#Imperial Alcazar

7 February 2022 By Roger Kennedy [email protected] Starting on Tuesday, 15 March and continuing till Friday, 18 March, the Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us. If you want to get your ante post bets in, now is likely the best time to start picking your horses for each race. Of course, you will need some information on the favourites to win major…

PAISLEY PARK is tipped to regain his Stayers' Hurdle crown in the feature race of day three at the Cheltenham Festival. The 2019 hero is back to his Grade 1 best this season and he can lift the Paddy Power-sponsored prize for jockey Aidan Coleman, trainer Emma Lavelle and owner Andrew Gemmell. Coleman was thrilled yesterday when Put The Kettle On…

The nine-year-old was a shock 50/1 victor in the staying division at the Festival in 2020 but has failed to win a race since, enjoying no luck in his first three starts this term, including when pulled up in the Long Walk at Ascot. A return to Prestbury Park seemed to reignite his old zest, however, as the gelding travelled and jumped well under…

Thyme Hill is fancied to finally land a big Cheltenham win in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle. Philip Hobbs' runner, 5-1 with bookies Betfred, has past champions to see off in Thursday's feature. Over 60000 people will be at the track on St Patrick's Day, all hoping to find some winners. Unlike 2021, when Ireland dominated, the British runners are…

THE Cheltenham Festival ante post markets have been in full swing since March. Shrewd punters have been busy plotting and predicting how this year's races will finish. Irish trainers dominated last year and with the likes of Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead having such strong yards, it's no surprise many of their superstars lead the way…

Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham is one of the single most informative days for ante-post Cheltenham Festival punters in the National Hunt Calendar and the 2022 edition of this popular raceday threw up several key talking points ahead of the March bonanza.

Reigning champion Minella Indo will be hoping to make it successive Gold Cup wins toward the end of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, but will face plenty of competition from the likes of last year's National Hunt Chase winner Galvin and previous two-time winner of this race Al Boum Photo. That all comes after four full days of racing though, with…

Champ is ante-post favourite for the Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival 2022. Chantry House, Pied Piper and Hillcrest are other leading contenders for Saturday's racing Champ (right) is one of the favourites for the Cheltenham Festival Cheltenham Festival favourite Champ is the star on show as horses trial for the big meeting at the…

There is a simple but effective example in the Plate of the sort of trends worth noting and those that are stories, which are of use to the casual viewer but not to punters. The link has been made from Celebre D'Allen to Salut Flo and Ballynagour, who both won this race in the same colours early in the 2010s. You would have heard less often that…

Imperial Alcazar: will he be suited to the unseasonably quick conditions at Cheltenham? It's good ground at Cheltenham on Saturday with only a small possibility of showers during the afternoon. Here are three fancied runners on Trials day who could struggle on the unseasonably quick going. Why's the ground an issue? The short-priced favourite for…

86 - the number of runners Alan King has saddled at the Cheltenham Festival since his last winner Only four British-based trainers - Nicky Henderson (twice), Sue Smith, Jonjo O'Neill and Will Biddick - hit the target at last year's Cheltenham Festival as no fewer than 23 of the 28 races held at the fixture were won by their Irish counterparts. That…