Sport

Cheltenham tips from our experts: Day Two

Yanworth is fancied for Wednesday's&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS';  line-height: 20.8px;">Neptune Novices Hurdle</span>&nbsp;
Yanworth is fancied for Wednesday's Neptune Novices Hurdle  Yanworth is fancied for Wednesday's Neptune Novices Hurdle 

JUDGING by the way Altior quickened up the hill to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle on Tuesday, the decision by connections of Yorkhill to wait for Wednesday’s Neptune Novices Hurdle looks a good one.

There are few horses who could have lived with Altior’s turn of speed. Willie Mullins’ call on Yorkhill is also good for the purists and the punters. The purists because it makes for one of the most intriguing races of the second day, and the punters because they’ll now get 6/4 instead of evens about his chief market rival Yanworth I think that could be a bit of value in a race with not much depth.

I rode behind Yanworth on Barney Dwan at Exeter in a novices hurdle early in the season. Barney Dwan came out and won the grade three novices handicap hurdle at Sandown for me on Saturday and while he’s miles off what Yanworth is, it tells you exactly how good Alan King’s horse is. 

Like a lot of horses this week he could be even better on better ground today and I’ll take him to get the better of Ruby on Yorkhill in what looks a match, and a good one at that.

The feature race on Wednesday is the Champion Chase and it’s interesting to hear that connections of hot favourite Un De Sceaux are worried about the drying ground.

If conditions suited him he would probbaly be as close to a certainty with a clear round but those reservations about the better ground does open the door for his rivals a bit, including myself on Gods Own.

I think Gods Own has a massive each way chance at 33/1 in places. He has only run twice this season and Tom (George) has been waiting for the spring as we know he loves the better ground.

Another big plus is the fact that he has form at the Festival, having followed Un De Sceaux home in last year’s Arkle. I can tell you that he is as well, if not better, than he was last year. It’s sure to be a cracking race with Un De Sceaux and Special Tiara in there. There’ll certainly be no hiding place, that’s for sure.

Watch the preview for Wednesday at Cheltenham:

I don’t really want to be picking favourites all day, but a winner is a winner and I think the well-fancied horses are going to run well on this perfect ground. That includes More of That in the RSA Chase. He has Festival form from his World Hurdle win two years ago and I know Barry is  very happy with him. He ticks all the boxes, though No More Heroes looks his biggest danger.

I do have a ride in the final race of the day, the Bumper, but I wouldn’t be expecting too much from Fergal O’Brien’s Pride of Lecale. He’s a nice horse for sure and will be doing his best but he’s a horse for the future and I doubt he will be good enough to win.

I’m very sweet on Coeur Blimey of Sue Gardner’s in this one. He may come from an unfashionable stable but he wouldn’t be 12/1 if Nicky Henderson or Willie Mullins trained him and he looks a real value bet.

He has already beaten one of today’s better-fancied runners Ballyandy and although he was getting 4lb from Nigel Twiston-Davies’s runner that day, Coeur Blimey is entitled to improve and he could well beat him again.

It would be a great story for such a low profile stable to train the Cheltenham Bumper winner. I know connections have had massive offers to buy this horse and have turned it down. Those offers might just get even bigger after today.

I was at a preview night on Monday and the Irish weren’t bigging up any of their horses so maybe this one can go to the home team. As usual, Ruby Walsh took the honours on day one with a fantastic treble highlighted by Annie Power’s fantastic win in the Champion Hurdle.

It wasn’t a bad day for me either, though Theatre Guide’s fall was the only downside. He was going nicely when he came down and might have nicked a place like my other mount of the day, Double Shuffle. He ran an absolute cracker and I am delighted with him.

Thankfully, I enjoyed a good day on the tipping front too with Altior obliging at 4/1 in the Supreme Novices; Minella Rocco in the amateur riders’ race at 8/1; and Douvan and Sizing John coming home first and second in the Arkle. Hope youse were all on!