Jonbon is expected to sit slightly off the fiercest of the sizzle. Rare Edition was very disappointing when only second in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon, a race won in 2020 by Shishkin en route to Supreme glory. He apparently scoped dirty after the race and there has been some whispering about back spasms, both of which appear to have now been resolved.

How to read the racecard

At the end I will delve briefly into Grade 1 contests only. In terms of profit and loss, I am going to use Betfair Starting Price, and take into account commission on potential profits. MT – Ground important for Teahupoo who wants “proper soft”. SH – If Blazing Khal runs, he will go off favourite and looks the most likely winner. In the Balco Coastal camp, possibly got there too soon in the Scilly Isles, and might appreciate going left-handed. SH – Betting each way at shortish prices is not for everyone, but Banbridge will surely be hard to keep out of the frame and has a solid win chance, too.

• He unseated at the last over course and distance in November, when seemingly having the race in the bag, but had a win before and since.
• It won’t stop him, as such, but he’s effectively 19lb higher than when beating In Excelsis Deo two starts back, and I don’t think it has been factored into his price.
• High quality Saturday with the second day at Wetherby who feature a pair of Grade Two races plus a Listed.
• £/€10 min stake on Casino slots within 30 days of registration.
• The key here is that north of 1.00 is good, south of 1.00 not so much.
• 14/1 looks a very playable each way proposition, with the NRNB proviso.
• Elliott’s team, meanwhile, has been in top form despite the challenging circumstances.
• Don’t think that race’s profile suits such a strong stayer any more.

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• He’s pretty exposed is this chap and he’s shown very little.
• The Fame And Glory gelding has a smart turn of foot and could be leniently treated from an opening handicap mark of 147.
• However, as a general rule, the stronger the favourite the better.
• At an each way price, she is the final leg of this magnificently sneaky seven.
• MT – Coming round to Bravemansgame having not been a fan early season – he’s very hard to knock.

If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Futurity Trophy Weekend 6f Handicap by adding a tip on the race here. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Doncaster Racecourse section for links to these. Getting one’s head around sectional timing is not the easiest way to play the horses, but there are real insights to be gleaned for those who take some time to figure it out.

Altior joins the list of Cheltenham heroes with victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase

And that’s a wrap for Day 1 at the Cheltenham Festival 2024. Hopefully this has been an entertaining read, and with a little luck, there’s a winner or three in its midst. We’ll all be back to do it again tomorrow – see you then. Mr Vango is a forward goer, so too Apple Away; but the small field means they’ll likely be steady away over this extended trip. Just an even gallop in prospect in all likelihood despite the large field.

Cheltenham Festival 2021: 7 NRNB ‘Free Hits’

If you want to go a little deeper, however, you can click on the horse’s name to access its profile page, which will show you past performances. Here you can see what races it has previously contested, where they were staged, over what distance, and where the horse finished. This will help you understand how the horse might fare in today’s race. A quick look at the racecard will debunk the myth that reading the form is hard.

RELATED TOPICS FOR Grand National

By incorporating these elements into your betting routine, you pave the way for a fulfilling and sustainable journey in the world of horse racing. Effectively utilising free horse racing tips requires a strategic approach that combines expert insights. Rebel’s Romance was then off the course for 300 days before returning to Dubai at the start of this year, suffering wide-margin defeats in his two attempts. But, on the back of another 134-day lay-off, Will Buick’s partner sprang back to form in the Listed Fred Archer Stakes at Goodwood on the final Saturday of June.

Oh, and Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

KARMOLOGY looks the solid option in this competitive fillies’ handicap. She’s usually very consistent but never showed up at Yarmouth last time. Her earlier form is very useful and she can give weight and a beating to her rivals. The selection has no room for error off top-weight, but no one rides the straight course at Ascot better than Spencer. The micro-systems above will provide plenty of action for those who like a mechanical approach.

Monday 22 April’s Horse Racing Results

Jockeys are important at this meeting, however, and the experience of Rachael Blackmore versus the exuberance of Chester Williams tilts the pendulum in favour of Champion Green if having to choose between them. Gordon’s Britzka and Ebasari both measure up on this ‘interesting rag’ angle but are shorter than ideal to take the chance. The Mares’ Hurdle had been dominated by Willie Mullins almost since its inception in 2008. Mullins was actually unrepresented in that inaugural running, but then went on to win nine of the next ten editions, six of them with the fantastic though only occasionally seen Quevega. However, more recently, the omnipotent Closutton barn has enjoyed success in the Mares’ Hurdle only once in the last five years, and not at all in the last three.

