Cheltenham hosts its annual New Year’s Day meeting on Wednesday and there’s a thoroughly competitive seven-race card to take in.
The Handicap Chase is the big race of the day at 2.05 and Venetia Williams’ Gemirande will be attempting to follow up after winning the December Gold Cup over course and distance last time out.
Our expert has a trio of strong fancies to follow across the card and they include an unexposed novice chaser in the feature event.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Bet £10 Get £40 in bonuses*
Cheltenham tips
- 14:05 Cheltenham – Springwell Bay @ 7/2 with talkSPORT BET
- 14:40 Cheltenham – Strackan @ 9/2 with talkSPORT BET
- 15:15 Cheltenham – Lucky Place @ 11/4 with talkSPORT BET
2.05 Cheltenham – Springwell Bay
145-rated chaser Springwell Bay made an excellent start to his career over fences, when winning a Listed novice event at Chepstow back in October.
He saw the extended 2m3f trip out well to score by a length-and-a-quarter, despite losing his position briefly in the middle part of the race.
Outstayed when second to Nicky Henderson’s Hyland over 3m½f here in November, he was too keen for his own good that day and it’s no wonder that he failed to see out the trip.
Jonjo & A.J. O’Neill’s gelding bumped into a Grade 1 winner when second in a course and distance novice chase last time out and it’s worth noting that he was comfortably ahead of the well regarded Caldwell Potter that day.
The son of Kayf Tara probably isn’t going to end up being a one for the Grade 1 races at Cheltenham in March and perhaps the return to handicaps provides an excellent opportunity to take a sizable pot here.
2.40 Cheltenham – Strackan
Henry Daly’s very progressive hurdler Strackan could be the one to side with here, as it seems likely that he remains significantly ahead of the handicapper.
It took a while for the penny to drop but he won a low grade handicap at Uttoxeter in good style last month. Making all the running that day, he was always in control of the race and pulled clear to win by just shy of five lengths.
Daly’s five-year-old faced a significant step up in grade at Bangor after that but the result was the same and he won nicely again. The handicapper has responded with a 9lb rise which seems pretty reasonable further progress is anticipated once again.
This race represents another step up in class and he will need to find more in order to complete the hat-trick. It’s often a good idea to keep progressive horses on side, however, and it could be a while before the handicapper catches up.
3.15 Cheltenham – Lucky Place
Lucky Place was one of the only Nicky Henderson-trained horses to run well at the Cheltenham Festival in March, finishing fourth in the Coral Cup. That alone is enough to suggest he’s a useful horse but he appears to be improving this season.
It was a game effort in the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle on seasonal debut and he managed to get the better of Paul Nicholls’ 150-rated gelding Blueking d’Oroux, who won the race in 2023.
Henderson’s horses almost always improve significantly for their first runs and as such, he could prove hard to beat if taking a step forward as expected. Clearly a horse on the up, this looks like a good opportunity to go in again.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Bet £10 Get £40 in bonuses*
*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org
