2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tips – DS

by Dave Stevos | Mar 11, 2025

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Preview

Only By Night was our sole place on Day 1 at the time of writing and she was so close to getting the win. Sky Lord couldn’t land a blow in the Supreme and the starter did for Sequestered. We go again on Day 2, 2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday tips are below.

1.20 – Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

A fascinating race to start off Day 2. DRF Grade 1 winner Final Demand takes on The New Lion in a real heavyweight showdown and someone’s 0 has got to go. Final Demand is 3/3 so far, winning a point and a maiden as well as that G1 at Leopardstown. The New Lion is 4/4, his wins including a bumper, a maiden hurdle, a novice hurdle and the Grade 1 Challow at Newbury.

It is very hard to split these two (unless you are the handicapper who rates Final Demand 7lb better) and that is reflected in their odds. They are both hovering around the 7/4 mark and to be honest, I wouldn’t want to have to pick between the two. Thankfully, I don’t have to because my job is to try to find something that might go well at a bigger price.

Of the nine other runners, Mullins trains five of them. They’ve all shown promise to varying degrees and the one that appeals most to me is Kappa Jy Pyke. A 140k French AQOS winner, this son of Masked Marvel ran a grand race on his Irish debut at Cork (15.5f, soft), chasing home Sky Lord and shaping like further would suit.

Up In Trip

He confirmed that promise stepped up to 2m1f at Punchestown in early January, winning by 17 lengths. His main rival that day fell at the last when challenging and unfortunately lost his life but Kappa Jy Pyke jumped the last beautifully and, in my opinion, he would have won anyway.

His dam is a half to a 2m5f winner and his grand dam is a sister to a smart three miler. He’s also by the same sire as Teahupoo so everything points towards him wanting this sort of trip. Sean O’Keefe is 30/205 with 79 top 4 finishes when riding for Mullins in Ireland and in the UK, he’s 2/24 with 8 top 4s.

Obviously, the fact Paul Townend has deserted him is a negative but he can’t ride all the Mullins’ horses and at 40/1, hopefully Kappa Jy Pyke can hit the frame.

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tip: Kappa Jy Pyke e/w @ 40/1

2.00 – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

Ballyburn is all the rage for this. He beat Croke Park by 5l at the DRF over 21f but his jumping left a bit to be desired. Last year’s Baring Bingham winner is now stepped up to three miles, presumably to aid his jumping. He’s won at the trip in a point to point, he has a huge engine but even so, I think he might be worth taking on.

There’s been a lot of chat about Better Days Ahead and Dancing City, whose stamina is guaranteed, is another threat. However, I am going to take a chance on Gorgeous Tom. He was a huge eyecatcher in the 2m4f Grade 1 Drinmore at Fairyhouse in December. Outpaced, he absolutely rattled home after the last to finish a close fourth behind Croke Park, Heart Wood and Firefox and if the race were 20 yards longer, he’d have beaten the three of them.

On a line through Croke Park he has 4 lengths to find with Ballyburn but as I said, he’d have beaten that horse over a longer distance. He should relish the nice ground and odds of 11/1 are big enough to warrant an e/w interest.

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tip: Gorgeous Tom e/w @ 11/1 NB

2.40 – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier)

I put Beat The Bat up for the Martin Pipe in our handicaps e/w lucky 15 and of course, he pitches up here instead. This horse has been crying out for a step up in distance and he finally gets it here. He kept on nicely in the closing stages at Newbury over 2m last time (landing us a nice place in the process) and he ticks the course form box too. He should be staying on well at the finish at odds of 14/1.

My County Hurdle bet, Colonel Mustard, also pitches up here. I was scratching my head at the decision initially. He has already proven he can go close over C&D having placed in this a couple of years ago but to be fair to Lorna Fowler, he did run on pretty well when finishing third at Ascot over 19.5f on his penultimate start when he beat Golden Ace by a neck.

Stayers’ Hurdle hope Lucky Place was just 1.75l ahead of him off level weights and he’s now rated 153. Colonel Mustard gets in off 146 here and with the promising Tiernan Power-Roche taking off 5lb, he’s effectively running off 141. This lad very rarely runs a bad race and if he can repeat the form of that Ascot run, Colonel Mustard can run into the money at odds of 25/1.

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tip: Beat The Bat e/w @ 14/1 NAP; Colonel Mustard e/w @ 25/1 (both 6 places)

3.20 – Cross Country Chase (Class 2)

A race I have absolutely no interest in and no opinion on. I’d love to see the old boy Roi Mage run a big race for Patrick Griffin but this is not a betting race for me. No bet.

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tip: No bet

4.00 – Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)

Is this finally going to be the day that Jonbon wins at the Festival? Beaten by Constitution Hill in the Supreme in 2022, beaten by El Fabiolo in the Arkle in 2023 and a non-runner in 2024, this looks like the best chance he is ever going to get to break his Festival duck. However, it has to be a worry that a horse who has won 17 of his 20 starts has suffered all three of his defeats at this venue.

The trailblazing Solness will go hard from the front here and I think he’s been underestimated again. However, he might just be found out on the famous Cheltenham hill. We have already advised Found A Fifty at 33/1 in our stats that matter preview and he’s now into as short as 12s. He has the right profile for the race and he wasn’t right when pulling up last time so hopefully he runs into a place.

Marine A Danger

Energumene and last year’s winner Captain Guinness are 11yo and 10yo respectively so I can’t have either of those two. Marine Nationale would be a poignant winner and he could prove to be the main danger to Jonbon but at 33s, I don’t think Libberty Hunter can be completely dismissed.

Trained in Wales by Evan Williams, he didn’t lose much caste in defeat behind Master Chewy in a Grade 2 at Newbury last month. On his previous start he hacked up in a C&D handicap off 144 and that was his second win at this venue. He finished third behind Found A Fifty at Aintree in a Grade 1 last April and while he was 11l behind, he could get a lot closer on this stiffer track.

At odds of 33/1, Libberty Hunter is worth an e/w interest, hopefully either he or Found A Fifty can pull off the upset.

2025 Cheltenham Festival Wednesday Tip: Found A Fifty already advised @ 33/1; Libberty Hunter e/w @ 33/1

4.40 – Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Premier)

I have already put up General Medrano for this race at 25s. He will hopefully run a big race for Emma Lavelle and Ben Jones. The other one I’ll be backing is a horse I have tipped for this race for the last three years, Dancing on My Own. He struggled on heavy ground in 2022, in 2023 he was a late non-runner when the ground was soft and last year, he was again a non-runner because of soft ground.

Nice Spring ground and a left-handed track are what this horse wants and he’ll finally get his optimal conditions this year. He’s in off 151, the same mark off which he won here in October 2023, and he was third off 2lb higher here in October 2024. He’s been off since then, which is a plus given his record when fresh and he’ll have the assistance of Rachael Blackmore in the saddle.

Maybe he’s a bit long in the tooth now but Croco Bay proved that older horses could succeed in this contest a couple of years ago so at odds of 20/1, back Dancing On My Own e/w.