Cheltenham tips: The 5 best backed horses in Paddy’s book

The day one declarations are out and punters are expecting these 5 to thrive at Prestbury Park.

By / Cheltenham Festival, Horse Racing Tips / 1 year ago

Paddy’s 5 best backed Cheltenham horses:

Tuesday 14:50 – Ultima Handicap Chase – Fastorslow
Tuesday 16:10 – Mares’ Hurdle – Brandy Love
Wednesday 14:50 – Coral Cup – Camprond
Friday 14:50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – Corbetts Cross
Friday 15:30 – Gold Cup – Bravemansgame

Tuesday 14:50 – Ultima Handicap Chase – Fastorslow

Fastorslow is an intriguing one on the list as he’s just had two outings over fences for Grand National-winning trainer Martin Brassil and they’ve both been in top-class company in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase and the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown. He was beaten around 20 lengths on both occasions, but as the winners of those two heats were Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs and Gentleman De Mee, who is just 8-1 for the Champion Chase, it puts those efforts into perspective. Course form at Prestbury Park is often crucial and he was just beaten in the Coral Cup at last year’s Festival and a significant step up in trip in this could bring plenty of improvement.

Tuesday 16:10 – Mares’ Hurdle – Brandy Love

This contest looks particularly open this year and Brandy Love certainly has the credentials to shake them up having scooped the Grade 1 mares’ novice hurdle at Fairyhouse last year when beating Love Envoi by eight lengths. It could be argued that she was a fresher animal than the runner-up at Fairyhouse as she skipped Cheltenham, but nevertheless she won going away. She was beaten by Queens Brook on her reappearance at Punchestown last month but she wasn’t denied by far after over 300 days off.

Wednesday 14:50 – Coral Cup – Camprond

Camprond is owned by legendary owner and gambler JP McManus so his inclusion on this list could be significant. He rounded off last season with a three-length defeat of Fastorslow (see above) at Punchestown and like that rival, he might have been expected to do big things over the bigger obstacles this term, but that didn’t work out with an unseat at Exeter followed by a last of four at Newbury. Connections then reverted to hurdles and although he hasn’t set the world on fire in three outings, those reversals do mean that he has dropped 9lb in the handicap ratings. That means he’s back to a very similar mark as when he won at Punchestown and a couple of pounds lower than when he was fourth in this in 2022.

    Friday 14:50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – Corbetts Cross

    Corbetts Cross is another owned by JP McManus who recently swooped to buy him, but his participation at Cheltenham has recently been described as only 50-50 which is why the NRMB can be so invaluable. Beaten on his hurdling debut, this Gamut gelding has won his last three, starting in a maiden hurdle at Limerick, then going in at Fairyhouse in a handicap hurdle off a lenient looking handicap mark of 130 before registering a Grade 2 success in the Johnstown Novice Hurdle at Naas last month. It’s easy to see why he caught McManus’s attention as he stepped down in trip from three to two miles at Naas and if he can win at that level over the minimum, you’d have to think he’ll be a monster back over three, the distance he won a point to point over last year as a five-year-old.

    Friday 15:30 – Gold Cup – Bravemansgame

    Despite the aforementioned Galopin Des Champs being a very strong ‘jolly’ for the Blue Riband with our very own Ruby Walsh fancying him to win, the eight-year-old Bravemansgame has been furiously backed. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls recently described him as the best staying chaser in England and the best he’s had for some time and a comprehensive 14 length win last time in the King George is form that would seem to support those bullish statements. Wind surgery during the summer seems to have worked the oracle on this fellow as before Kempton, he easily landed Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase, one of the best early events of the season. He had ended the previous campaign disappointingly at Aintree, but now seems to be the horse that Nicholls has always thought he would be.

    Paddy’s 5 best backed Cheltenham horses:

    Tuesday 14:50 – Ultima Handicap Chase – Fastorslow
    Tuesday 16:10 – Mares’ Hurdle – Brandy Love
    Wednesday 14:50 – Coral Cup – Camprond
    Friday 14:50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – Corbetts Cross
    Friday 15:30 – Gold Cup – Bravemansgame

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