Ughhhhhh, that was rough. Vautour winning and Valseur Lido placing steadied the ship to an extent, helped by Bloody Mary running into a place, but those aside it was tough out there. I just about came out with a few bob, but it feels very much like a losing day inside.

However, we’ve still got one day of battle left and if I’m going down, I’m going to go down swinging!

Here’s day 4…

13:30 JCB Triumph Hurdle : A real head scratcher this. With 11/2 available about Ivanovic Gorbatov, I’ll forgive and forget his absolute stinker last time out, especially given his breeding. He was madness at 3s but with the drift here catches my eye again and I’ll take my chance.

14:10 Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle: Blue Hell’s win back in November now represents some very strong handicap form indeed and has been put away with a target like this in mind. 146 looks very workable.

14:50 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle: I’ll be taking on the favourite, Barter’s Hill, here and take a chance on the unbeaten Long Dog. Whilst not bred for a trip like this I think he’ll have no bother at all and saw out 2m5f quite well recently. He’s been on the go a while but 9/1 is big.

15:30 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase: The big one. I could go on and make a case for all of these, but alas there’s a pint of stout waiting for me in Rathmines and I’m under a bit of pressure to get to it! The Dons can duel away amongst themselves because I’m going for Cue Card in this year’s Gold Cup. Has done absolutely nothing wrong, looks a new horse this year and will 100% get up that hill.

16:10 St. James’s Place Foxhunter Chase: Very sad that Prince de Beauchene won’t be here to represent The Paupers, but that’s racing. On The Fringe looks a massive price at 3’s and will come on a pile for the Leopardstown pipe opener. He’s the best horse in the race, but It Came To Pass is the danger.

16:50 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle: I’ll take two here against the field. Qualando, a festival winner form last year still looks well handicapped and has a great chance in this. I’d also give an each way squeak to Westend Star for Gordon Elliot and Luke Dempsey.

17:30 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual: Rock The World has looked decent over the larger obstacles and 146 looks manageable. Not to mention he’s a course and distance winner. An honourable mention for Bright New Dawn who has an each way sqeuak at a price.

And that’s day 4 a wrap, as well as Cheltenham 2016!

Hopefully we’ll pull a few out of the fire!

Slán tamaillín,

T

 

It was a rough day in the trenches for punters today as the well fancied favs didn’t quite do the business. Long House Hall got me a few bob but it was Diego du Charmil who really got me out of, what was looking starting to look like, a very big hole indeed. If his challengers had stood up he was probably  beaten, but we’ll take the small bit of good fortune when we can get it!

I’ll keep trucking, but just to say, as I always do, the 3rd day of the festival is often very tricky for punters to make money. Maybe not following my tips is a good place to start (lol), but I tend to decrease my stakes and keep it each way on the third day. For the most part!!

Here we go…

13:30 JLT Novices Chase: I’m an Outlander fan and he’s done nothing wrong over fences. Only 6 lengths back in last year’s Neptune, chasing looks to be right up the street of this son of Stowaway. I’ll take my chances at 5/1.

14:10 Pertemps Network Final: Two for each way bets against the field. Nicky’s are obviously flying and Cup Final has been in the back of my mind for this for a while. Won first time out after a long lay off up in Musselburgh and is probably still ahead of the handicapper off 139. I’m intrigued by the profile of All Hell Let Loose for an each way bet. Back over timber, this horse has ran with aplomb in graded company in the past. Just creeps into the bottom of the weights and shouldn’t mind the ground.

14:50 Ryanair Chase: I’ll keep this brief. Vautour ticks all the boxes back to 2m4f and should see these off. One for the accumulators. Valseur Lido could  place at a decent each way price.

15:30 World Hurdle: Thistlecrack looks to have very strong claims indeed and looks the most likely winner on recent form. However, at 5/4 I’d be happy enough to look elsewhere for something to run in to a place.I’ll have a small each way bet on Aux Ptits Soins at 20/1 and hope he can run into the frame. He’s been difficult to keep sound by the look of things but can be very good on his day.

16:10 Brown Advisory & Meriebelle Stable Plate: Not a race I’d be be hugely bullish about anything in but I’d be willing to take a chance on Fingal Bay with tongue tie and blinkers applied for the first time. 11/1 in places and that could well shorten up as the market livens closer to the off.

16:50 Trull House Stud Mares Novice Hurdle: Connections of Limini think she is a machine and the owner had described her as his banker. Significant given the winners he’s had already. 4/6 is not for me, however and I’ll be looking for something to run in to a place at a bigger price, although I’m not quite sure what. 14/1 about Bloody Mary is interesting for an each way bet, perhaps.

