Cheltenham Tips for Saturday: Check out our best bets for day two of Showcase Meeting

Cheltenham tips for day two of the Showcase Meeting, which takes place at Cheltenham racecourse on Saturday 28th October. Our man Steve Chambers has taken a look at the seven-race card that kicks off at 13:15 and goes right through until 16:45 picking out his best bets for the action at Prestbury Park...

Some exciting young hurdlers will line up in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at 13:50 and it looks to be between the Paul Nicholls-trained BLUEKING D'OROUX and Gary Moore's Spirit D''aunou, who dominate the betting. Highly touted at the start of last season, Blueking D'oroux only really found his feet in the latter stages of the campaign as having won at Ascot in April he then was a fine runner-up in a competitive Aintree contest. A wind op appeared to bring on that improvement and if he can arrive here in similar form then he looks the one to beat.

Spirit D'aunou has racked up four wins on the bounce and heads to Cheltenham in red-hot form having won at Chepstow earlier this month, but this will be a whole lot tougher. He will have race fitness on his side, but he may struggle to get the better of Blueking D'oroux, who can kick off his season with a win and use this contest as a stepping stone to bigger and better things as the National Hunt season progresses.

First and second in this race 12 months ago, Lord Accord and The Wolf will be looking to strike again in the 2023 renewal at 14:25 on Saturday, which looks a hugely competitive heat, but it's an Irish-trained runner that makes most appeal and it's the deadly duo of Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore that can team up for victory.

The former Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning duo will unleash the exciting staying chase AMIRITE, who was last seen pulling up in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. Placed in some top notch Graded novice chases in Ireland last season, the seven-year-old was sent off favourite for the Irish National, but failed to land any sort of blow. Now in his second season over fences, he's one that could come on leaps and bounds this season and he can record his second victory over fences here.

We may only be in October, but there will be an early Pertemps Final qualifier taking place at Cheltenham at 15:00 and as with most of the qualifiers it's going to be a hugely competitive betting heat with all the runners looking to book a place in the big race come March. While some will have eyes on reserving their marks in the lead-up to that race, the lure of a big Cheltenham win should mean this is an informative contest and it was won last year by the very smart Shoot First.

It could be a cracking day for Paul Nicholls and it's his runner HUGOS NEW HORSE that is the selection for this contest, as the Ditcheat raider has won five of his seven hurdles races to date and he was placed in the other two. The ultra-progressive six-year-old ended last season with a novice hurdle success at Ayr over 2m 4f 100y, but it's interesting that Nicholls immediately sends his gelding over three miles for this event. He showed terrific battling qualities at time last year and they will be very much needed in this sort of contest and he could be a lot better than a mark of 132 and could turn into a very smart staying hurdler this season for Nicholls.