Next week: our Cheltenham Festival tipping competitions!
Starting on Tuesday, it’s that Cheltenham Festival you may have heard of. As usual, we’ll be running separate tipping competitions on each day of the Festival, Tuesday to Friday. Whoever does best on each day will win a £50 bet from 32Red, who have kindly agreed to stump up the prizes. That gives you four shots at winning something, although, of course, the endless glory will be worth rather more to you than the prize itself.
Talking Horses will be live each day of the Festival, for the competition as well as all the latest news, views and analysis from me and Greg at the track. Do join us!
Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I was right about that drying forecast for Cheltenham that I mentioned on here yesterday. The 3mm-5mm that was lined up for Sunday has now almost completely evaporated. About 1mm of rain in total is now expected before the Festival starts on Tuesday.
We haven’t had an updated GoingStick reading since Tuesday, after which some rain fell, but I’d imagine the going will be good to soft all round when the action begins. That probably means Neon Wolf running in the Neptune rather than the Supreme. It’s good news for Brain Power, not so much for Buveur D’Air. I’d say Defi Du Seuil fans will want some rain by next Friday.
Sandown stages another of its semi-military cards today, an occasion which will have reduced appeal for serious punters. Still, I think there might be some value in 16-1 about Sissinghurst (2.00) in the opener, with Lance Bombardier Jody Sole (5/14 at Sandown) up.
Sole is by no means a half-brother to Ruby Walsh but he can get the job done, whereas there is very little evidence on which to judge the merits of Lt Will Kellard, booked for the hot favourite, Centurius. The latter is unpenalised for a recent Ludlow success, although another way of looking at that is he’s 5lb higher than the mark from which he was beaten over this course and distance last month.
Sissinghurst showed something in a point to point, until he fell, and ran well-ish in a bumper and on his hurdles debut on heavy at Lingfield. Up in distance but on better ground, he got left behind in two subsequent outings.
Today’s testing surface will help him, as should stepping into handicap company. His rating is not obviously generous but he’s a brother to Templehills, who has won a couple of handicap chases from much higher marks. He’s a big price in a weak race.
Pick of the card at Ayr may be Baltimore Buzz (3.55), who showed some decent form in Ireland last year when with a very low-profile yard. He has now joined Noel Kelly, who knows how to win in Britain, and is of obvious interest on his handicap debut and his first starts since September. Any improvement would make his rating beatable. He’s 11-2.
At Newcastle tonight, 15-2 may be too big about New Abbey Angel (7.15), whose only career win so far was when having his first run of last year. Now just 4lb higher than he was that day, at Lingfield, the grey runs for the first time since October. He joined Keith Dalgleish last summer and basically held to the form he had shown for Gay Kelleway. It would be no surprise if Dalgleish had got him good and ready for this return.
Friday’s tips, by Chris Cook
Ayr
2.10 Left Back 2.45 Vertigo 3.20 Tomahawk Wood 3.55 Baltimore Buzz 4.30 Marlee Massie 5.00 Gold Opera 5.35 Another Mattie
Leicester
2.20 Bivouac 2.55 Ballinvarrig 3.30 Barton Rose 4.05 Elkstone 4.40 Doeslessthanme 5.10 Glendermot
Newcastle
5.45 Blushing Red 6.15 Forest Angel 6.45 Royal Opera House (nb) 7.15 New Abbey Angel 7.45 The Burnham Mare 8.15 Jet Setter
Sandown
2.00 Sissinghurst 2.30 Azzerti 3.05 Ceasar Milan 3.40 Billy Bronco (nap) 4.15 Artifice Sivola 4.50 Sneaky Feeling
