Yesterday's Lucky 15 was very poor, with only one horse finishing in the places.
Bold Endeavour missed the places by one in the Pertemps, and The Bluesman looked like he was going to be a key player until he made a mistake and then got tired.
Olympic Man, the biggest priced runner of the day at 40/1, finished in the places at odds of 125/1. Not quite sure how he managed that, as he looked in trouble a long way from home, but fair play to the horse.
Cheltenham 2026 William Hill County Handicap Hurdle | 2.00 pm – Karbau 9/2 (6pl)
It's the favourite for this race, and it's a boring selection, but the proof is in the pudding. I think it will be between the two at the top of the market, and I have tipped up Sinnatra on the main thread, so Karbau can happily take the place in the Lucky 15.
I found it hard to separate the two horses, and they are both trained by trainers who know what it takes to win this race. Willie has a strong record with horses like Karbau, who are unexposed, have good form, and are novices.
There's no reason to believe this lad isn't a Graded horse in a handicap, and Paul Townend doesn't get the picks wrong in this race. He's won it four times.
Cheltenham 2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle | 3.20 pm – The Passing Wife 9/1 (4pl)
Gavin Cromwell's horses have been running well all week long, and in races like this, his horses go under the radar.
He won this race with Vanilier a few years ago, so he knows what is required to win this. His runner, The Passing Wife, has had a solid campaign and is a battle-hardened horse.
He's had five hurdle runs and six bumper runs, which is something I like from a horse in this race. You don't need an inexperienced horse turning up for this; you need a horse who can go to war, and I think that this lad will be capable of that. He is a PTP winner, so the trip should be fine.
Cheltenham 2026 Boodles Gold Cup | 4.00 pm – Inothewayurthinkin 8/1 (3pl)
I'm not massively confident heading into this race with Inothewayurthinkin, but if the same version turns up that won this race last year, I think he wins this again.
It's strange that he has been massively out of form, even more than last year before he came to Cheltenham. Maybe they wanted to get a bigger price and could win a bit of money on him? Who knows.
Last year's race, bar Galopin Des Champs, was a poor renewal. This race looks like a tougher race, as it's full of unexposed new challengers at the trip. This time tomorrow, we might be talking about how it wasn't that strong and was full of non-stayers.
I think Inothewayurthinkin did a lot wrong last year, but still managed to thump one of the recent great chasers. If he arrives in good form and can make less mistakes, this is a steering job.
Cheltenham 2026 Hunters' Chase | 4.40 pm – Solitary Man 33/1 (4pl)
This isn't a race that everyone enjoys having a bet in, but I do think this year's renewal is actually very strong and competitive. In races like this, because it's not a handicap, you can swindle a very good horse into the Hunters' Chase scene and get them to run in this.
At a huge price, I like the look of Solitary Man, who is currently at 33/1. The main piece of form I like is from one of his recent PTP wins against the ageing Winged Leader. That horse went close in this race a few years ago, so that is a solid yardstick.
I think this step up in trip will suit, and the more rain that falls, the better.
GambleAware