Champion Day: 12th March 2019 (Prize Money - £1,175,000)

1.30pm: Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (2m 87y)

EARLY FANCY: Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle runner-up Aramon can go one better at the Cheltenham Festival and looks attractively priced at 12/1.

 

2.10pm: Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase (1m 7f 199y)

EARLY FANCY: The Willie Mullins-trained Cilaos Emery jumped beautifully last time out and is a horse on the up. 7/1 appears to be a fair enough price.

 

2.50pm: Ultima Handicap Chase (3m 1f)

EARLY FANCY: Alan Kings’ Talkischeap is an exciting prospect and at 14/1 can give punters a good run for their money.

 

3.30pm: Unibet Champion Hurdle (2m 87y)

EARLY FANCY: Ryanair Hurdle victor Sharjah can put it up to the top few in the market and oblige for Willie Mullins at 9/1.

 

4.10pm: OLBG Mares' Hurdle (2m 3f 200y)

EARLY FANCY: Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle winner Lady Buttons can continue her upward curve and score for the North at odds of around 14/1.

 

4.50pm: Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase (2m 4f 44y)

EARLY FANCY: Highway One O One can return to winning ways in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase and give trainer Chris Gordon a welcome 16/1 winner.

 

5.30pm: National Hunt Chase (Amateur Riders' Novice Chase (3m 7f 147y)

EARLY FANCY: Crack amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen has the perfect partner here in Impulsive Star and they can follow up on their Warwick success at odds of around 14/1.

Ladies Day: March 13th 2019 (Prize Money - £1,020,000)

1.30pm: Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (2m 5f)

EARLY FANCY: Named after 20-time champion jump jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, Champ can be just that in the opening race on Ladies Day and is a worthy favourite at 3/1.

 

2.10pm: RSA Insurance Novices' Chase (3m 80y)

EARLY FANCY: The Alan Spence-owned On The Blind Side is a rather generous 16/1 for the RSA Chase given that he is trained by the genius Nicky Henderson and won well last time out.

 

2.50pm: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (2m 5f)

EARLY FANCY: Favourite for last year’s Ebor Handicap, Stratum is yet to trouble the judge over hurdles but I am sure there is more to come from this very useful horse. Odds of 20/1 for the five-year-old look extremely tempting.

 

3.30pm: Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (1m 7f 199y)

EARLY FANCY: Altior surely has to be the banker of the meeting and 4/9 is the best price you will be able to muster anywhere at the moment.

 

4.10pm: Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (3m 6f 37y)

EARLY FANCY: The veteran Bless The Wings appears to come alive over these fences and he will certainly give his each-way supporters a good run for their money at 20/1 on what will probably be his last ever visit to Prestbury Park.

 

4.50pm: Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m 87y)

EARLY FANCY: The JP McManus-owned Fine Brunello can progress once again in the juvenile division and reward his followers at the handsome odds of 14/1.

 

5.30pm: Weatherbys Champion Bumper (2m 87y)

EARLY FANCY: The David Pipe-trained Eden Du Houx looks a nice type for the Pond House trainer and 25/1 looks far too big of a price for the two-time bumper winner.

St Patrick's Thursday: March 14th 2019 (Prize Money - £1,195,000)

1.30pm: JLT Novices' Chase (2m 3f 166y)

EARLY FANCY: Dipper Novices' Chase winner Lostintranslation can continue his great run of form and his liking for the Cheltenham course by registering a victory here. He is currently trading at 6/1 in Cheltenham horses betting odds.

 

2.10pm: Pertemps Network Final (Handicap Hurdle) (2m 7f 213y)

EARLY FANCY: The ten-year-old Sykes invariably runs a big race at this venue and can reward each-way backers at his current odds of 33/1. Narrowly just touched off here in October, he will be on the premises late again in this feature.

 

2.50pm: Ryanair Chase (2m 4f 127y)

EARLY FANCY: Monalee ran a brave race at the Festival to be second to Presenting Percy last season and can run another cracker this year for his trainer Henry De Bromhead. Take odds of 7/1 now.

 

3.30pm: Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle (2m 7f 213y)

EARLY FANCY: Paisley Park was a very popular winner of the Cleeve Hurdle and I expect there to be plenty more to come from the Emma Lavelle-trained runner who scored with some authority up that Cheltenham hill. Odds of 9/4 are a fair reflection of his chance.

 

4.10pm: Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (Handicap Chase) (2m 4f 127y)

EARLY FANCY: Trainer Kerry Lee may have had a lean season but her Happy Diva can run a big race and is all poised for the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate. Odds of 14/1 are available about this likeable mare.

 

4.50pm: Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle (2m 179y)

EARLY FANCY: Posh Trish can continue her progress through the ranks and is nicely priced at 12/1 to land this valuable Cheltenham prize for Paul Nicholls.

 

5.30pm: Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase (3m 2f)

EARLY FANCY: Glenloe was just denied victory in last year’s Pertemps Final and can make amends this year as a solid looking chaser. Gordon Elliott’s runner is ranked as a 16/1 shot for this competitive contest for amateur riders.

Gold Cup Day: March 15th 2019 (Prize Money - £1,200,000)

1.30pm: JCB Triumph Hurdle (2m 179y)

EARLY FANCY: After an all-the-way victory in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Spring Juvenile Hurdle, Sir Erec certainly appears to be the horse to beat in the Triumph. 11/8 is a decent price about the current race favourite.

 

2.10pm: Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle (2m 179y)

EARLY FANCY: The Paul Nicholls-trained Grand Sancy has been mixing it in some good company this season and will be well suited to being back in a handicap. Odds of 20/1 now will look generous come the day of the race.

 

2.50pm: Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (2m 7f 213y)

EARLY FANCY: The Willie Mullins-trained Blackbow can make his presence felt in this sphere and is hovering around the 14/1 mark in the betting to do so.

 

3.30pm: Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup (3m 2f 70y)

EARLY FANCY: This is probably one of the most open Gold Cups in many a year and therefore I’m going to side with a relative outsider each-way. The Willie Mullins-trained Killultagh Vic has shown that he still retains plenty of ability and looks far too big a price at 40/1 for this.

 

4.10pm: St James's Place Foxhunter Chase (3m 2f 70y)

EARLY FANCY: Haymount ran a cracking third in the National Hunt Challenge Cup in 2017 and if he runs anywhere near that form he should go well at odds of 16/1.

 

4.50pm: Johny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (2m 62y)

EARLY FANCY: Ordinary World was last seen when chasing home Min in the Dublin Chase and can be backed confidently at 25/1 for a good each-way run in this race against lesser company.

 

5.30pm: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (2m 4f 56y)

EARLY FANCY: The Joseph O’Brien-trained Lone Wolf could be the one to watch at 12/1 in this race. Not beaten that far on his last run behind Battleoverdoyen, the six-year-old will be a willing partner for any competent Conditional rider.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.

He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.

Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?

He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations.