After a fantastic first day we turn our thoughts to day two of the Cheltenham Festival, writes Bob Cross.
First up, it's the Ballymore Novices Hurdle at 1.30pm and this is all about the young star that is Sir Gerhard .
Having cost an eye watering four hundred thousand pounds in 2019 he has proved to be the real deal. He has won both his starts over hurdles emphatically. He also comes with course experience – having won last years Champion Bumper.
He will be a short price but not without reason. Our each way selection is I Am Maximus he also has Cheltenham experience and I am hoping he can run into a place.
After winning yesterdays Ultima Handicap Chase with Corach Rambler, Lucinda Russell sends the popular Ahoy Senor from Perthshire to compete in The Brown Advisory Novices Chase at 2.10pm. I believe he has an each way chance but his jumping will need to have improved to have any chance of beating Bravemansgame (nap).
With some of the bookmakers offering eight places for the Coral Cup at 2.50pm, I am picking two horses that offer each way value in this wide open race. First one of these is Gowel Road. He won here in October and looked ever inch a Festival horse. The Shunter is another who has been successful at this track and looks as though he has been aimed at this event all season.
The big feature race is the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 3.30pm. Shishkin is many folks idea of the nap of the meeting and it is hard to argue against it. He was incredibly game when beating Energumene at Ascot in January. He has now won ten races in a row. You need to go back to December 2019 to find anything other than a 1 in his form.
Put The Kettle on has been out of sorts since winning this event last year but at odds of around 33/1 he merits a small each way investment.
At 4.10pm it's the Cross Country Chase. This gives us the opportunity to see the legend that is , Tiger Roll – possibly for the last time on the track. Incredibly enough he first won a festival race in 2014 when he won the Triumph Hurdle. He has won a further four times at the festivals and of course there are those two Grand National victories.
The Cross Country race is a speciality race that this small horse has excelled in and I do not see him getting beat by anyone over this track on level weights. Diesel D'Allier won here in November albeit while having a weight advantage that he wont be getting here. Nevertheless he is an improving horse and he is our each way selection.
For The Grand Annual at 4.40pm, some bookmakers are paying six places so I am going to select two bigger priced horses that will give us a run for our shilling. Editeur Du Gite is a progressive horse who has won his last two races here – albeit in small fields. Another who demands respect is Before Midnight . Trained by former Gold Cup winning jockey, Sam Thomas, he has all the attributes to put up a strong challenge here.
Finally, for The Champion Bumper at 5.30pm, the chat at all the preview nights is that this is a two horse race between the Willie Mullins trained Facile Vega, and the Gordon Elliot trained American Mike. I am going to side with American Mike as I believe he has beaten better horses than Facile Vega.
My each way selection , Houlanbatordechais , has never ran in this country but Rich Ricci has a habit of buying good horses from France and a speculative shilling may pay dividends.
Good Luck to all!
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