Ladies’ Day Betting Odds & Racecards - 16/03/2022

RACE 1: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle

BOB OLINGER looks as though he has all the right credentials to win the Ballymore, with the six-year-old having enjoyed a strong season to date and he kicked off with second place behind Ferny Hollow in a Maiden Hurdle in November.

There has since been a victory in a Grade 1 Novices’ Hurdle in a quality field over two miles and four furlongs at Naas, with Bob Olinger looking a good price to run a big race and hopefully land a return.

Gaillard Du Mesnil runs for the esteemed Willie Mullins, with the horse having also proven a Group 1 winner this year, with a victory at Leopardstown in early February and he’s been installed as market leader to win this race at the Cheltenham Festival.
PREDICTION: Bob Olinger

RACE 2: Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

We’re likely to have an odds-on favourite to win this three-mile novice chase and there’s plenty to like about MONKFISH who has landed a string of victories and we could be talking about a Gold Cup contender when it comes to the 2022 Festival.

There was a win at last year’s Cheltenham meeting when the runner obliged with a victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle although the horse has shown improvement this season and the seven-year-old achieved an eleven-length win in the Flogas Novices Chase in early February.

Latest Exhibition was second to Monkfish for the third time in his career and could be the best alternative when it comes to this race, with the Paul Nolan-trained charge potentially providing some each-way value.
PREDICTION: Monkfish

RACE 3: Coral Cup

The Coral Cup is always a highly competitive handicap race on Day Two of the Festival, with Damalisque among the horses near the top of the betting, with the eight-year-old finishing third in a recent Grade B encounter at Leopardstown, while Henry de Bromhead also has an interesting runner.

Champagne Gold is another viable contender and the six-year-old ran a strong race at Leopardstown when finishing runner-up at 16/1, although BLUE LORD could be the one to back and fits the right profile for a Coral Cup winner.

A third-placed finish behind Appreciate It in a Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in early February appears to indicate that the horse will run a big race at the Cheltenham Festival, with some bookies paying five places.
PREDICTION: Blue Lord

RACE 4: Queen Mother Champion Chase

Last year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase was something of a let down with a couple of the major players withdrawing shortly before the race, although CHACUN POUR SOI looks set to line up this time around and looks a very likely Queen Mother winner.

Willie Mullins has a potential superstar on his hands and the nine-year-old won the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at a canter in his final prep run by achieving a convincing eight-length win. Prior to this, the same horse won the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase over the festive period.

However, we have seen surprises in the Queen Mother and Altior could yet return with a bang after an injury hit past couple of years, although there was a runner-up spot landed in the Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.
PREDICTION: Chacun Pour Soi

RACE 5: Cross Country Chase

This year’s Cross Country Chase looks to be something of a puzzle considering that the first two horses in the betting recently flopped, with Easysland and Tiger Roll finishing out of the places in the November Cross Country at Cheltenham.

Tiger Roll might be a two-time Grand National winner but the horse was pulled up in that race and has it all to prove, while Easysland proved more than beatable and we’re going to take a punt on POTTERS CORNER at a bigger price.

The horse finished third in that race and, although the runner hasn’t covered himself in glory with recent runs at Warwick and Exeter, trainer Christian Williams could have a viable contender when it comes to the day of the race.
PREDICTION: Potters Corner

RACE 6: Grand Annual Chase

The Grand Annual Chase is a two-mile encounter which happens to be the oldest race at the Cheltenham Festival and the betting is nearly always wide open.

Sky Pirate is trading as the market leader and he’s landed two victories and two runner-up spots in his five horse races to date, with one of the wins coming at Cheltenham Racecourse although there are other big contenders.

Entoucas runs for Joseph O’Brien and the trainer has a horse that regularly finishes in the frame, with the runner recently landing fourth in the Matheson Handicap Chase although there hasn’t been a win all season.

However, we’re going to take a punt on UNEXCEPTED who beat Entoucas at Tipperary back in October, while he will have needed the recent run at Leopardstown in early February.
PREDICTION: Unexcepted

RACE 7: Champion Bumper

The bookies are starting to narrow down the Champion Bumper as a two-horse race, with Kilcruit currently heading the betting market and the six-year-old recently enjoyed a facile win at Leopardstown when being sent off as the 11/10 favourite.

