Day four is the final day of the Cheltenham Festival. The meeting has reached its crescendo, featuring the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and Andrew Mount gives you his final Cheltenham top tips.
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Posted: 11.48am, Thursday, March 13th
2.00 Cheltenham – VALGRAND (1pt win – 8/1 generally)
I can make cases at big prices in the County Hurdle for Our Champ – goes well in the March to October period and prominent style might not be at such a disadvantage with only 16 runners instead of the usual 24 – and Norman Fletcher – who has had excuses the last twice and might show more with Sam Twiston-Davies back on board. However, horses not trained by Willie Mullins (five wins) and Dan Skelton (four wins) are just one from 180 in this race in the past ten years (expected winners = 6.60, A/E = 0.15) and I’ll stick with the tried and test trainer angle and go for my antepost suggestion VALGRAND. He had Graded form in bumpers and novice hurdles, and he’s been campaigned with this race in mind ever since.
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2.40 Cheltenham – ROYALE MARGAUX (0.5pt e/w – 50/1 generally, including bet365 and Ladbrokes)
Dinoblue is solid at the head of the betting for the Mares’ Chase despite tasting defeat in this race 12 months ago when left with too much to do but I want to throw an each-way dart at ROYALE MARGAUX, who did this column a favour when scoring over hurdles at Warwick last time (12-1 from 22-1). Tom Symonds’ seven-year-old was a dual winner over fences in France and has placed in both chase starts on the New Course for her current yard, going down by just three-quarters of a length to La Malmason over this extended 2m4f and running third over an inadequate 2m trip. We saw Pink Legend placed twice in this race at 33-1 and with some of those ahead of her in the betting looking vulnerable – Allegorie De Vassy needs to go right-handed and Limerick Lace has been beaten by a combined margin of 131 lengths in her three starts since winning this race last year and now gets first-time headgear – she looks worth a speculative each-way dabble.
3.20 Cheltenham – WINGMEN (1pt win – 9/1 888Sport, 8/1 generally)
Gordon Elliott’s WINGMEN has finished in the first three in all seven starts under rules and having won over 2m4f at Navan on his hurdles debut, he was understandably outpaced over 2m1f at Cheltenham’s December meeting, finishing second to Country Mile. He stepped up on that when an 11-length third to The Yellow Clay in the Lawlor’s Of Naas (2m4f, soft) and recorded a career-best RPR when chasing home Final Deman at the DRF (2m6f, soft). Today’s 3m trip on better ground is likely to bring about improvement.
4.00 Cheltenham – AHOY SENOR (0.5pt e/w – 50/1 generally)
Galopin Des Champs has won his last ten completed starts on left-handed tracks and is obviously going to be hard to beat in the Gold Cup, but I can’t resist a small each-way interest on AHOY SENOR now that he returns from a wind operation. Lucinda Russell’s ten-year-old looked set for a good season when a close-up third under patient tactics in the Old Roan Chase over 2m4f at Aintree in late October but pulled up on soft ground the next twice. However, the subsequent wind surgery suggests excuses for those weak finishes and his record in March/April reads 1121F262 (3-8) for a profit of £81.00 to a £1 level stake at SP, including form figures of 112 (2-3) on good ground. It’s worth remembering that he was still in front when falling on unsuitably soft ground in the 2023 Gold Cup (14-1) and he looks the only each-way value left in the race. His trainer’s chasers show a profit on their first run back following a wind operation (seven from 53, +£37.25) and his sire, Dylan Thomas, is four from 11 (+£6.65) with his first-time wind op runners.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
2.00 Cheltenham – VALGRAND (1pt win – 8/1 generally)
2.40 Cheltenham – ROYALE MARGAUX (0.5pt e/w – 50/1 generally, including bet365 and Ladbrokes)
3.20 Cheltenham – WINGMEN (1pt win – 9/1 888Sport, 8/1 generally)
4.00 Cheltenham – AHOY SENOR (0.5pt e/w – 50/1 generally)
Royale Margaux
Wingmen
Andrew Mount’s tips for Friday, 14th March 2025
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