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Weatherbys Champion Bumper (4.50pm) preview
This can be a head-to-head based on the betting, which could appear ridiculous in a giant discipline of lightly-raced horses with any quantity of potential enchancment to come back however does really really feel justified whenever you take a look at their kind.
Each Kilcruit and Sir Gerhard at the moment are operating for Willie Mullins, although the latter solely arrived on the secure as a part of the current exodus of horses owned by Cheveley Park Stud from the Gordon Elliott/Denise Foster yard. Each have excellent claims on their newest performances, and put up equally spectacular timefigures within the course of, although Kilcruit, who was merely devastating in a Grade Two occasion at Leoparstown final month.
The one different runner at single-figure odds is Foster’s Three Stripe Life, whereas Grangee is one other from the Mullins workforce that would go nicely at a good worth. Mullins’s final 5 winners of this, by the way, had been priced at 25-1 twice, 16-1, 12-1 and 11-1.
08:54
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (4.15 pm) preview
The standard huge discipline for the pell-mell chase round two miles which till lately introduced the assembly to a detailed.
Embittered, who has run in Grade One firm on his final two begins, appears prone to begin favorite for Joseph O’Brien, however risks abound together with Zanza, Ibleo and Sky Pirate, all of whom have posted a good win already at this journey this season.
Among the many outsiders, I’m taking an opportunity on Amoola Gold, who completed shut behind Sky Pirate at degree weights at Ascot earlier within the season however will get a little bit of weight from that rival this afternoon.
08:42
Glenfarcas Cross Nation Chase (3.40 pm) preview
One other short-priced favorite as Easysland makes an attempt to comply with up final yr’s victory on this race, with the twin Grand Nationwide winner Tiger Roll amongst these out to cease him.
Having tipped Easysland, it’s too late to again out now but it surely owed as a lot to severe doubts about Tiger Roll, the second-favourite, as the rest and whereas he’s actually the obvious winner, even-money is a really skinny worth given his lack-lustre efficiency – admittedly beneath a bit weight – within the handicap occasion over this course in November.
Kingswell Theatre, the winner that day, takes him on once more on 22lb worse phrases, however is, by his coach’s personal admission, a really gradual horse who wants testing situations to face a lot likelihood.
Some Neck additionally received a handicap over this monitor in December, however off a mark of 137, round 30lb under Easysland’s mark. In all probability a race to depart alone, whereas appreciating the nice Tiger Roll on what may but be his ultimate begin.
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08:28
Queen Mom Champion Chase (3.05 pm) preview
A race by which odds-on pictures have a behavior of getting overwhelmed in recent times, together with Douvan at 4-9 in 2017 when on paper it regarded like he solely wanted to be going through the fitting manner in the beginning to present Willie Mullins his first victory on this race. As a substitute, Mullins remains to be ready to tick it off his listing and full a full set of the Competition’s Massive 4 characteristic occasions.
Chacun Pour Soi, his essential contender this afternoon, is presently a 5-6 shot and can in all probability set off a bit shorter than that if both or each of Gaillard Du Mesnil and Monkfish have obliged earlier on the cardboard. He’s, no doubt, the excellent performer on this division in the meanwhile, however he might want to see off final yr’s winner Politologue and up-and-coming Nube Negra, who beat Altior, a late absentee from this, at Kempton at Christmas, with the intention to show it on the largest stage.
Put The Kettle On, a shock winner of the Arkle over course-and-distance 12 months in the past, additionally deserves consideration given her liking for the monitor, although she was eight lengths behind Chacun Pour Soi at Leopardstown in December.
08:26
Coral Cup Hurdle (2.30 pm) preview
The place to start out? The 26-runner discipline contains novices, seasoned handicappers together with the 2019 winner, William Henry and every thing in between, with burdens from 11st 10lb proper right down to 10st 1lb.
Even by Competition requirements, it’s a fearsome problem however a few current traits which may assist to slender issues down contains the truth that 9 of the final 10 winners had had not more than 9 begins over hurdles, and 7 out of 10 had been aged from 5 to seven.
Younger, lightly-raced horses – together with, although not essentially – novices appear to have the higher hand, although this class contains loads of the market leaders together with Craigneiche, Guard Your Goals, Grand Roi. Nicky Henderson, Craigneiche’s coach, has three wins within the final seven runnings and in addition saddles Birchdale, Janika and Monte Cristo.