• At the 8/1 on offer worth considering a win only value bet.
• Performances are influenced by factors such as a horse’s fitness, the distance of the race and whether the ground is soft and boggy or firm and fast.
• The best tipsGet the very best advice direct from the horse’s mouth via our expert tips page, featuring free tips as well as exclusive advice from some of the best judges in the business.
• There are so many different sites out there that can offer great odds, you just need to track them down.
• By the end of the 1830s, another of Britain’s great races – the Grand National – had been established at Aintree.
• O’Connor rides Corbett’s Cross, who was a big talking horse before running out here last year, and he was brought down in his prep race for this when the rider was given his traditional ‘feeler’ at Fairyhouse.
• 1m 7f  of Grade 1 jump racing coming up – can anyone stop the highly-rated Altior?

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Winners of one or two races on heavy are 1.4 times more likely to win than heavy maidens; and winners of three heavy ground races previously are more than 1.5 times more likely to prevail than maidens on that extreme of going. This horse is having its second run after a wind op and its first wearing a tongue tie. Both of those might be expected to eke out a little improvement; and look at the contextual snippets block – accessed by clicking the trainer icon (with the red box around it). There we see Fry’s two year record with handicap debutants at any track, which is fairly unexciting, but note above it his record when moving a horse notably in distance. A perfect example of a terrible race in need of a winner, with a single horse moderately favoured by conditions and within a few pounds (see right hand columns) of its last winning mark.

50 – Coral Cup – Marlborough’s preview and tips

Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins each have nine, and the next best of Jonjo O’Neill, with four. Be wary of horses wearing headgear, especially blinkers or cheekpieces, in Open Grade 1’s at the Festival. The  link to this market (at the bottom, in the ‘lengthen the odds’ section) is here. His form this campaign is well clear of any other two mile chaser on either side of the Irish Sea.

The business guru turned eco-activist plotting to wreck the Grand National: This is going to be spectacular

We’ve gone through all FIVE cards on Tuesday so here’s what we’re backing. All our selections can be added straight to your bet365 bet slip (just click the orange links). MITBAAHY didn’t get the breaks when edged Bolts Up Daily out by Raasel at Sandown Park last time, and has sound prospects of gaining his revenge. Simply register, place a £10 wager on the selection of your choice and you will qualify for this unbeatable welcome offer.

David Pipe sends a rare runner on the 710-mile round trip to Newcastle on Thursday

We’re talking the likes of Cause Of Causes, Tiger Roll, and Delta Work, all of them ‘medalling’ in the Grand National subsequently. And all of them trained by Gordon Elliott (by proxy in one case), a man who trained a National winner before he’d trained a winner in his native Ireland. It’s pretty clumsy and there’s no getting away from that fact.

Davy Russell will return to the saddle “in a fortnight or so” after spending 11 months on the sidelines with injuries to his neck and back. Divine Comedy burst out of the pack to chase him down, but the 20-1 chance – who went for 450,000 guineas as a yearling – held on by half a length. Prescott, who won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Alpinista in 2022, was saddling just his third winner at the meeting in all, with Wizard King in the 1994 Britannia his only other success. “He’s run very well, he showed a lot of speed early on and the stiff finish just caught up with him in the last 100 yards,” said the trainer. “We needed a lead-up run at Haydock, so she came over early, but just with the changing of seasons we wanted to be here before it was too cold in Australia and too warm over here. We came over in the nice interchange period, and we need not have worried because she settled in brilliantly, and the proof was in the pudding today.

He has already won a novice hurdle over 2m5f at Kempton back in 2021, and ground doesn’t seem to bother him. There are many ticks in boxes when looking at his overall profile, and it’ll be a big disappointment – mainly in terms of my ante-post bets – if he can’t go close. All of the last 14 winners raced over 2m4f-3m last time out. All of the last 14 winners had won over hurdles from no more than 10 hurdle runs. If you’re looking for racing tips, see our completely free daily horse racing tips from our experts in our Daily Horse Racing tips section.

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The third and fifth from the Betfair finished 1-2 in the Imperial Cup at the weekend so that form looks solid. In between times, Iberico Lord was well beaten at Ascot and perhaps it was a combination of the slower pace and faster turf that did for him. It should be at least a little bit softer here but whether there’s much pace in the race remains to be seen. Whilst he’s obviously progressive, he’s got about a stone and a half to find on official ratings if the favourite runs to within a pound or three of his mark. He’d previously been only 1 1/2 lengths behind Stay Away Fay on softer ground at Sandown where he travelled strongly through the race before being continously hampered by a loose horse around the 3rd last fence. He still cruised upside the eventual winner as the pair jumped the last and kept on nicely up the run in but wasn’t quite able to keep a straight line and keep tabs with Stay Away Fay in the last 100 yards.

Legendary Channel 4 broadcaster dies aged 68 as tributes pour in

O’Connor has been a fine rider over the years but there are no weak links in the riding line-up here, and this race ought to go to the best horse at the trip, pure and simple. The National Hunt Chase has changed markedly in character since gaining Grade 2 status and being shortened in trip. In some ways that’s a shame, but the farrago of the 2019 running where the few who finished were legless was a pathetic last hurrah for the race of old.

