Cheltenham Day 2: All the drama of Wednesday’s races as it happened

All the news it was fit to print - and some it probably wasn't - from day two of the Cheltenham Festival

tiger roll wins cross country

By / Cheltenham Festival, Horse Racing News, Horse Racing Tips / 3 years ago

What day at the world’s greatest racing festival!

Mark Goldbridge joined us to watchalong on day two of Cheltenham and had some success…

You can watch Man United’s most fervent Youtuber back on Twitter, Youtube and Facebook.

And there was plenty of entertainment on the track too – here are the headlines and results from an epic day’s racing:

But if you weren’t as shrewd as our guest pundit don’t despair – there are still two more days to go and Paddy’s got a plethora of picks for day three:

READ MORE ON CHELTENHAM 2021

And here are some of the top bets for Thursday from our menagerie of racing clever-clogs’.

Or if you want to relive the day – maybe you’ve been Likely Lads-ing the day’s racing – then scroll down to see all the fun and games of a sensational St Patrick’s Day at Prestbury Park…

Wednesday 4:58pm | Sir Gerhard brings it home!

That’s another Cheltenham winner for Willie Mullins, making it 6-1 to Ireland on St Patrick’s Day! Ole, Ole, Ole!

Wednesday 4:50pm | And the Champion Bumper is underway!

Has to be another Irish winner in this?

Wednesday 4:53pm | Mark Goldbridge considers a career change

He’s wasted on football…

Wednesday 4:32pm | A two horse race?

The tipsters back up the market, with Elle Est Belle the third most fancied among the pundits…

Wednesday 4:21pm | And on to the last

Kilcruit and Sir Gerhard the two clear frontrunners in the betting for the closing race of day two where we’re paying four places:

Image

Wednesday 4:19pm | Sky Pirate holds off Entoucas

One back for the UK as Sky Pirate just keeps ahead of Entoucas at the line to win the penultimate race of the day.

Image

 

Wednesday 4:16pm | But they’re off cleanly

At the first attempt, with Embittered going down before US and Them leads as they approach the second last….

Wednesday 4:15pm | Mick Fitz expecting more Coral Cup-like chaos at the start with 19 runners lining up

Come on now lads….

Wednesday 4:08pm | Not that anyone is keeping count

But it’s now 5-0 to Ireland v the rest of world today, and 10-2 over the last two days.

And there’s a lot of Irish runners in race six…

Wednesday 4:05pm | Mick Fitz is going for…

“Jordan Gainford is a young jockey with a bright future on what we have seen of him. He is a relative unknown to punters in the UK, but he has been causing quite a stir in Ireland and has managed to ride six winners this season.

He has picked up a choice ride now with last year’s winner CHOSEN MATE. Gainford’s 7lb’s claim almost gets this horse back to the mark he won this race off last year and I’m going to take a chance on him to win it again.”

Wednesday 4:01pm | Six places in race six

The Grand Annual, off at 16:15, is the next race, and we’re paying six places!

Image

Wednesday 3:57pm | Another win for Goldbridge

Mark Goldbridge has made his second successful pick of the day on our watchalong before signing off for the day by challenging Peter Crouch to do better on Friday.

You can watch the stream back below.

Wednesday 3:54pm | Final result confirmed

Image

Wednesday 3:51pm | And pulls away!

Tiger Roll handles the final fences and wins by a distance from Easysland to collect a fifth win at the Festival.

Wednesday 3:49pm | Tiger Roll bursts to the front

Builds a five-length lead from the rest now, 2 hurdles left….

Wednesday 3:47pm | Balko Des Flos rides on

Minus a jockey with Rachael Blackmore unseated for a second time today. Defi Des Carres leads from Tiger Roll.

Wednesday 3:42pm | And they’re off!

24 fences to go, Easysland well back but a long way to go, Kingswell Theatre leading, Tiger Roll second….

Wednesday 3:35pm | Time for a quick glance

At our cheat sheet for this one.

Easysland is a popular choice…

Wednesday 3:20pm | We’re paying 4 places in the next

Wednesday 3:13pm | Chacun Pour Soir jumps the last in the lead

But can’t hold off the relentless Put The Kettle On, who pushes past the Mullins horse and win the Queen Mother Champion Chase, adding it to the Arkle last year and becoming the first mare to ever win it. Nube Negra gets into second, Chacun drops to third.

Image

Wednesday 3:11pm | Rouge Vif and Put The Kettle on make the early running

Chacun Pour Soi marking them behind

Wednesday 3:08pm | Chacun Pour Soi goes off as 1/2 favourite

Put The Kettle On next nearest in the betting at 7/1…

Wednesday 2:58pm | And a late withdrawal…

After Altior earlier in the week was withdrawn, Politilogue is a non-runner for Paul Nicholls and won’t get to defence his title from a year ago.

Wednesday 2:51pm | Now it’s time for the day’s feature race

Up next, at 3:05, it’s the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Image

Get the odds here.

Here’s our guide to the runners and riders, and you can check in with Ruby for his take on the race as well.

 

Wednesday 2:46pm | There will not be a bigger smile today…

Than jockey Richard Condon’s after winning that.

Well, unless you had a tenner on him.

Trainer John Hennessy has just two horses and usually trains greyhounds. Incredible story.

Wednesday 2:38pm | And leads by three lengths…

Blue Sari pursues, but can’t close and falls at the last as Heaven Help Us steams away to win by eight or nine lengths. What a run at 33/1!

Image

Wednesday 2:36pm | Heaven Help Us

No, not another false start, but the early leader.

Wednesday 2:34pm | And again.

Lots of shouting, just waiting for a few ‘f**ks’ on the mic.