Willie Mullins, in the meantime, additionally has 4 runners, together with well-fancied Koshari with secure jockey Paul Townend within the saddle, however my stab on the race is secure companion Dysart Diamond, who has an analogous profile to Mullins’s Bleu Berry, the winner in 2018, and is on the market at round 25-1.
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Brown Advisory Novice Chase (1.55pm) preview
There’s a pure impulse when a horse is priced up at round 1-3 for a novice chase on the Competition to suppose: it may possibly’t be that a lot of a certainty, can it? There are all these fences to leap, for one factor, and the second-favourite regarded fairly good final outing … Properly, since 2003 a minimum of, is has been simply that: seven horses have set off at odds-on for a Grade One novice chase on the Competition in that point and all seven got here dwelling in entrance, together with Shishkin in Tuesday’s Arkle.
Monkfish might be shorter than all of these bar Douvan and Altior within the Arkle in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and he has regarded bomb-proof in his three begins over fences since profitable the Albert Barlett Novice Hurdle at this assembly final yr. The time of his win at Leopardstown final time was distinctive although he did all of it on the bridle and even at this stage, he appears certain to be a significant participant in subsequent yr’s Gold Cup.
Entrance-running Eklat De Rire, with Rachael Blackmore within the saddle, might need a squeak if Blackmore can get a simple lead, and his newest kind was franked when runner-up Escaria Ten went shut within the ultimate race on Tuesday, however that is prone to be all about Monkfish.
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Ballymore Novice Hurdle (1.20 pm) preview
The opener on day one is brief on numbers by its ordinary commonplace – that is solely the second single-figure discipline this century – but it surely may advance the argument that loads of the “lacking” horses are so-called “social” runners – entered with the house owners’ badges and a grand time out in thoughts – reasonably than huge contenders because it has loads of energy in depth.
It’s a toss-up in the meanwhile whether or not Bob Olinger (Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) or Gaillard Du Mesnil (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) will begin favorite, whereas Bravemansgame (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) is looking them up within the betting. All three arrive on the again of Grade One victories by a minimum of 5 lengths.
Bear Ghylls, unbeaten in three begins over hurdles, is one other to think about Nicky Martin’s 10-horse yard on Exmoor, whereas the first rate type of Joseph O’Brien’s Keskonrisk behind Recognize It at Leopardstown in December appears even higher after the winner’s devastating show within the Supreme on Tuesday.
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Competitors winner day one
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Cheltenham Competition tipping competitors
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The Guardian’s racing correspondent units the scene
Good morning from Cheltenham, the place a dry night time has seen the official going on the course modified to good-to-soft all spherical forward of the second and ultimate day of motion on the Outdated course.
It’s a day when Willie Mullins seems, for the second a minimum of, to have an iron grip on proceedings, and in addition a day when the bookmakers might be hoping to get a minimum of one of many three – sure, three – odds-on pictures within the seven races overwhelmed. Two are from the Mullins yard – Chacun Pour Soi within the featured Queen Mom Champion Chase and Monkfish within the Brown Advisory Novice Chase and he additionally has Gaillard Du Mesnil
(2-1) within the opener and the primary two within the betting within the Bumper.
The remaining sizzling favorite is Easysland within the Cross-Nation, the place the nice Tiger Roll, winner of the Grand Nationwide in 2018 and 2019, may have his first outing for Denise Foster since nicely, everyone knows what since. This might but show to be the ultimate race of his profession, as Michael O’Leary, his proprietor, has made it plain that he is not going to press on with Tiger Roll if he feels he’s on the downslope of his profession, which is strictly the way it has appeared in a number of of his current appearances.
A barely cooler afternoon than yesterday is forecast however it’s anticipated to stay dry, which can begin to focus consideration on the occurring the contemporary floor on the New course, which hosts proceedings from tomorrow.
Don’t neglect that our every day tipping competitors in affiliation with Betfair might be operating once more at the moment, with £100 in a Betfair account to whoever exhibits one of the best return from a notional £1 degree stake on at the moment’s seven races. Entries as early as doable please, and if we are able to maintain late amendments to a minimal, that may be appreciated too.
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Cheltenham Competition: Day Two
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