Cheltenham Day 2 Selections

NEPTUNE HURDLE

Yanworth has been one of the most visually impressive horses this season and he is four from four over hurdles. While his first couple of wins at Exeter and Warwick were more workmanlike than spectacular, his last two wins have been achieved with consummate ease and he is a worthy favourite at 13/8. However, he is facing a proper horse in Yorkhill, and the lightly raced Mullins' horse looks to be a real threat.

He is unbeaten in just four starts under rules and after winning two bumpers (soft and yielding) he hacked up on his hurdle debut in a maiden at Punchestown. He took the step up to Grade 1 company with ease at Sandown in the Tolworth (16f heavy) and he is a horse that looks to possess a lovely mix of stamina and speed. He is by Presenting so good ground shouldn't be an issue, and his dam is related to a host of black type performers over jumps. He ticks an awful lot of boxes and he looks the most likely challenger to the market leader.

Those two are miles clear on the ratings and it is hard to see anything else making an impact. At bigger odds Vigil is the one that probably warrants a second look as he has long been regarded as a top class horse by Dermot Weld, and he was sent off favourite in the Champion Bumper won by Silver Concorde. He was 5th to Moon Racer in the same race last year when he was again well touted, and he broke his maiden over timber last time at Naas (16f heavy). He is bred to go on decent ground, and though he has nowhere near the form of the market leaders he could still sneak a place at rewarding odds upped to a trip that should suit him well.

STEVOS' SELECTIONS: YORKHILL (WIN) 5/2 (NAP)  VIGIL (E/W 25/1)

RSA CHASE

I have written an in depth preview of this race for Sportismadeforbetting and you can read it and find out my selection by clicking here.

CORAL CUP

With 26 runners due to go to post finding the winner of this race will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It will be a real battle charge and there are any amount of horses in the field with cases to be made for them. Arbre De Vie is a horse I tipped up for the Albert Bartlett (24f soft) last year and he just missed out on place money in 4th. He was subsequently placed in a valuable handicap at Punchestown (20f heavy) beaten by just a length off a mark of 144 and he is effectively just 3lb higher today with David Mullins worth every ounce, and more, of his 3lb claim.

His only run this season came in a chase at Thurles (20f heavy) back in January, and while he was narrowly beaten he is sure to come on massively for that outing. He was likely given a run in a chase to protect his hurdles mark, and he is still hugely unexposed over timber having had just one handicap run. David Mullins takes off a very handy 3lb and, in a race as competitive as this, that could make all the difference. There are mixed messages in his pedigree regarding the suitablity of good ground, but his dam is related to a good ground winner so he should be fine on it. The trip is perfect and at odds of 14/1 he could run a big race for his on fire yard.

STEVOS' SELECTION: ARBRE DE VIE E/W @ 14/1

CHAMPION CHASE

I have also already written an in depth preview of this race for Bettingtools and if you haven't read it yet you can do so by clicking here.

CROSS COUNTRY CHASE

Josies Orders is sure to be popular with punters for this race and the 8yo son of Milan was mightily impressive on his two course and distance wins earlier this Winter. Enda Bolger has a superb record in this race and his legendary gelding Garde Champetre was a joy to watch around this unique course. Josies Orders looks like he could be set to follow in his famous hoof steps, but there are plenty of potential dangers lurking in the field.

Last year's shock winner Rivage D'Or has again been written off by the bookies and he can be backed at odds of 20/1. His form has nosedived since that win though, and he was beaten by a combined total 180L by Josies Orders in two runs here earlier this season. He unseated in his final warm up run, which is far from ideal coming into a race like this, but his handler Tony Martin knows how to produce one on a big day and a big run wouldn't surprise.

Another trainer that knows what it takes to win this race is Peter Maher, and I was on Big Shu when he hacked up in this race a couple of years ago. This year he has Ballyboker Bridge to go to war with, and he was a gallant 3rd to Josies Orders here back in December. He followed that up with an impressive win around Punchestown's cross country course, beating Cantlow handily on soft/heavy ground. What makes that win even more noteworthy is the fact that Maher reckons he is a good ground horse, and he could run a huge race on Wednesday. Josies Orders holds him on their clash earlier this season, but on genuine good ground he could get an awful lot closer tomorrow. He is the each way selection in an open looking heat.

STEVOS' SELECTION: BALLYBOKER BRIDGE (E/W) 16/1

FRED WINTER JUVENILE HURDLE

This has been a notoriously tricky puzzle for punters to solve in recent years and the last four winners have been priced up at 25/1, 33/1, 25/1 and 40/1. With plenty of horses making their handicap debuts it is impossible to know whether they are well treated or not, and only the trainers and owners have any sort of idea about how they will fare.

I have heard a whisper for Dr Newland's horse Duke Street, and thankfully he has just about crept in at the foot of the weights. He beat Duke Of Medina to break his maiden over timber at Ludlow (16f good) and this 5 time flat winner (at trips ranging from 12f-16f) for Mark Johnston has taken well to hurdling. He was beaten on his next two runs in class 4 heats at Huntingdon and Sandown (soft/good to soft) when sent off at short odds on both occasions. A bad mistake cost him the race in the Huntingdon heat, and the ground at Sandown was much softer than ideal.

He will be back on his favoured good ground tomorrow and he warmed up for this with an outing on the all weather at Chelmsford (16f) when he ran a grand race to be 3rd. That will have blown away the cobwebs nicely and he should be in tip top shape for the Fred Winter. I think this 4yo son of Duke Of Marmalade could be potentially well treated off 128 on his handicap hurdle debut and he is fancied to run well by connections. At 25/1 he looks worthy of an each way bet in a race where stakes should be kept to a minimum.

STEVOS' SELECTION: DUKE STREET E/W 25/1

CHAMPION BUMPER

 I am not a massive fan of this race but I am delighted to see one of my favourite yards with a runner. Couer Blimey is one of the more fancied runners in the field and he can be backed at odds of 14/1. However, this will be a much different test to when he landed a monster gamble in an 8 runner listed bumper at Ascot (soft) and the better ground and bigger field are possible negatives.

Dermot Weld is a trainer worth keeping a close eye on in this race and his sole representative this year is First Figaro who, just like his stablemate Silver Concorde, seems to be best on good ground. Davy Russell has been booked and with the ground drying out all the time he could be worth a couple of euro each way at 16/1.

However, Willie Mullins has a plethora of entries for this race and given the ammunition at his disposal one or two of them are bound to run well. The one I like at a price is Battleford, ridden by Mikey Fogarty, a man that has experience of winning festival races for Mullins. Battleford is a 5yo son of Midnight Legend and his dam is a half sister to Grade 1 winner Black Jack Blues. He was impressive when making all in a soft ground bumper  at Punchestown on his rules debut and there was a lot to like about his attitude under pressure.

His sire has produced plenty of good ground performers and there is no shortage of stamina on the dam side of his pedigree, and stamina is usually what wins out the day in this race. He can currently be backed at odds of 20/1 and, seeing as Willie Mullins' last two bumper winners were sent off at 25/1 and 16/1, the price doesn't worry me at all. He looks worthy of a small each way bet in a race that has provided more than it's fair share of shock winners in the last decade.

STEVOS' SELECTION: BATTLEFORD (E/W) 20/1