Previously to this, Kilcruit scored a victory at odds-on in early December, with SIR GERHARD the other horse trading at a short price and we prefer the chances of this horse simply because he looks just as strong a contender at a bigger price.

Sir Gerhard won a Flat race in December as a well-backed favourite at Navan, with Eileendover the other interesting runner and the four-year-old has landed three consecutive wins thus far and looks set to be in the thick of things come the shake-up.
PREDICTION: Sir Gerhard

By the time we get to the Wednesday of the Cheltenham Festival racing fans already have several big storylines to digest and punters are either celebrating their luck or licking their wounds.

However your first day has gone, there are plenty of opportunities to win from your Cheltenham bets on day two. To help your betting, we’ve been through Wednesday’s races and picked out the key trends below to help you pick some winning horses.

Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle

The second day of the Cheltenham Festival begins like the first, with a novices’ hurdle. Many horses will hold entries to both the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Some have gone on to win the Ballymore which is the longer of the races by five furlongs and for that reason previous form over the full 21 furlongs is not a necessity.

Still, punters want to back horses who have shown a certain amount of stamina and definitely who are of high calibre. Eight of the last 12 winners had previous winning form amongst Graded company and all but one of the last 12 had at least two wins over hurdles.

Hurdling experience is important but the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle is for up and coming horses of high class. Therefore, it is rare to find a winner aged over six whilst several exceptional five-year-olds have won this important Grade 1.

Festival Novices Chase

The Festival Novices Chase has played a very important role in the career of some truly top class staying chasers over the years. As you’d expect from a race that has produced Gold Cup winners, most recent victors had already shown high class jumping ability and a certain amount of stamina.

Horses who have won or at the very least competed over three miles have a statistical edge. It is also important for punters to side with horses who have had at least three starts and one win over fences whilst two wins over hurdles is a plus.

Seven-year-olds have a very good record in the Festival Novices Chase whilst wins for horses outside of six to eight-year-olds are very rare.

Big name trainers such as Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have claimed multiple wins in recent years. The calibre of trainer and horse that tends to win the Festival Novices Chase means that winning favourites are relatively rare and that punters should focus on the top three or four in the betting.

Coral Cup

The Grade 3 Coral Cup is always a very competitive race and so it’s not a race for favourites. In fact, no favourite has obliged in the last 12 renewals and only two horses from the top three in the betting have won in that time.

Instead of looking at the top of the betting market the trends suggest that punters should concentrate on those priced between 12/1 and 16/1 in the racing odds, although horses at bigger prices are not out of the question.

There is no age bracket that especially stands out (winners have ranged from five to nine years of age since 2007) with the weights carried much more informative. The weight range to focus on is between 10st 6lb and 11st 4lb.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

The day two championship race is always run at a frenetic pace and is amongst the toughest tests of jumping of the National Hunt season. As it is a specialists’ race the bookies tend to have a good handle on the Queen Mother Champion Chase and six of the last seven winners came from inside the top three of the starting betting odds.

Similarly, the calibre of recent winners means that there’s a strong trend for horses with an official rating of 165 or more claiming success. As you would expect, previous Grade 1 success is important for any horse to have a genuine chance of winning the Champion Chase as is winning form over the 2m distance and plenty of experience over fences.

British trainers have had the better of recent renewals, with Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson doing especially well. Those two also know the importance of a strong relationship between jockey and horse because of the confidence that such a relationship can give to horses in this technically and mentally demanding race.

Cross Country Chase

The Cross Country Chase is run over a distance just shy of four miles. It stands to reason that winners of this conditions race have all shown a certain adaptability to cope with tough staying trips. Nine of the last 10 winners had at least contested a race over 3m6f before although winning over that distance is seemingly not a requirement.

What is required, however, is experience. Horses without at least 10 chases and no wins over the bigger obstacles need not apply. The importance of experience means that the market is often a decent guide with four of the last five in the betting going off inside the top three in the betting.

