Attention returns to Cheltenham on Wednesday as punters get set to sink their teeth into the second day of this year’s Festival.
Nick Wilby was in top form on Tuesday, tipping up a 4/1 (nap) and an even money winner, along with a 25/1 placed horse and a 5/1 second. Sign up for our newsletter and get all of his tips for the next three days of the Festival.
The opening day of the meeting was as explosive as you’d expect from the best day’s racing of the season and the Champion Hurdle was an exhilarating affair, dominated by a scintillating display from Hurricane Fly and man of the moment Ruby Walsh.
The second day of the Festival looks like being another daunting puzzle for punters to solve and there are plenty of competitive races to take a look at.
1.30 – National Hunt Chase
The National Hunt Chase kicks off day two of the Festival and though it doesn’t look like the sort of contest to get the pulses racing, it remains a thoroughly intriguing affair.
Alfa Beat heads into the race looking for his sixth victory on the bounce and he arrives at HQ in the form of his life. Last seen beating Dancing Tornando in the Kerry National in September, he is sure to be popular with punters looking to kick off day two with a bang.
Beshabar, Sona Sasta and Aberdale are another three worth considering but it could be worth banking on Chicago Grey bouncing back to winning ways for trainer Gordon Elliot.
The selection has been kept fresh for his trip across the Irish Sea and if he returns to Cheltenham in the form that saw him chase home RSA Chase favourite Time For Rupert (finished ahead of Racing Post Trophy winner Quinz) two runs back he has to enter calculations.
Last seen finishing fifth in a Grade One at Leopardstown, he looks overpriced at 6/1 in a wide open race.
Nick Wilby’s selection – Chicago Grey 6/1 (Ladbrokes)
2.05 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle
The Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle is always a high class affair and three superstars have emerged from the last three renewals of the race.
Last year’s winner Peddlers Cross has just finished second in the Champion Hurdle and he is proof that speed, stamina and slick jumping are all essential attributes required to win the novices’ showpiece.
In 2008 and 2009 Irish trainer Willie Mullins won the race with Fiveforthree and Mikael D’Haguenet and it looks like the handler has unearthed another unexposed gem set to take his chance in the Grade One.
French import So Young is exactly the type of horse Mullins does so well with and the five-year-old has powered onto the novice scene with two mightily impressive successes in Ireland this season.
A sixteen length romp in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown confirmed that the three-time winner on the flat was more than capable of becoming a high class operator over obstacles and he looked a superstar in waiting when he powered to another scintillating victory at Punchestown in February.
Racing up with the pace and jumping impressively and economically, So Young raced keenly at a steady pace before putting the race to bed with incredible ease. Sauntering past Big Game Hunter in second, So Young showed a breathtaking change of pace to wrap the race up and he was immediately cut for both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Neptune Investment.
At a recent Cheltenham preview night, jockey Davy Russel said that Paul Townend has been telling everyone that So Young was an absolute superstar and that he’d never sat on one like him before. That was certainly high praise from a jockey that has partnered the likes of Hurricane Fly to multiple successes in Ireland and it could be that Mullins’ youngster is ready to justify the high regard he is held in at Prestbury Park on Wednesday week.
So Young’s inexperience must be of some concern and he will be facing battle-hardened horses that have already done it at Cheltenham in the shape of Bobs Worth and Rock On Ruby. However there is a feeling in Ireland that their raider is the real deal and he could hold the aces over the English form.
Mullins is also bound to have a clue how good a horse needs to be to beat Oscars Well, ante post favourite for the race, after the Deloitte winner hammered So Young’s stablemate Zaidpour at Leopardstown in February.
Nick Wilby's selection - So Young 5/2 (nb) (Paddy Power) – Already advised at 5/1 ante post
2.40 - RSA Chase
After Cue Card fluffed his lines as day one ‘banker’ on Tuesday, punters will be hoping that Time For Rupert doesn’t follow the same route and the warm-favourite is beginning to look a fantastic bet as the bookies look to lay Paul Webber’s talented chaser.
It is almost seems like the selection is too good to be true and after Hurricane Fly dotted up at a price far too big on Tuesday, it seems form students are trying to find reasons to get Time For Rupert turned over as well.
The selection chased home legendary stayer Big Buck’s in last year’s World Hurdle (the pair miles clear) and he hasn’t looked back since, cruising to two facile victories at Cheltenham in two competitive races.
A big strong galloper who always looked like he would make his name as a chaser, Time For Rupert finished over hurdles on an official mark of 166. He’s already 161 over fences, jumps impeccably and he looks absolutely rock solid going into Wednesday’s card.
The biggest threat would appear to be Paul Nicholls’ Aiteen Thirtythree and if the trainer’s comments are anything to go by, he thinks he already has the winner of the race. Equally, if Mikael D’Haguenet was in the form that saw him win the Neptune two years ago, he would be a formidable opponent to the favourite.
However, with that being said Time For Rupert looks like he’ll be too good and sometimes it’s best just to keep things simple, especially when the bookies are allowing the horse to drift to such a fantastic price.
Nick Wilby’s selection – Time For Rupert 3/1 (William Hill from 8am, currently 11/4 Paddy Power)
3.20 - Queen Mother Champion Chase
Wednesday's action at the Cheltenham Festival represents another year and another Champion Chase that looks set to be dominated by the presence of legendary chaser Master Minded.
Paul Nicholls’ superstar put up one of the greatest performances of all time when he cruised to success in the race in 2008 and he returned to defend his crown, not quite as emphatically, in 2009.
At just seven-years-old, he was sent off at 4/5 for last year’s renewal of the two mile feature but the wheels came off on the back of a couple of unconvincing performances. A victim of his own success in 2008 there were many punters left wondering whether he would ever bounce back to the form that saw him deliver one of Cheltenham’s most memorable victories and he was whisked away for a breathing operation last summer.
Luckily for his fans his rehabilitation looks to have gone sensationally well and he has returned to action this season with two breathtaking victories at Ascot and Cheltenham. A sixteen length dismissal of I’msingingtheblues in the Amlin 1965 Chase followed by an eight length victory over Petit Robin in the Tingle Creek looked to have silenced his doubters and he seemed to be back to his very best.
However, the mandatory queue of layers looking to get Master Minded turned over at the Festival were quick to jump on the horse’s back after he and Tony McCoy were forced to fight bravely to hold off the challenge of Somersby in a short-head thrilling finish to the Victor Chandler Chase in January.
That result proved considerably more difficult than many envisaged and McCoy was quick to take the blame for nearly engineering the chaser’s downfall. Whoever’s fault it was Master Minded once again lost the aura of invincibility that surrounds him but trainer Paul Nicholls will not be too upset about having some of the pressure taken off his shoulders.
It must be remembered that there are plenty of emerging talents among his opponents and if the ground were to firm up anymore then defending champion Big Zeb could be mightily hard to beat. There is no getting away from the fact that all Master Minded’s recent victories have been on good-soft ground or softer and if he doesn’t get his way with the forecast, aside from Big Zeb, there is also the likes of Sizing Europe, Golden Silver and Somersby that could all capitalise on the dual Champion Chaser’s misfortune.
However, it would be foolish to forget that Master Minded is the best horse in the race and his electrifying jumping has been foot-perfect this season. He looks to be oozing all the class that has seen him dominate the two mile division for the last four years and his supporters are set to be rewarded at relatively generous odds.
Nick Wilby's selection - Master Minded 4/1 (NAP) (William Hill from 8am, currently 7/2 Paddy Power)
4.00 - Coral Cup
The Coral Cup is one of the most frightening races of the Festival when it comes to picking a winner and there are sure to be plenty of hard luck stories emerging from the race.
Aegean dawn would be a very controversial winner for Nicky Henderson after the trainer described himself as being “most unhappy” with the horse on Wednesday before confirming his wellbeing on Saturday.
It would be no great surprise to see him bolt up in a week that has seen his trainer answer more questions than most.
For Non Stop was unlucky enough to be on the end of a beating from World Hurdle hope Grand Crus in the Cleeve Hurdle in November while Tiger O’Toole is a very interesting outsider.
However, it is impossible to ignore Willie Mullins’ unexposed raider Call The Police who could end up looking one of the best handicapped horses of the entire meeting for his in-form trainer.
The selection returned to action with a second to Final Approach in the MCR hurdle on his seasonal reappearance and he wasn’t asked too many questions when cruising to victory at Punchestown last time out. Instead, it is more the fact he has so much untapped potential and that he is so lightly raced that has caught the attention of ante post punters and he looks exactly like the type of horse that could fare so well in a race of this nature.
Nick Wilby’s selection – Call The Police 6/1 (Ladbrokes)
4.40 - Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
If the previous race was difficult to work out, the Fred Winter is even more puzzling and the field is full of ex-flat and ex-French horses that could have a very bright future in British jump racing.
Plan A, Titan De Sarti, Tenor Nevernais and Paintball are all disputing favouritism for the race, but it could be worth looking for a bit of value and betting with one of the firms paying five places on the action.
One horse that does make plenty of appeal at bigger prices is Michael Scudamore’s Kayef.
The selection was a decent flat performer for legendary French trainer Freddie Head and he bounced back from two poor efforts to win at Sandown last month.
His victory was against an ordinary looking bunch, but it was in a race that has thrown up plenty of Cheltenham Festival winners and Made In Japan (2004 Triumph Hurdle winner) and Crack Away Jack (this race in 2008) both won the race at Sandown before making a successful leap into Festival company.
After racing wide for most of the race, Kayef soon put the race to bed approaching the final flight and he was very impressive, looking like the penny had finally dropped over hurdles.
His trainer had him entered for the Triumph Hurdle after he lost his maiden tag, but this looks more his sort of race and he could be well handicapped running off 120 with plenty of improvement expected.
Nick Wilby’s selection – Kayef, each-way 25/1 (Coral)
5.15 - Weatherbys Champion Bumper
Two scintillating displays from Dunguib and Cue Card in the previous two renewals of the Champion Bumper have given the race’s profile a serious boost and there will be plenty of money flying around in the last on Wednesday.
The race is sure to attract the usual whispers and market moves, but everyone seems to be in agreement that Warren Greatrex’s Knight Pass looks like being a superstar in the making and it would be no surprise to see punters steam into the long time ante post favourite.
However, Divine Rhapsody looks like he could be some decent each-way value and there is no chance that he will be allowed to start at 33/1 on his second racecourse appearance.
It was that price that he was allowed to win at on his debut at Punchestown last April and his absence since has been very deliberate.
The talented Irish raider had some serious horses behind him that day and it is a contest that has thrown up plenty of winners. If punters can find a way of watching the race back, they will be left scratching their heads wondering why he was so underestimated on his debut and they will be making sure he isn’t unnoticed this time around.
Nick Wilby’s selection – Divine Rhapsody 12/1 (bet365)
