Cheltenham Festival Day Two: Grade 1 Double for The Home Team?

All eyes on Gloucestershire this Wednesday as the mighty Cheltenham Festival rumbles on into Day 2, with seven more excellent contests lying in wait, including four cracking Grade 1 affairs. Here we pick out our best bets on what looks set to be another outstanding day of action.

Queen Mother Champion Chase: Shiskin for the Win

The stars of the two-mile chasing division take centre stage in the feature event, and we fancy it may be the supremely talented Shiskin who shines brightest of all. Unbeaten in his past ten starts, and already a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner, he looks to have the measure of main market rival Energumene based upon their clash in the Clarence House Chase, whilst the talented Chacun Pour Soi is yet to show his best on British soil.

From an each way perspective, one who may be overpriced is Henry De Bromhead’s Envoi Allen. Like Shiskin, this Cheveley Park runner already has two Cheltenham Festival successes to his name, having landed the 2019 Champion Bumper and 2020 Ballymore Novices Hurdle. Falling in the Marsh Novices Chase when sent off at just 4/9 twelve months ago, he’s a much bigger price here and is unbeaten in six at around this trip – including a trio of Grade 1 successes.

• Shiskin to Win at 4/5 with Betway
• Envoi Allen Each Way at 22/1 with Betway

Brown Advisory Novices Chase: Presse to Impress

The Paul Nicholls trained Bravemansgame heads the betting here and is a horse we have a lot of time for. However, he didn’t seem in love with the hill when fading into third in the 2021 Ballymore Novices Hurdle. Should similar vulnerabilities emerge here, the horse we fancy to take advantage is the Ventia Williams trained, L’Homme Presse. A 5lb rise for a 21-length rout in a Grade 1 at Sandown last time out, does leave him with 5lb to find with the jolly, but such was the ease of that success that its difficult to know how much he had left in the locker. Looking a potential start in his outings so far this season, we suspect he may confirm that impression here.

• L’Homme Presse to Win at 7/2 with William Hill

Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle: Shunt Worth a Punt

Going in the famous green and gold of JP McManus, The Shunter is a perfect two from two at this track and stormed up the hill to land the big 2m4f handicap hurdle at the meeting 12 months ago. He is 8lbs higher this time around, but the additional furlong ought to suit him well, and he has bits of form to suggest he may just be a notch above a handicapper, including when a staying on second to Gold Cup bound Protektorat at Aintree last term. He rates our main win bet in the race.

It does seem sensible to have a couple of stabs at this though, and with Betfred paying out on the first seven, the one for our each way money is Daly Tiger from the yard of Noel Meade. Overmatched in a Grade 2 Chase last time out, he had previously stayed on really well to land a 2m4f hurdle at Limerick, when seeing off Choice Of Words who subsequently filled second spot behind Journey With Me – a horse who goes in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices Hurdle earlier on the card.

• The Shunter to win at 8/1 with William Hill
• Daly Tiger to win at 66/1 with Betfred