Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival is the most anticipated day in racing. GG’s in-house tipster Joe Napier has picked out his four best bets across the cards, including a 16/1 shot to take on an odds-on favourite with…
1.20pm – Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
The hood and the quantity of stablemates running alongside him could tempt punters to avoid the first strong favourite of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, but KOPEK DES BORDES was mightily impressive at Leopardstown and can get favourite backers off to a good start.
The five-year-old jumped lopsidedly on debut, but still managed to get the job done from Kawaboomga, who has franked the form significantly since. Given that the Mullins yard suffered some below par efforts over Christmas, the fact he won despite his keenness and jumping is just as big a reason to side with him as for his Grade 1 victory at Leopardstown.
The field collapsed around him at the Dublin Racing Festival, but he could not have won more impressively. He could have so much more to offer, so while Paul Townend might have his work cut out in the preliminaries and at the start, he is taken to overcome that. Crucially, he won his bumper from off the pace, so he should be tactically versatile too.
2.40pm – Ultima Handicap Chase
British trainers have dominated this handicap, but this is a wide open renewal and the fact that The Changing Man is favourite given his run of seconds prior to being gift-wrapped a race at Ascot says it all. An Irish raider could well be primed to steal this in the shape of SEQUESTERED for Paul John Gilligan.
The seven-year-old has improved for fences, needing his debut run before mixing it with Graded level horses at Galway and Fairyhouse. He has come alive in handicap company though, routing his opposition over 3m at Leopardstown before a strong-travelling, but poor-jumping second back over 2m5½f at the Dublin Racing Festival despite a 12lb rise.
That he still shaped like the winner says a lot and he wasn’t stopping at the line. The third has come out and won since despite a 4lb hike, and the selection has only been given a 1lb “Irish Tax” by the British handicapper. 5lb claimer Jack Gilligan has won on two of his six chase rides in Britain too.
3.20pm – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Lossiemouth is the likeliest winner, but the fact she is running here has to raise doubts about her wellbeing given this season’s Champion Hurdle had supposedly been a two-year plan. This is almost certainly a stronger renewal than last year’s too, so she is expected to work hard for success.
The five-year-old KALA CONTI is now the Gordon Elliott flagbearer in the race as Brighterdaysahead has gone for the Champion Hurdle. She was among the leaders of a top class juvenile generation last term, beating Kargese at Leopardstown in December 2023 and being beaten under three lengths in Grade 1 company by her and Majborough at last season’s Dublin Racing Festival.
She won on good ground to begin this campaign at Down Royal before bumping into the highly promising Anzadam at Fairyhouse. Nevertheless, she then travelled very strongly in the Grade 3 Mares’ Hurdle at Leopardstown in December, only being outstayed by July Flower because of the removal of hurdles. That ensured the winner’s stamina (second over 3m1f in France) came into play, but Kala Conti conceded her 5lb and may have a stronger each-way chance here than her odds suggest.
5.20 – Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase
One for whom the ground could be an issue is NOW IS THE HOUR, but Gavin Cromwell’s charge could also be one of the handicap plots of the week. He would doubtless prefer it softer, but won on a point-to-point on ground only slightly slower than good-to-soft though, and his runs on a quicker surface under rules have tended to be over inadequately short distances.
He was a Grade 2-winning novice hurdler last term, claiming Haydock’s Prestige Novices’ Hurdle by 17 lengths. The race was not the strongest, but the runner-up (who he conceded 7lb to) and fourth are now rated 144 and 135 over fences. Now Is The Hour races here off 139.
He was a bit slow to learn over fences, but was competing in strong beginners’ chases and was likely using them as a learning curve. He was much better last time, finishing only four lengths behind the 145-rated Three Card Brag. If he is able to cope with lively underfoot conditions, he could make a mockery of this mark.
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