• They are headed by inmates of the unofficial Prestbury Cup team captains Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins and, more pertinently, their A and B players, Constitution Hill and Jonbon (NJH) and Dysart Dynamo and Kilcruit (WPM).
• While the accuracy of Free Horse Racing Tips cannot be guaranteed, Get Your Tips Out have a proven track record of successful predictions.
• “She’s running in the Champion Hurdle”, all my friends tell me.
• In that light, she’s of minor interest at 14/1 each way and also worth at least a second glance when the ‘without the favourite’ market emerges.
• He passed him in the air at the last and then sprinted up the hill as he has done here now three years in succession, in the Supreme, then the Arkle and now the Champion Chase, a deja-deja-vu.
• On official ratings, Gaillard du Mesnil is clear of his field and he obviously has the talent to win; but his inability to put races to bed, even if they have been higher level races, has to be a worry at the price.

Tiger Roll wins the Cross Country Chase

While he has obviously got his work cut out reversing that form, it is easy to envisage him staying on when others have cried enough, into the minor places. Place a min £10 bet on Football on odds of min 1.5 (1/2), get £50 in Free Bet Builders after the qualifying bet has been settled. Only deposits via cards will qualify (Apple Pay excluded). There are multiple leading jockeys in the Futurity Trophy Weekend 6f Handicap over the last 13 renewals with Tom Eaves, William Buick and Silvestre De Sousa having all won the race two times. Tom Eaves winners have been with Nameitwhatyoulike (2015) and Magical Spirit (2021).

• The Festival’s most prolific jockey has gone to hospital with a suspected broken leg.
• Native River needs to improve and in my view is too short in the market.
• VADREAM looks a spot of value to win this for a second time.
• “It is sublime and some great names from Australia who have won here have trained over 150 Group One winners and that’s only my third.
• Jigme went on to win the Grade 1 Grand Course later in the year and that form, along with what he’s achieved in two starts at Cheltenham this winter, make him a solid option.
• Bar an agonising fall at the final fence when well clear in last year’s Turners Novices’ Chase, he would be heading to Cheltenham looking for a third festival success, and he relishes spring ground.

As a consequence, I went fishing for a wager in a different pond, the ‘without the favourite’ market. She’s now as big as 7/1 in that market, and in all honesty I’ve cooled on her prospects of running second to Honeysuckle (and therefore winning that bet) a little, though she still has grand claims of being in the first four. And Matt Tombs in his excellent matchbook content added that five of the 14 runners to start with a chase rating 7lb+ lower than their hurdle mark managed to win in the last 13 renewals.

Clearly not right when reopposing Jango Baie in that G1 he was pulled up on the soft ground there before beating the geegeez.co.uk syndicate horse Dartmoor Pirate into second at Huntingdon last time. The Pirate has since run a mighty fourth of 17 in the famously competitive EBF Final last Saturday, with Pauling novices filling out the first two places there! Tellherthename was withdrawn from the Betfair Hurdle on account of the ground and connections will want it to dry out as much as possible for their charge. With the forecast being for persistent drizzle and light rain, official going of soft is a very short price. Gordon Elliott has won six of the last seven (one of them under the pseudonym Denise Foster) Festival cross country races and has an iron grip on a bid for a seventh. And yet it’s Henry de Bromhead who saddles the ante post favourite, Minella Indo.

Most likely is that the top two in the betting will mark each other behind the rags, with Vauban expected to be ridden cold at the back of the field. It will be frenetic, due to the field size and the number of jockeys having their first ride of the week. The first of nine handicaps and I’ll tell you now that my thoughts will be (mercifully) brief. This race has been won by the home team exclusively since Dun Doire and Tony Martin wrested it away in 2006. They actually don’t run many – just three darts this year – and I’ll be fielding against them, perhaps carelessly. There looks to be plenty of early speed in this line up with each of Ha d’Or, Dysart Dynamo and Jonbon leading in their most recent three races.

A year earlier, the first of Al Boum Photo’s brace of GC’s, an Irish-trained horse also ran second, with the remaining five raiders faring no better than 8th (three non-completions). Native River beat Might Bite for a British 1-2 in 2018, but prior to that it was Irish eyes smiling in both 2017 and 2016, where Team Green bagged the first four places home. The nearly-four-miler as it has become known is in many ways the bellwether for the meeting and indeed the sport. It’s a really tough heat with even fewer clues than your average Festival handicap.

David Pipe has a terrific 8 from 75 record in the last decade in Festival handicap chases, for a small SP profit. Although most winners were clustered in the six to nine years bracket, neither youth nor experience has been a killer blow in handicap chases. Winners have emerged from across the spectrum, with the winning-most ages from a number of victories perspective being the losing-most from a betting perspective. Again, little of note here except that those novices aged nine or more running in Grade 1 novice races at the Festival have done poorly.