17:30 Kim Muir: No huge opinion here again but one that does look well treated for an each way bet is The Giant Bolster. 139 looks very workable and young Finny Maguire has to have a solid chance of getting into the shake up at the business end. The Powell cows might have to milk themselves in Bray on Friday morning should the old boy get the job done.

So there you have it. Day 3 in a nutshell.

Here’s hoping!

Slán tamaillín,

T

Evening all. It’s been an incredibly long day for yours truly. On the go since 4:30AM for an action packed round trip to Cheltenham. Tiring and all as it was, it was an absolute blast.

I’m going to rattle through this fairly quickly given how late it is (00:33am as I type)…but, before I do, a word must go to my girl Annie Power. What an electrifying performance, albeit in a middling Champion Hurdle, but it was great to see a mare winning the Champion Hurdle for the first time in over 20 years. There was definitely a sense of ‘Girl Power’ about the place afterwards!

A forecast on Douvan & Sizing John coupled with Annie and a certain Va Va Vroum made it a nice days punting, although I was a quite disappointed with the handicap & 4 mile selections, all told. Less so with Min. I think Altior could be very good.

Onward, Day 2 awaits.

13:30 Neptune Novices Hurdle: Since his last Cheltenham run I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that Yanworth is my bet of the festival at odds against. I stand by that even with Yorkhill in the race. I think he could be really really top drawer and he looked an absolute monster winning last time out over the same course and distance making Shantou Village look like a cart horse.

14:10 RSA Chase: I’ll keep this brief as I think JP is on for a quick fire double here with More of That. Connections have been very bullish about his prospects when deliberating between here and the JLT route, going as far as to say “Wherever he runs he wins”. I’ll row in with that given his ability to handle the track so well.

14:50 Coral Cup: Two against the field here for each way bets. The  first is Politologue who was shaped well on his three starts in Britain whilst being unlucky twice. Hoping the drying ground isn’t going to leave him tapped for toe. The other is Long House Hall who did nothing but improve for the Skeltons last season. After unseating on his seasonal reappearance over fences he comes straight here. Still well handicapped over timber…I think.

15:30 Queen Mother Champion Chase: This is not really a betting race for me, or at least that’s my gut instinct. Un de Sceaux wins bar a fall. I might put a fiver on the UDS-Felix Yonger forecast or just Felix Yonger to place…I haven’t decided yet which generally isn’t a good sign.

16:10 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase: 5/2 about Josies Orders is very skinny is it not? I’d much rather an E/W bet on Sire Collonges to reverse a two length beating when the pair last met over this course and distance. If you are thinking about backing something in the race, just worth pointing out this is no longer a handicap.

16:50 Fred Winter: If the grapevine is transmitting the truth, then Diego du Charmil could be very well handicapped indeed and has been touted as Paul Nicholls’ best chance of a winner all week. I have him backed and will also be having a small each way bet on Duke Street who has had a pipe opener around Chelmsford on the flat. I’ve also made no secret of my fanboy attitude to Dr. Newland horses when they crop up at the bottom of the handicap…

17:30 Champion Bumper: This is tough to unravel, but I’m reliably informed that Fethard Lady was class and her daughter, Augusta Kate looks every bit as good. I’ll listen to that bit of advice and take 13/2 although females have a sorry record in the race.

So that’s a wrap on Day 2. Hopefully we can keep the show on the road.

Good luck with your own selections.

Slán tamaillín,

T

 

Yo, yo, yo. What’s the bleedin’ story?! Christmas only felt like it was the other day, but time flies, the evenings have gotten grander and stretchier respectively, and as the temperature slowly but surely rises to replicate something close to springtime, Cheltenham has crept up on us like an eager first Tinder date as you wait outside the pub. Pretending not to recognise you at first glance, but in reality notes that you’re wearing the same shirt as the third photo on your profile… Anyway, I digress.

Yes, the Cheltenham Festival has rolled around once again and, as has become tradition, I’ll be here covering each of the four days. At long last the trials are run, the previews are over and the talking is finished. We can finally get down to business.

If you’re a Turf Talk virgin, you’re very welcome along. Let me fill you in on how the whole thing works. I’m a waffler, a pontificator, a spoofer of the highest degree. If you’re not into that whole ‘buzz’ well then scroll down and the selections are in bold. But be warned, as every year I add this caveat I feel it’s as important as ever to point out that I am not in any way shape or form a professional punter. I’m just a racing fan and occasionally I call it right, but alas, I get it wrong sometimes too. Just thought I’d point that out for anyone who’s been promised perfection!

