Cheltenham tips: Today's best bets

sportinglife.com

15 March 2023

1.30 Balco Coastal (David Johnson)

The line came a stride or two too soon for those who played the related contingency double with Gerri Colombe just failing to reel in The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory, but that performance hardly let down the form of the Scilly Isles and Balco Coastal looks overpriced to prove the main threat to Mighty Potter in the opener.

Balco Coastal has improved with each start over fences and looks a very straightforward type, essentially a sound jumper that is usually up with the pace.

The Turners has an excellent each-way shape and I’m happy enough to be against Appreciate It and Banbridge, with both having their limitations exposed at Grade 1 level in the Irish Arkle in my opinion, rather than likely to be able to step up on it appreciably over this longer trip.

A reproduction of Balco Coastal’s Sandown form ought to see him placed with the possibility of copping the lot if Mighty Potter flops like he did at the meeting last year.

2.10 Good Time Jonny (Kieran Clark)

There’s a sense of nostalgia about backing Tony Martin in Cheltenham handicaps and Good Time Jonny looks to have solid claims in this years Pertemps. A cosy winner of a competitive event at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival, connections opted to run him in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on his next start and he finished down the field.

He looks to have been campaigned with the final of this series in mind this season however, bouncing back to form following a pair of starts on the Flat and over fences when third to Maxxum at Leopardstown over Christmas.

He’s now 21 lb better off in the weights with that rival and it’s easy to put a line through his latest start when racing over an inadequate trip of two miles and also suffering early interference. He looks an outstanding each-way bet at 9/1 with Skybet who are paying eight places.

2.50 Envoi Allen without Shishkin (David Ord)

His record at the Cheltenham Festival reads 1F3 and Envoi Allen is fancied to leave a dull run in the King George at Kempton behind him with a bold show in the Ryanair.

If Shishkin is within ten pounds of his best he'll win and win well but the selection is 6/1 in the market without the favourite and that's a bet.

He was never a factor behind Bravemansgame on Boxing Day despite carrying plenty of stable confidence but his reappearance win at Down Royal showed he's still capable of very smart form and this test could just be absolutely ideal for him.

3.30 Gold Tweet (Graeme North)

In my Thursday Cheltenham timefigure preview I’ve put forward both Teahupoo and Gold Tweet for the Stayer’s Hurdle but purely from a value perspective Gold Tweet deserves outright status in this feature. The 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle has in recent weeks had something of a ‘last-entry-standing’ feel to it with so many of the runners reporting interrupted preparations and that surely opens the door for one of those that haven’t.

Teahupoo and Gold Tweet both have similar profiles in that they are unexposed at the trip, each having won their only start at it, possess a good turn of foot, relish soft ground and have similar claims on time and form. However, whereas Teahupoo is trading at around 7/2 French raider Gold Tweet is available at 11/1.

That price is downright wrong, to put it bluntly, surprisingly so given he won his trial at Cheltenham in the Cleeve Hurdle and not in France, and that makes him the best bet of the day.

4.10 Stolen Silver each-way (Phil Turner)

The Magners Plate is ridiculously competitive even by Cheltenham Festival standards, so it could pay to look for each-way value among the outsiders – particularly as most firms are offering enhanced place terms (Sky Bet are paying out on the first seven).

Cheltenham’s decision to preserve a fresh strip of ground for Gold Cup day means there a narrower track over fences on Thursday and that can have ramifications for the two maximum-field handicap chases on the card, with hold-up horses often encountering traffic problems as a result of the dolled-off inner.

Therefore, it usually pays to follow those ridden handily and Stolen Silver appeals one who fits that bill. Admittedly he comes here on the back of a rare flop at Warwick, but he’s yet to run a bad race over fences at Cheltenham and, in particular, has an excellent record over the New Course – indeed, he finished fourth in last year’s Plate prior to a runaway win in the following month’s Silver Trophy.

He posted a career-best effort as recently as New Year’s Day with his second to Midnight River there, when Il Ridoto finished two places behind him. Both of those names are currently trading at a third of his odds, so Stolen Silver is well worth chancing at around 25/1 given his stellar course and distance form.

4.50 Magical Zoe (Andrew Asquith)

Luccia is a short price for this following two easy wins over hurdles so far but she hasn't beaten any world beaters and I'm willing to take her on. A horse who has impressed me quite a lot is Magical Zoe, who won her sole start in bumpers for Barry Fitzgerald, and made an impressive start for this yard over hurdles when winning a maiden hurdle at Wexford.

The bare form was nothing special but it was the style in which she got the job done, easing clear with the minimum of fuss to win with plenty more in hand than the official margin suggested.

Magical Zoe was easy to back but enhanced her reputation further when beating Nikini by a length in a Grade 3 at Downpatrick in November, again ridden with plenty of confidence and doing well to win given how far back she was asked to come from. She has been given time between each of her races, so an absence since isn't a concern to me, and she looks a big price at around 12/1 given the potential she brings.

5.30 Beauport (Matt Brocklebank)

With all due respect to Irish challengers Mr Incredible and Stumptown, I'm really hopeful the Kim Muir trophy will be remaining on home soil this season - and staying locally at that.Nigel Twiston-Davies has decided to aim promising seven-year-old Beauport at this prize from an early stage and it looks highly significant that his two good handicap wins over hurdles came during the month of March (2021 and 2022).

This horse won the often-informative Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle on his first run over fences in October earlier this season, since when he's gained some vital experience in small-field novice events at Haydock and here at Cheltenham.

His chase mark has dropped to 143, having ended his time over hurdles rated 148 so he's definitely well treated, and he'll love the forecast soft ground too. There's load to like, including his price.

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