There is a cracking card for punters at Cheltenham. I've decided to go down the each-way route with this weekend's lucky 15 bet as plenty of horses are available at more attractive prices that could outrun their odds in what looks like a competitive-looking card.
Cairnzy's Tips
Ryan's Rocket 15/2 EW – Cheltenham 12.40
At first glance, the Guerriero yard holds the strongest hand in this contest with Jagwar and Billytherealbigred. Billytherealbigred would have been my eachway play had I been active earlier during the day as he was priced up around 11/2. Unfortunately, I am from Northern Ireland and due to the 90mph winds we had during the morning, my internet was off completely.
From the remainder of the field and at the prices I thought Ryan's Rocket was a fair each way bet at 7/1. The form of the Fergal yard is concerning but Ryan's Rocket is a likable type and is open to further improvement in this sort of sphere.
He has won twice over hurdles already during his lightly raced career and I thought he made a respectable start to his career over fences when winning at Chepstow and he was unlucky last time out at Ascot when losing out by half a length to Patrick Nevilles improving Here Comes Georgie whos up to a mark of 128 on the back of that victory. My selection may not be your most likely winner on paper but given he is open to further progress over the larger obstacles, he could run a big race and finish in the placings at a respectable price.
Fils D'Oudairies 20/1 EW 2 Places – Cheltenham 3.00
The machine that is Constitution Hill should not be beat in this contest and the disappointing turn out means we have only two places on offer, one is you assume Constitution Hill wins which he will unless he loses a few legs.
I really like Brentford Hope and he probably is next in line to grab second spot but I thought i'd roll the dice with Fil D'Oudaires at 20s in the hope that Brentford Hope runs a shocker or more importantly that my selection some how bounces back to some sort of form.
Trained by Gordon Elliot, Fil D'Oudairies is past his best, there is no two ways about it and his recent form is far from appealing, in particular his recent outing at Fairyhouse which saw him pull up in a Grade 3 contest over 2m1f. With that said, Sean Bowen is a good booking for the ride and If Brentford Hope tries to go with CH then it could blow the race open for those in behind to possibly pick up the pieces which is my thinking behind taking the risk.
Monmiral 8/1 EW – Cheltenham 3.35
Again, this is another race that I struggle to see past the top two in the market and It would be a surprise if both of them didn't fill a spot in the three placings on offer. With that said, their short odds don't qualify them in this instance as being an acceptable each way selection and with Rizz already tipping Strong Leader on the main thread I opted to look for something different.
My eyes were drawn to the Paul Nicholls trained Monmiral who has a bit to find with those towards the head of the market but at 8/1 looks a fair bet to out run his odds.
My selection tends to run well at this course and notably, his last victory came here when getting the better of Kyntara by just over 1L. He won at a huge price on that occasion ( 25/1 ) and he is strong stayer at this sort of trip. His most recent outing saw him finish 3 and a half lengths behind Strong Leader. A repeat performance could see him finish in the placings and if one of the the top two were not to show up he could very well win.
Believitanducan 18/1 EW – Cheltenham 1.15
I'll keep this one short and sweet because we are very much entering the unknown with this selection as we've only seen him once over hurdles.
Although only seen once over hurdles I was really impressed with the lad on jumping debut, winning quite nicely at Newbury in a class 3 contest during the Christmas period. I thought he jumped very well throughout the entire race and is very much open to further improvement for trainer Alan King.
I enjoy backing horses over jumps who were originally trained on the flat and my selection in this contest showed some respectable form on the flat with his victory at Beverley in a class 3 handicap being the most obvious piece of form.
He didn't exceptional heights on the flat in regards to ratings but he was quickly snapped up by Alan King on the back of that contest, so you can only assume he saw some potential in the horse.
