2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Betting Tips – DS
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Preview
At last, a non blanking day. We landed nice places with Dashel Drasher and Hitman, finally ending our barren run. Hopefully we can nick another couple on the final day. 2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday tips are below.
1.30 – Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
This year’s Triumph looks to be a Willie Mullins benefit. He has the first four in the betting and there is every chance he’ll have the 1-2-3-4. In fact, he has seven runners in total so this race will be run exactly how he wants it. The bookies make it a two horse race between Lossiemouth and Blood Destiny. They are fighting it out for favouritism and they are priced up at 7/4 and 15/8 respectively.
Lossiemouth was a big talking horse before the season started and after easy wins in G2 and G3 company, the hype looked justified. She lost her unblemished record to Gala Marceau at Leopardstown last time on her first try at the top table. However, she didn’t enjoy the best of trips and you’d imagine if they both get clear runs, she should be able to reverse that form.
Blood Destiny is 2/2 since moving to Mullins from France. He beat Sir Allen 5L over 20f on soft at Cork before spreadeagling the field in a 16f race at Fairyhouse on soft/heavy. However, his jumping was far from foot perfect and he’ll need to brush up in that department to win this.
Jumping Worries
Zenta is 16/1 and she too made a couple of big mistakes when winning a G3 on her hurdling debut. The daughter of Pastorius clearly has an engine but she’ll be doing well to get away with similar jumping errors in this much tougher race. The one I am going to back at massive odds is the horse that chased Zenta home at Fairyhouse.
Hypotenus is trained by John McConnell and Sean Bowen gets the ride. This former French flat performer was purchased for a cool 215k last October. He made his Irish debut in a Grade 3 which indicates what his trainer must think of him. The son of Lope De Vega didn’t let his trainer down and while he was beat 3L by Zenta, you’d imagine he’ll improve markedly for that run.
Soft Ground Fine
He won on soft in France and is a full brother to a French G3 winner on soft so the ground shouldn’t pose any problems. In his last French win he had a subsequent Listed placed horse behind so clearly, he is a horse with a bit of class about him. At Fairyhouse it looked like he got a bit tired late on but he’ll be fitter now. The top three will be hard to beat but even so, 50/1 looks a big price about Hypotenus and he is the e/w selection.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Hypotenus e/w @ 50/1
2.10 – County Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
With soft ground to suit, Pinkerton could be worth backing e/w here. Trained by Noel Meade, it looks like he has ben laid out for this race. He ran two cracking races in valuable handicaps at Down Royal and Fairyhouse on his first two runs of the season. In November, he was beat a neck by Nibiru (rated 117) off 130 and that horse went on to run a massive race at the DRF behind Gaelic Warrior off 120 and he is now rated 13lbs higher.
At Fairyhouse in December (16f sft), Pinkerton ran on well late to take 2nd off 133, 2.5L behind the winner Merlin Giant. On his last start he finished 1.5L behind Longhouse Poet at Limerick’s Xmas meeting but that was over 20f. Dropping back in trip will suit and we know this horse enjoys the hustle and bustle of big field handicaps.
Meade put the son of Ocovango away after that run and as we saw at Down Royal, he goes very well fresh. Sean Flanagan has won on him before and he gets the leg up this afternoon. He races off a mark of 141, 5lbs higher than his Irish mark, but he should be up to coping with that rise given how well that Nibiru run worked out. At odds of 28/1, Pinkerton is the each way selection.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Pinkerton e/w @ 28/1 NB (5 places)
2.50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
If there’s going to be a shock in another G1 this week, the potato race is the most likely source. It looks wide open this year and Corbetts Cross and Three Card Brag are disputing favouritism at 4/1. They’ll both enjoy the ground and they have obvious chances. One that could go well at a bigger price is Rock My Way for Syd Hosie and Nick Schofield. Both of Hosie’s runners at the Festival have run well so far and this well bred son of Getaway could relish this stamina test.
He has already won a P2P on nice ground and he went close in a maiden hurdle here behind Weveallbeencaught on his rules debut. Hosie wasted no time stepping up in Grade and his confidence was rewarded. His charge landed a 20.5f Grade 2 on soft ground at this track, keeping on well. His dam is unraced but she is out of a Cesarewitch winner so there is plenty of stamina in his pedigree.
