Cheltenham Festival: day four

Ace plays for Gold Cup day

Gold Cup day at the Cheltenham Festival and the highlight of what has already been an enthralling week. It also rates as our last chance to break the code and win big. If you are going to hit the jackpot at Cheltenham, Friday’s as good a day as any.

Punters enjoyed a fantastic outing on Thursday, with Mullins and Walsh backers making a mint. Click here to place all your bets on Friday, or read on as we layout our top pick from each of the day’s seven contests.

Triumph Hurdle

Let’s get off to a flyer, and Charli Parcs is taken to do just that. The Nicky Henderson trained three-year-old was popular in the antepost betting for this race, but fell last time out around Kempton in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle. He looked to have every chance of winning the race when coming down, but I am more than happy to forgive him that and take more from his two career wins. Passed a good test at Kempton over the festive period, and traders look to have been a tad harsh at 10/3.

County Hurdle

Alan King’s Winter Escape badly let backers down last time when finishing near the back of the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle in November. He went off a well-backed 3/1 that day, but just wasn’t at the races, with only Hargam behind in the finishing order. Once again I am in a forgiving mood and will give him another chance. That misfire remains the only blot on his copybook, winning his other three starts, including the grade two Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton. Our 12/1 makes him easy to try.

Albert Bartlett Hurdle

The World’s End may not leap off the page at you as the obvious pick here, but I rate him better than the 8/1 being handed out by Coral at present. He doesn’t bring the best form of the pack, but has been doing what’s needed and beating what has been put in front of him, winning four of five, including each of his last three. Victory in the grade two Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices Hurdle at Haydock last time boosted his stock, and he’s getting better with every race.