And now they’re off from a standing start….

Wednesday 2:32pm | Taking their time lining up

But they’re finally off, all 26 of them….

Or not. False start.

We’ll try again in a minute.

Wednesday 2:20pm | Race number three – the Coral Cup

Over 25 runners in the next one….

Gina Bryce is going for Monte Cristo:

“Nicky Henderson has won this race for the last two years and has trained four winners in total of a contest that often falls to unexposed hurdlers with the potential for improvement. Amongst several lightly-raced contenders it was MONTE CRISTO that stood out as the one with potential to be much better than his mark of 145.

With only four runs under his belt for the master of Seven Barrows, he put a disappointing seasonal debut at Aintree on soft ground behind him when winning at Kempton last time on better ground to suggest he may have any amount of improvement in hand.”

 

Wednesday 2:16pm | More nervous moments for Willie Mullins

As ITV bring his mum on. Reports that Willie is sweating bullets as he waits for the baby pics to emerge…

Wednesday 2:07pm | Shout out to the Blackrock Clinic Massive

Willie Mullins thanks his heart surgeon in his post-race interview after Monkfish stayed upright in the closing stages, admitting it’s the most nervous he’s ever been watching a race (!)

Meanwhile, on our Mark Goldbridge watchalong, our special guest is cycling through Irish top 40 hits of the 1990s…

Singalong here:

Wednesday 2:02pm | And Monkfish takes it

Despite the efforts of the jockeyless Eklat de Rire to interfere and a stumble, Paul Townend guides him home, Fiddlerontheroof.

Image

 

How far he’s come since being slung off the force.

Wednesday 2:00pm | Eklat de Rire out

Rachael Blackmore unseated reducing the field to five as Monkfish leads turning for home….

Wednesday 1:55pm | Monkfish straight to the front

The heavy favourite leading the way in the early stages…

Wednesday 1:43pm | The Big Breakaway maybe?

Mick Fitz says he’ll pose the best challenge, in our pundits Cheat Sheet for today.

Cheltenham tips: Our pundits’ cheat sheet for all Wednesday’s races

But he’s still backing Monkfish

And a whopping 83.33% of pundits surveyed in our review of today’s tips say he’ll win too.

Wednesday 1:40pm | Up next…

Can anyone stop Monkfish? 1/4 now…

Image 

Get the odds right here.

Wednesday 1:32pm | AP, Cruyff, Big Mick…

Tony McCoy’s obviously’s been getting inspirationalquotes.com on Facebook recently as he namechecks Johan Cruyff on simplicity in praise Rachael Blackmore, before Mick McCarthy wishes everyone a happy St Patrick’s day while sounding like an extra from Last of the Summer Wine…

Result confirmed in the opener:

Image

Wednesday 1:24pm | Bob Olinger takes the opener

Bravemansgame leading still, two from the finish… Bob Olinger pushes ahead, away from the long-time leader and Gaillard Du Mesnil to win by a few lengths.

Another win for Rachael Blackmore, Henry de Bromhead and Ireland.

Matt’s straight in to congratulate the winner again.

Wednesday 1:22pm | Go, go, go!

We’re off on day two!

Bravemansgame making the early running…

Wednesday 1:07pm | Not long to go…

Til the first race. Bear Ghylls a big mover this morning into 15-2.

Can only be a matter of time before he drinks his own p*ss.

And there’s a free fiver bet going on PP.com, T&Cs apply: bit.ly/3llrhfw

Image

Check the latest odds here: bit.ly/2RRv7i2

Wednesday 12:23pm | Goldbridge incoming

Lucky Paddy’s green and not sky blue…

Wednesday 11:50am | Brush up on day two

If you don’t want to rely on dodgy tips from your mates, we’ve plenty to guide you on day two.

Here’s our runner-by-runner guide to the day’s big race, the Queen Mother Champion Chase (3:05).

Or, if you’d rather use your football knowledge to make your selection for the main event, we’ve a quiz that’ll let you do just that.

https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/1371790390634950656

And if you’re clueless about football, Newcastle could be looking for a new mana… I mean, we do have a stonking cheat sheet from our pundits that’ll have you talking to your mum like your Ruby Walsh in a matter of minutes.

And we’ve been a little, tiny bit naughty and scoured everywhere else for tips too if that’s not enough.

So look lively, the first race is at 1:20…

Wednesday 11:21am | We go again

What an opening day to the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.

We had Honeysuckle imperious in the Champion Hurdle with Rachael Blackmore taking the record books and chucking them right out the window, Black Tears getting a nose ahead of Concertista in a thrilling Mares’ Hurdle finale, and – most importantly – the bookies took a pasting as three heavy favourites won in the opening four races to give punters the upper hand on day one.

Here are yesterday’s results if you haven’t checked your bets (seriously? Priorities.)

You might notice that the Irish invaders dished out quite a drubbing in the Prestbury Cup stakes too, winning five races to UK trainers’ two.

In fact, so total was their superiority that Paddy is already calling it quits for that accolade and paying out to anyone who backed the boys and girls in green to be triumphant in 2021.

And there’s still three days to go!

That’s 21 more top-class races to look forward to, with seven more today, including:

And, after the Pundits lads yesterday, we’ll have our special guest, Mark Goldbridge, in our watchalong today – Liverpool fans should enjoy that.

If you’re stuck for a tip, we’ve got plenty on Paddy Power News from Ruby, Walsh, Matt Chapman, Gina Bryce and the rest of assembled pundits.

So, stick around for all the latest from Paddy Power at Cheltenham 2021!

READ MORE ON CHELTENHAM 2021

The latest racing odds are on PaddyPower.com now

THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

What do you think?