It’s very tough to win carrying more than 11st 4lb. Only two of the last 10 winners have carried in excess of that mark whilst the minimum age of those 10 winners was eight and the oldest was 12.

Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle

As the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle is open only to four-year-olds there’s only so much previous form for punters to go on.

What is clear is that the weight penalties for this handicap are very important. Horses carrying much over 11st find it very difficult to secure the win. Punters also find it challenging to pick the winner of this as the last 10 renewals have included two winners at 25/1, three at 33/1 and one at monster betting odds of 40/1. Sanctuarie was the last winning favourite back in 2010.

Some very smart young horses from big yards have claimed the Fred Winter in recent years so entries from trainers such as Gordon Elliott, Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson should be considered worthy of attention.

Champion Bumper

The only flat race at the Cheltenham Festival, the Champion Bumper is open only to horses aged between four and six so those in the field have plenty of room for improvement. What links all 10 most recent winners is that they won on their last performance before heading to Cheltenham.

Those winners have no link in terms of their starting price however. Only one of the 10 was the favourite and others won at 16/1, 25/1 and 40/1.

Most winners were not making their first attempt over the 2m½f trip of the Champion Bumper and each of the last 12 winners already had a win on the flat. It’s also important to back horses with at least one win in the current season.

Day Two of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival sees three Grade One races, including the biggie, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and whilst it may be known as Ladies’ Day, for serious horse racing fans and those looking for a profitable day of Cheltenham betting, all eyes will be on the track. That’s certainly our focus, so read on for our betting tips and predictions for Day Two of this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

The Queen Mother may be one of the most eagerly awaited races of the entire Festival and if the legend that is Sprinter Sacre can produce anything like his best the current odds of 11/4 will look laughably huge. Nicky Henderson’s gelding produced one of the best Cheltenham performances ever when powering to victory in this race in 2013 and whilst Dodging Bullets (odds of 4/1 with most firms), Champagne Fever (6/1 Ladbrokes) and Sire De Grugy, the 2014 champion, are all very capable horses, if the current favourite is genuinely over illness and injury he is the only horse to be on here. We predict time off the track will have taken its toll though and as such our betting tip here is Sire De Grugy at solid odds of 7/1 with Hills.

Prior to the Queen Mother Champion Chase the second day of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival will start with the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle. Just over two and a half miles, with 10 hurdles to tackle, this has been won by some top animals since its inauguration in 1971. There is no clear favourite this year but our betting tip is the Irish bay gelding Outlander, who ticks many of the right boxes, although he is also currently entered into two other races at the Festival.

The second race of Day Two is the Festival Novices Chase, arguably the second best race of the day and yet another Grade One. Seven-year-olds have dominated in recent years and if that trend continues then current favourite Don Poli (9/2 with 888Sport) may miss out. However, the six-year-old Irish gelding, yet another from the Willie Mullins stable, is too good to ignore and if confirmed for this one he would simply have to be our betting tip.

The 14.40 is the Coral Cup Hurdle and this unpredictable handicap is another of Cheltenham’s races for which each way bets are the order of the day. There isn’t currently a horse on offer at single-digit odds so our advice is to wait until a little closer to the race before making your bets.

One race for which betting tips are a little easier to offer is the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at 16.00. Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival closes with three open races but this one should be landed by the current favourite, Any Currency, at nice odds of 5/1.

The 16.40 Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle is undoubtedly a tough contest to predict and given it was only added to the Festival in 2005 there isn’t too much to fall back on in terms of stats. It will be a big field and there is sure to be plenty of each way value, although there will certainly be a little luck required to land any tips. If confirmed for this one (he’s also entered in a race on the final day of the Festival) then Zarib looks interesting at odds of 14/1 with Bet365, although we won’t be piling in with too much gusto.

Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival is brought to a close with the Champion Bumper, the only flat race of the festival. This is yet another of Cheltenham’s contests in which Willie Mullins has a fine record and whilst it’s another where we predict the best move is watching the market on Wednesday afternoon, if pushed for a tip we would plump for Au Quart De Tour at 10/1 with Paddy Power.