Odds, tips and preview for the second day’s racing
It’s Day Two of the greatest jump show on turf. We’re
back with a further seven races, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase,
where Altior won’t be running for his hat-trick.
The Nicky Henderson-trained 10-year-old has been declared a
non-runner after the favourite was found to be lame over the weekend, meaning
his chance of winning three Champion Chase titles in a row comes too soon.
Today’s racing gets underway at 13:30 with the Ballymore
Novices’ Hurdle, before our attention switches to the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
at 14:30, followed by today’s feature, the Queen Mother Champion Chase at
15:30.
The day will draw to a close at 17:30 with the Champion
Bumper and we’ve gone through the form books to give you our tips for Ladies
Day at this year’s Cheltenham Festival…
It looks to be a thrilling curtain raiser on Day Two, with a
field packed with runners in stellar form. It’s Envoi Allen that heads
the betting after three wins from three over hurdles this season, but he’s
likely to face stiff competition from Sporting John and The Big
Breakaway.
It’s the Colin Tizzard-trained five-year-old gelding that
has caught our eye though. He put together impressive wins in his last two runs
over hurdles, beating Blackjack Kentucky by 8l at Chepstow and Papa Tango
Charly by 7l at Newbury.
More will be demanded from him in this race if he’s to challenge, but jockey Robbie Power could get the best out of him and would be a worthy challenger at the front of the pack. The Ballymore has been won by either five or six-year-olds in every race since 1998.
We knew we’d be without the headline act Altior in the Champion Chase, but Chacun Pour Soi also pulled out on the morning of the race.
That means new favourite Defi Du Seuil, trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Barry Geraghty, could edge this one. His only defeat in his last six runs came at Punchestown last May, when he came second to Chacun Pour Soi.
His last run in the Clarence House at Ascot in January showed signs of strength in what was an impressive win by just under 3l over Un De Sceaux.
Two previous Festival wins could give him the edge regarding experience here, although there’s potential for a surprise here.
Tiger Roll may be the overwhelming favourite to claim
for a win in the Cross Country for a third-consecutive year, but with Easysland
in the field, he might not have it all his own way.
The six-year-old gelding, trained by David Cottin is in supreme form, winning his last six races with breaks in between, including a win over course and distance in December, where he won by 7l from Amazing Comedy.
After a 316 day lay-off, favourite Tiger Roll could only
manage a fifth-placed finish a month ago at Navan, but it was a performance
filled with promise.
Easysland looks like he should have more left in the tank to
compete over the 3m 6f course. It’ll be down to jockey Jonathan Plouganou to
get the very best from him to maintain his impressive form and take the race to
Tiger Roll.
Cheltenham Festival Day Two Racing Tips:
13:30 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle – The Big Breakaway
