This tip has expired. Please check our free horse racing tips section of the website to find the most up to date.
The final race of Day 2 is the Weatherbys Champion Bumper which is the flat race that takes place around Cheltenham with no hurdles or fences jumped.
This is one of the races which does tend to get a fair bit of criticism, as does the whole idea of bumper races. I think it's a good idea to introduce horses to the racetrack, and get them ready for when they do decide to go over hurdles/fences, so they get the experience.
We do tend to see some really nice horses for the future in this with Facile Vega winning it last year and Sir Gerhard, Ferny Hollow and Envoi Allen all winning it before going on to have good careers over obstacles.
The Irish have won this race in 8 of the last 10 renewals.
Cheltenham 5:30 – Fact To File 5/1 (1pt)
Bumper form is often hard to compare to one another unless you are one for reviewing times of races and getting stuck into it that way.
It's safe to say, the Irish have the stronger candidates in this race as the top nine in the market are all based in Ireland, so if you're going for a British-trained runner, you're probably doing it wrong.
I'll start with the favourite who is trained by one of the smaller yards in John Kiely. John has only had 16 runners this year but is a well-respected trainer who can work wonders if given the ammunition to do so. He has won many big races over the years, dating back to 1991 when landing a Grade 3, he has trained plenty of Grade 1 winners since then, so it's nice to see him with a live chance at the Festival with A Dream To Share, who has recorded the highest RPR in this field with his latest run putting a number of 140, which is some effort. JP McManus definitely liked that performance as he put his hand in his pocket and bought this gelding soon after. He probably is the correct market favourite, but in a race of this nature, that price doesn't interest me.
The one I like is actually the horse which A Dream To Share beat last time out. Fact To File was probably out-speeded by today's market leader when they clashed 39 days ago, but I thought Fact To File was sticking on well to his task and was only starting to get rolling. This track will be better suited to him, he is a stayer and if they go a good gallop I think he will be running powerfully up the Cheltenham Hill and putting in a big run.
Mares have done quite well in this race in the last few years, with Fayonagh winning and Relegate also doing the business. So with that said, you can't ignore Fun Fun Fun, who I thought was very impressive in her Grade 2 win at Leopardstown 38 days ago. She beat the winner of the race from 12 months prior that day and battered her. She was in receipt of plenty of weight, but it was a convincing win. The runner-up hasn't exactly franked the form over hurdles and I think it's noticeable that Patrick Mullins doesn't ride this filly considering he bred the horse and has a close relationship with her.
Queens Gamble was one of the ante-post favourites for this race before she flopped in the Listed race at Market Rasen. On the back of that run, she surely has no chance of winning. The yard hasn't been in great form this year and she probably isn't as good as what we all originally thought when landing the Listed contest here back in November.
You also can't ignore the Coddmaster and Gordon Elliott in races like this. He normally comes to the Champion bumper with a fair few runners and Jamie Codd normally does the steering on his best chance, that horse for this year is Better Days Ahead. He was touched off at short odds on debut, but then redeemed himself the time after. He hasn't been seen since December which is a tad concerning, but with this jockey and trainer combo, he has to be respected.
