Cheltenham day 4 tips: Festival fancies for Friday

He has looked a real talent when registering back-to-back victories since joining the Closutton team from France and amongst the beaten horses of his 18-length Fairyhouse romp in January are Grade Two-winning Nusret and Jazzy Matty, who scored in the Boodles earlier in the week.

2.10 – McCoy Contractors County Hurdle 

Mullins has won this race four times in the last eight years and his runners require plenty of attention.

State Man ran away with this as a novice 12 months ago before becoming Champion Hurdle class this term and the master of Closutton could look to repeat the dose with another unexposed novice, HUNTERS YARN.

A dual bumper winner, he improved quickly on a narrow defeat on hurdles bow to reel off two smart victories in novice contests.

He scooped Listed honours in taking fashion last time and he could have been given fair treatment from the handicapper off a mark of 147.

If Hunters Yarn fails to fire then stablemate Sharjah could oblige instead. He has a fine course record and has twice finished second in the Champion Hurdle here at Prestbury Park.

2.50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 

The Irish novices have looked a cut above so far this week and another Grade One prize can head across the Irish Sea with THREE CARD BRAG who could be the pick of Gordon Elliott’s strong challenge in this race.

He arrives with a very strong book of form to his name which has only been boosted this week, with the look of his second to Inthepocket enhanced by the Supreme fourth on the opening day.

An impressive winner at Fairyhouse last time, he looks to be crying out for a step up to three miles, with the extended distance combined with soft ground set to bring about further improvement in this talented six-year-old.

3.30 – Boodles Gold Cup 

Mullins saddles the big-race favourite Galopin Des Champs who attempts to atone for his agonising final-flight disaster in last year’s Turners Novices’ Chase and give the master of Closutton a third victory in the blue riband.

He has done nothing but enhance his claims this season when winning the John Durkan at Punchestown and then the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month, but while it is possible Mullins does get his hands on the trophy, it could well be stablemate STATTLER who gallops up the Cheltenham hill to register a famous victory.

For all Galopin Des Champs’ undoubted class, this race often requires a horse that doesn’t mind getting down and dirty to grind out victory and Stattler brings proven stamina to the table having won last year’s National Hunt Chase.

🥊 Run Wild Fred vs Stattler

🥊 Elliott vs Mullins

Stattler impresses in the Ukraine Appeal National Hunt Chase to run out a ready winner for Patrick & @WillieMullinsNH @CheltenhamRaces #TheFestival pic.twitter.com/CUHIXZlK90

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 15, 2022

The eight-year-old also possesses enough tactical speed to stay in contention and is a sure-footed jumper so he looks a solid alternative for our Cheltenham day 4 tips against the heavy favourite.

He has eight lengths to find on their Irish Gold Cup meeting, but this track will suit Stattler much better and jockey Patrick Mullins know his charge extremely well.

He is sure to give supporters a good run for their money and may just reward each-way support.

Joe Tizzard discusses Eldorado Allen’s chances

4.10 – St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase 

David Christie has always had this race in mind for VAUCELET and the yard’s supreme confidence in their charge is shown by the fact they were happy to leave last year’s runner-up Winged Leader and the impressive Ferns Lock at home and fire just the one bullet at the ‘Amateur’s Gold Cup’.

He would arguably have got the better of Billaway if not for making an error at the last at the Punchestown Festival in 2022, but that is his only defeat in his last six and he arrives for his date with destiny as the one to beat.

Although only a neck to the good at Down Royal on Boxing Day, he had more in hand than the margin suggests and was still full of running as they passed the post.

He looks sure to enjoy the stamina test of the new course at Prestbury Park and has been freshened up for this battle ever since.

4.50 – Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

It has been seven years since Colm Murphy last tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival and even longer since Brave Inca and Big Zeb were giving the Wexford handler some halcyon days at Prestbury Park.

Now he has the chance to return to the Festival winners’ enclosure in style with IMPERVIOUS – the unbeaten mare who looks the most solid proposition considering the jumping concerns surrounding Allegorie De Vassy.

🗣️"She's as well as we've ever had her."

Colm Murphy talk to @irishkor about his stable star Impervious, who has a fine chance of landing next week's Mares' Chase 👇 pic.twitter.com/o5K4Kt27GF

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2023

Unbeaten since turning her attention to fences this term, her form has a solid look with the horse she beat in a Cork Grade Two finishing second in the Grand Annual earlier this week, while her win against the geldings at Punchestown was given a boost by the runner-up who sauntered to victory at Naas recently.

5.30 – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 

The Festival finale often goes to a graded class performer dropping back into a handicap and it could do so once again with Elliott’s COOL SURVIVOR the last of our Cheltenham day 4 tips.

A winner of his first two outings, including a Listed event at Cork in November, he bumped into the high-class Hiddenvalley Lake in a Grade Three at the same venue the following month.

He lost nothing in defeat when second on that occasion and acquitted himself with credit at the Dublin Racing Festival when reporting for Grade One action.

Elliott’s charge was less than five lengths adrift of a very good winner on that occasion and rates as a strong fancy now dropping into handicap company off a mark of 140.

The stamina test of the new course will ensure he can put his proven staying ability to good use and his connections know how to line one up for this contest.

Stablemate Imagine also heads to the race with similar claims and will not be far away at the finish.

Tom Scudamore’s tips for Friday

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