, and was clearly not on a going day.

A quick glance through the form of Dave’s Dream reveals a rather alarming performance pattern. When the horse returns to the course off a break of six months or more his form reads (11111), which when you compare to his figures after a recent run (01663400) it reveals a pattern which would otherwise have been concealed to the normal viewer.

Dave’s Dream runs his best races fresh, and is unbeaten when returning from a break. His latest effort after a break came when readily accounting for a decent field when winning over two miles at the track off a mark of 137 and judging by the way he won that day he would have won with another 10lb on his back as well (he is due to carry 147). Still pretty much unexposed having just had three starts in handicaps over fences (only one when returning from a break, which he won) he could still be concealing a fair amount of ability from the handicapper.

When winning that race at Cheltenham, he ran over half a second quicker than Gauvain did over the same C&D (rated 142 at the time) suggesting he is capable of running to his current mark, providing he is fresh.

The son of Anshan returns here off the back of an eleven month break, and Nicky Henderson quite possibly may have tinkered with his breathing again (has had breathing operation before) in the meantime and he rates a very interesting runner in what is a competitive race.

The probable decent ground on offer will certainly suit him also, and although there is a slight concern about him getting the trip – his breeding suggest he’ll have no problems whatsoever with it, and this could be the year he wins a nice race.

Same rules as the others apply, however we are now making a slight change to the applicants. We are opening Competition #1 to new account holders at William Hill only. This means you will need to open a new William Hill account through our banners below (you get a £25 free bet for doing it too) and send us an email specifying what time you opened the new account, and the name of the account holder (via the Contact Us page).

Competition #2 will be open to all, and will be a £50 free bet through William Hill, and you can enter both competitions if you open a new account through our banners below.

All comments will be left as moderated until the close of the competition (12pm Sunday, 20th March) and then two winners will be selected at random by drawing names from a hat.

We can track IP addresses to strictly only one entry per household, and finally the very best of luck for the week ahead and thank you for spending it with Cheltenhamtips.co.uk!

Competition #1 – Day 4

For your chance to win 2x tickets to the Aintree Festival 2011 on Ladies day, seated in the Winners Bar (VIP), the area is situated in the old weighing room, and includes walls covered in historical artifacts and tributes to former National legends. The package also includes delicious finger food, a complimentary racecard and a tipster to guide you through the day’s racing. This has an overall value of £318, so make sure you get involved now – remember new accounts only.

1) What is the name of the horse who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season?

Competition #2 – Day 4

For your chance to win a £50 free bet with William Hill, please answer the three questions below related to the Cheltenham Festival.

1) Who has trained more winners at the Cheltenham Festival than any other trainer?
2) Who won the Gold Cup in 2008?
3) Who went off favourite for the 2009 running of the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle?

Today’s William Hill Offers

William Hill are going BET £20, GET £10 FREE in the Cheltenham Gold Cup today.
William Hill are also going 4/1 DENMAN OR KAUTO STAR to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup this afternoon.
Hills are also offering ¼ odds 1-2-3-4, in the Triumph Hurdle, certainly worth getting involved in with the insurance of that extra place. Will it make all the difference?
Get yourself a William Hill account now, and make use of their £25 Free Bet for new customers (enter F25 in promotional offer field).

Good Luck!

The time is now 10:20am on the morning of Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival. You will be asked to answer three questions by leaving a comment in the reply box below. All comments will be left as moderated until the close of the competition (6pm each day) and then two winners will be selected at random by drawing names from a hat.

We can track IP addresses to strictly only one entry per household, and finally the very best of luck for the week ahead and thank you for spending it with Cheltenhamtips.co.uk!

Competition – Day 3

1) Complete this result (1-2-3) from the 2009 Grand Annual Chase. Oh Crick, Moon Over Miami, and?
2) Who was top jockey at The Festival in 1994?
3) Who was the last horse to win three world hurdles?

Today’s William Hill Offers

William Hill are going 4/1 GRANDS CRUS (BEST ODDS GUARANTEED) in the World Hurdle today at Cheltenham.

William Hill are also going 4/1 POQUELIN (BEST ODDS GUARANTEED) in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham. Why bet anywhere else?

Hills are also offering Best Odds Guaranteed+, on any Irish trained winners, enhancing their SP’s by two ticks on the ladders on St Patrick’s Day! You won’t find a better offer anywhere else than this, after the Irish dominated yesterday, make use of this offer now!!

Get yourself a William Hill account now, and make use of their £25 Free Bet for new customers (enter F25 in promotional offer field).

Good Luck!

The time is now 10:20am on the morning of Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. We are going to be running competitions on each day of the Festival where you will be asked to answer three questions by leaving a comment in the reply box below. All comments will be left as moderated until the close of the competition (6pm each day) and then two winners will be selected at random by drawing names from a hat.
We can track IP addresses to strictly only one entry per household, and finally the very best of luck for the week ahead and thank you for spending it with Cheltenhamtips.co.uk!

Competition – Day 2

1) Complete this result (1-2-3) from the 2006 Champion Chase; Newmill, Fota Island and?
2) What jockey has rode the most winners at the Cheltenham Festival since 1982?
3) What is the name of the mare who won both the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Today’s William Hill Offers

William Hill are going 3/1 TIME FOR RUPERT (BEST ODDS GUARANTEED) in the RSA Chase today at Cheltenham.
William Hill are also going 4/1 MASTER MINDED (BEST ODDS GUARANTEED) in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Why bet anywhere else?
Hills are also offering ¼ odds 1-2-3-4-5, in the Coral Cup, certainly worth getting involved in with the insurance of that extra place. Will it make all the difference?
Get yourself a William Hill account now, and make use of their £25 Free Bet for new customers (enter F25 in promotional offer field).

Good Luck!

The time is now 10:25am on the morning of Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival. We are going to be running competitions on each day of the Festival where you will be asked to answer three questions by leaving a comment in the reply box below. All comments will be left as moderated until the close of the competition (6pm each day) and then two winners will be selected at random by drawing names from a hat.

We can track IP addresses to strictly only one entry per household, and finally the very best of luck for the week ahead and thank you for spending it with Cheltenhamtips.co.uk!

Competition – Day 1

1) Complete this result (1-2-3) from last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle; Menorah, Get Me Out Of Here and?
2) Before Denman who was the last RSA Chase winner to go on to Gold Cup success?
3) In the Champion Hurdle this year Khyber Kim aims to go one better than when second to Binocular last year, but who was his trainer before Nigel Twiston Davies (excluding Henry Candy)?

Today’s William Hill Offer

William Hill are going 3/1 CUE CARD (BEST ODDS GUARANTEED) in the Supreme Novices Hurdle today at Cheltenham.

Hills are also offering ¼ odds 1-2-3-4, which makes Cue Card a cracking each-way bet at his current price, surely he can’t be out the first two let alone first four?

Get yourself a William Hill account now, and make use of their £25 Free Bet for new customers (enter F25 in promotional offer field).

Good Luck!