Cheltenham Day One Best Bets
Following months of anticipation and ante-post plotting, Tuesday, 11th March, marks the red-letter day in the calendar of racing fans. Settle in and get ready for the roar as the mighty Cheltenham Festival returns to light up our lives over the next four days.
Kicking off with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday and concluding with the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle on Friday, a total of 28 races make up the Cheltenham Festival punting marathon, and there isn’t a bad contest amongst them.
The prospect of Constitution Hill regaining his Champion Hurdle title is the big highlight on the opening day, and plenty of big hitters may be tempted by the 8/13 odds. However, here we turn our attention elsewhere to pick out a pair of runners at slightly more appealing prices.
Ultima Handicap Chase
Our first bet comes in what looks to be a wide-open renewal of the opening handicap of the meeting. Joe Tizzard’s The Changing Man heads the betting on the back of a 24l Grade 2 success at Ascot. Whilst visually impressive, he may not have beaten much that day, and he’s 3lb higher than when beaten in a weaker handicap than this at Doncaster.
Of the others towards the head of the market, Broadway Bob could go well for the Twiston-Davies Team if allowed to dictate from the front. However, we prefer an each way punt in this 24-runner affair, with Search For Glory, Henry’s Friend, and Mailina Girl all making the shortlist at double-figure prices.
We suspect there is more to come from the Gordon Elliott-trained Search For Glory, whilst Henry’s Friend hails from the yard of Ben Pauling, who does well with his handicappers at this meeting. However, the Gavin Cromwell-trained mare, Malina Girl, gets the vote.
In three chase outings at this track, this eight-year-old has finished third in an amateur rider’s event, scored by 10 lengths off a mark of 135 and fallen in a Grade 3 contest. Focussing on that most recent fall, she appeared to be cruising all over the field as the race began in earnest, only to come to grief three from home. She ran off 146 that day, is down to 142 here and warmed up for this with a solid second in a Listed event at Exeter. If staying on her feet, we like her chances of at least hitting the frame.
- Recommended Bet - Malina Girl each way @ 12/1 with bet365 - £5 each way returns £82 if Malina Girl wins
Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
This race has witnessed one of the most volatile markets in the lead-up to the Cheltenham Festival as doubts surrounded whether leading fancies Brighterdaysahead, Lossiemouth, and Golden Ace would head here or go for the big one in the Champion Hurdle. In the end, only Lossiemouth takes up this engagement and is duly a short-priced favourite at a general 4/6.
If the Willie Mullins mare turns up at her best, she wins. However, we aren’t in a rush to back her. Prior to the festival, a tilt at the Champion Hurdle was said to have been in the works for the past two years. As such, it’s hard to take the decision to target this race as a positive following a heavy fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out.
The Willie Mullins second-string Jade De Grugy has tasted defeat only once in six career outings and looks solid to go well. However, that sole loss came on her only previous visit to this track. Nicky Henderson’s Joyeux makes more appeal following her wide-margin success in the William Hill Hurdle but again wasn’t quite at her best on her only previous outing at Cheltenham.
We fancy the one to be on here is the Henry De Bromhead mare, July Flower. This six-year-old has enjoyed an unusual career path. Beginning with Mickael Seror in France, she joined De Bromhead in 2023, moved back to Seror later that year, and returned to De Bromhead in December 2024. A Grade 1 winner in France, she finished third at the top level at Auteuil in May 2024 and kicked off her latest stint in Ireland with an excellent 4l defeat of the talented Kala Conti at Leopardstown. Possessing stamina and an impressive turn of foot, she could be tough to keep out of the frame.
- Recommended Bet - July Flower each way @ 11/1 with bet365 - £5 each way returns £76 if July Flower wins
A £5 each-way double on Malina Girl and July Flower returns £834.40 with bet365 if both horses win and £54.40 if both horses finish in the placed positions.
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