The horse he beat in that Grade 2 is 8/1 for the County so presumably, he is pretty well regarded. They opened up a nice enough gap back to the 133 rated 3rd, Mofasa, so it was a fine effort on just his second rules start. He was idling and looking around a bit in the last 100 yards with his ears pricked so there was still a bit left in the tank. The fact he has already won around Cheltenham is another plus and at 33/1, Rock My Way is the e/w selection.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Rock My Way e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
3.30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
The big one and I am going all in on Protektorat here. When I saw him win at Haydock earlier this season, it convinced me that he is capable of winning a Gold Cup. We backed him e/w in the race last year when he finished well for 3rd and now that he is a year older, stronger and wiser, I am hoping he can finish a whole lot closer today.
After his extremely impressive Betfair Chase win in November, Skelton put him away. Before that race he said he had his charge piping fit, so he wound down and began to build him back up for the main event. The bookies pushed him out to as big as 20/1 after his run in the Cotswold Chase and I think that was a massive overreaction.
Unfit
It was blindingly obvious that Protektorat wasn’t fully fit. Harry Skelton minded him too and he still ran on well late on for 4th, just 5L behind the winner Ahoy Senor. Afterwards, Dan Skelton admitted he only had his horse 70% fit so he is going to improve massively for that outing.
Galopin Des Champs is clearly a very good horse but I’m not convinced he’ll stay the 3m 2f trip on this ground and Bravemansgame has questions to answer around Cheltenham. The horse I fear most is A Plus Tard, especially after seeing how easily Envoi Allen won the Ryanair. However, I think Protektorat is massively overpriced at 18/1, particularly now the rain has come, and he is the e/w NAP of the day.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Protektorat e/w @ 18/1 NAP (4 places)
4.50 – Liberthine Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
We backed Pink Legend in this last year at massive odds and she went close. She has run blinders on two previous visits to Cheltenham but unfortunately, the ground might just be a bit too soft for her this year. It looks a deeper race in any case, as is evidenced by the fact that last year’s winner Elimay is as big as 22/1.
Allegorie De Vassy is fav for Mullins and Townend and she looks a bit special. She beat Brandy Love on her final run of last season and this year, she has won Grade 2s at Limerick (22f hy) and Thurles (20f gd) by a combined distance of 38 lengths. The daughter of No Risk At All is 4/4 for Mullins, she should be able to make it 5/5 today.
Impervious looks a different mare since going chasing. She was a good hurdler but the bigger obstacles have taken her form to another level. She is 3/3 over fences, including a 16f Grade 2 at Cork and a 19.5f G3 at Punchestown. Soft ground is perfect and it’ll be fascinating to see how she fares against the fav.
Experience
The mare with the most experience of those at the head of the betting is Jeremys Flame. She has won three from four this season, her sole defeat coming in a Leopardstown G1. She hacked up when returned to calmer waters at Huntingdon last time, a career best. Cromwell’s mare has the assistance of the excellent Keith Donoghue in the plate and If she repeats her last run, she should be bang there at the business end.
Magic Daze has questions to answer regarding the trip and so does Riviere D’etel. The percentage play has to be Elimay. She won it last year, was 2nd two years ago and she has clearly been primed for this race. Soft ground is fine and if any mare is going to spoil the party for the market leaders, it is most likely to be this 9yo daughter of Montmartre. At odds of 22/1, a small e/w interest is advised.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Elimay e/w @ 22/1
5.30 – Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
I’m usually half decent at reading big field handicaps, but not this week. Any horses I’ve tipped have run absolute shockers and this is last chance saloon. When I saw Danny Gilligan jocked up on Born By The Sea in the Plate I feared the worst and when I saw him line up 12 horses wide at the start, those fears were confirmed. He wasn’t off a yard but I think Buddy One should at least be trying here.
Jack Gilligan takes the ride this time and this horse could have room for manoeuvre off a rating of 131. A Fairyhouse maiden hurdle winner in January, he followed up with a decent effort in a Limerick handicap despite jumping poorly. He was a lot better over the hurdles next time at Thurles (20f gd) when he went down by a short head in a G3 behind Sa Fureur. That horse was sent off at just 13/2 for the Coral Cup but he got hampered early and pulled up.
As we saw at Fairyhouse, he handles soft ground though it wouldn’t be the worst thing if conditions dried up a bit. He likes to race prominently, so hopefully he gets away well and avoids any traffic problems. If he does, Buddy One can hopefully reward e/w support at odds of 33/1.
