Cheltenham Festival is now just under two weeks away with Wednesday’s lineup looking more open as the event approaches.
The day is kicked off with the Ballymore where Hermes Allen is the favourite, before the Brown Advisory fronted by Gerri Colombe and the showpiece of the day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
GETTY
Gloucestershire , United Kingdom – 16 March 2022; Energumene, with Paul Townend up, jumps the last on their way to winning the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase
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Cheltenham Festival Wednesday racing tips
Ballymore preview and tip
Hermes Allen 7/2
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Harry Cobden riding Hermes Allen clear the last to win The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse in November 2022
This gelding’s form is proving better and better with his last win coming at Newbury and subsequently those behind have gone on to win.
Including You Wear It Well winning well at Sandown in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle by over seven lengths in the Grade 2 contest.
Hermes Allen is still only six-years-old and has plenty of improvement still to come, and what better place to showcase that than Cheltenham Festival?
He wears the familiar colours of the joint ownership involving Sir Alex Ferguson who often has a few big runners, with this year being no exception.
Dwight Yorke was speaking to Cheltenham Betting about the festival’s important to the former Man United manager: “it was about the only time you’d see him outside his comfort zone and it was something he’d get excited for. It’s no secret he loves the sport, he has a few horses himself, and it’s a sport close to his heart. You could tell because he always had his phone in his jacket, the phone would go off and he would go on it.”
Brown Advisory preview and tip
Thyme Hill 11/2
2.10pm is the time of the off for the second Grade 1 of the day with this 3m contest.
It’s incredibly open in many respects with plenty of horses an unknown at this distance.
There can be cases made for the favourite Gerri Colombe, unbeaten for Gordon Elliott, who is three for three when chasing in the Robcour colours.
Sir Gerhard could prove to be a big price at 5/1 – but has had just one run over fences, though that came in a three-runner race where he absolutely dominated.
Before that he won the Ballymore, over hurdles, and looks to repeat that kind of feat over fences this year.
But the key to this will be ability over this kind of distance and a few horses still haven’t won over this trip before and although they may suit it, they should ideally relish 3m to win it.
Thyme Hill for Philip Hobbs is a big price, 11/2, on just his third start over fences and has proven numerous times his staying power including in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase Grade 1 at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Champion Chase preview and tip
Edwardstone 7/4
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Tom Cannon on Edwardstone clear the last fence to win the Arkle Chase race during day one of the Cheltenham Festival 2022
The Alan King-trained star is joint-favourite with Energumene despite the pair losing at Cheltenham in the trials to Editeur Du Gite last time, who is himself a 20/1 price for the Champion Chase.
And that does look overpriced at this point too, due to the manner of wins on his two latest outings.
The soft ground is certainly advantageous and Editeur won by 13 lengths in December at Kempton ahead of Nube Negra in the Desert Orchid Chase.
Backing him to win both of those singles on the SP would have paid out a total of 42/1!
And the Gary Moore-trained horse has a form at Cheltenham that reads 11431.
But there was just a head in it last time and Edwardstone is still in tremendous form after going up 9lb from his big victory over Greaneteen last time.
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