As for you hardened Turf Talk followers, you’re very welcome back! I’m sure you know the drill at this stage!

I was reminded over the weekend that this is the fourth Festival I’ll have covered on the blog which I couldn’t believe. What began as something extra to talk about in interviews as I hunted for jobs (honestly the main reason it all started) has ended up pretty much shaping a significant portion of my early career. So, to those of you who have been following from the start and even to those of you who are only visiting here for the first time, my thanks indeed.

Anyway, enough of that auld codswallop. Let’s get stuck in to Day 1!

13:30 Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle: Min has obviously garnered a significant amount of column inches, almost to the point of where I’m fed up talking about him. Amazing what a piece of work on the Curragh did to enhance his credentials before he had even ran in Ireland. I’ll keep this short, as every other talking head out there has already gone over how good he might be. Will I be backing him? I just have at 5/2, I wouldn’t have at the earlier 7/4. Worth noting if you want to take on the favourite here that Paddy Power are both refunding on horses in 2^nd and paying an extra place in the each way market in this race. With that in mind, Tombstone is the each way alternative. He’s a horse I really like and I think he should go well back to 2m on the drying ground.

14:10 Racing Post Arkle: Again, I’ll keep this brief. Douvan has been touted as the best horse in National Hunt training and when I posed that directly to Patrick Mullins at a Preview night not so long ago, he tended to go along with it to a certain extent. We have no idea how good he could be still but he should win this without any major trouble. His price reflects that. The bet here for me is the Douvan-Sizing John forecast. He’ll improve for the better ground and be more competitive than Leopardstown the last day.

14:50 Ultima Handicap Chase: I have two here for each way bets. One is Kruzhlinin. A useful enough individual when with Donald McCain but Philip Hobbs seemed to get stones of improvement out of him first time up for the new yard at Kempton. Slightly worried that Kempton is fairly flat and so too is Kelso, where has gotten in front more than once, so the undulations of Cheltenham may not play to his strengths but he could still be well in off 148. 10’s isn’t too bad. The other is Theatre Guide who looks to be in the form of his life this season. 2^nd in a Hennessy off 139 and absolutely spanked some decent bench marks at Kempton last time. He could go well for the Tizzards at 16/1 in places.

15:30 Stan James Champion Hurdle: As trappy a Grade 1 I’ve seen. I won’t lie, I’ve actually had a few restless nights trying to come up with the winner of this. I keep running through the field, picking holes in them all and ending up where I started…. with Annie Power staring me in the face. I kind of hate myself for it a little bit as well. I would have laid the bejaysus out of her only a few days ago, but the mind has a weird way of changing itself. Look, she’s rated 162 and shouldn’t be within an ass’s roar of a Champion Hurdle in a normal year but with the allowance, she has 9 pounds in hand over second fav Nichols Canyon. Maybe I’m being a mug, but I’m finding it hard to overlook her.

16:10 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle: Vroum Mag is a knocking bet at 11/10. Can’t believe she’s still odds against. Have I backed the four timer? Yes *looks at the ground and weeps in self-loathing*. Bitofapuzzle might run in to a place at 16s.

16:50 National Hunt Chase: Very torn here. I like two. Namely, Ballychorus who has done very little wrong when she stands up of late, granted it has been in weaker company, and Shantou Flyer who is one of the few runners in the race who has won at this track. A strong endorsement for any Novice Chase at Cheltenham. 33/1 around for Shantou Flyer is tempting. I may well have to toss a coin, or back them both. Although mares don’t seem to have the best record in this race.

17:30 Close Brothers Novices Handicap chase: Going for a little bit of a ‘Hail Mary’ here with one at a bigger price. The horse that has caught my eye here is Racing Pulse. Whilst being pulled up at Warwick last time, it’s his win at Chepstow back in January that has caught my eye. He beat Subtle Grey into second, who won next time, Jenny’s Surprise into third, who won the next twice, and Berea Boru into fourth who also came out and won the next twice. He seems to have two ways of going and, it would seem, has been quite difficult to train. Rebecca Curtis has also had her own problems earlier this season. However, at 28/1 in places I’ll have a small each way bet on this lad in the hope he might recreate some of the Chepstow form. Johnny Burke is a positive. First time tongue tie. Have I lost my mind? Possibly.

So there you have it, folks. Here’s hoping we can pull something out of the fire.

All the best with your own selections.

Slán tamaillín,

T