Rory Delargy’s Handicap Picks
Tuesday 12 March (14:50), Ultima Handicap Chase – Le Milos
Tuesday 12 March (17:30), National Hunt Chase – Favori De Champdou
Wednesday 13 March (14:50), Coral Cup – Doddiethegreat
Wednesday 13 March (16:50), Grand Annual – Master Chewy
Thursday 14 March (14:10), Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle – Lord Snootie
Thursday 14 March (16:10), Plate Handicap Chase – Theatre Man
Friday 15 March (14:10), County Hurdle – Faivoir
On this week’s instalment of Cheltenham Countdown, Paddy Power Media’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, Ruby joins regulars, host Tom Nugent together with Rory Delargy, a well-known journalist and broadcaster, to discuss the above and the handicaps and the former very kindly gives what he considers his best chance in both the handicap hurdles and handicap chases as well as a Lucky 15 for punters to consider for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
- NEW TO PADDY POWER? PLACE A £5 BET ON SPORTS GET £20 IN FREE BETS!
RORY DELARGY
Doddiethegreat took my eye in the Betfair Hurdle. Unfortunately, Nicky Henderson had an open day and told everyone that he was his big hope for Cheltenham, so you’ve lost a bit of the price.
He won’t want the ground particularly deep. He got a surprisingly negative ride in the Betfair Hurdle, coming very wide and cutting in from the home turn, so he got caught in a bit of traffic and finished off very strongly. He’ll benefit from a step back up. He won over 2m5f as a novice, missed a couple of years, and is running over 2m this season. He’s an obvious one for the Coral Cup, which Nicky Henderson does very well, but the world and his wife are now catching on to him.
Faivoir is a really obvious one in the County Hurdle. He’s another that caught the eye in the Betfair Hurdle. He won the County last year at a big price. He revels in soft ground, and the ground is liable to be soft at Cheltenham. He’s coming back to form and is still a fair price. Dan Skelton is pound-for-pound one of the most successful trainers handicap-wise at the Festival in recent years and is one of the few trainers in the UK that seems to work back.
Le Milos is either going to go for the Ultima or the Pertemps. He’s an interesting one. The Grand National’s his aim, but Richard Newland won the Pertemps and Grand National with Pineau de Re, and Dan Skelton’s caught on to that as an idea. He will blossom in the next few weeks, whether it’s in time for Cheltenham or Aintree later in the season.
Another interesting one of the Pertemps who probably doesn’t get in is Lord Snootie, who was second in a qualifier at Haydock the other day. He’s rated in the mid-120s, so his chances of getting in are slim enough. But he’s got a good handicap hurdle in him this spring.
I put up Favori De Champdou for the National Hunt Chase, but he’s entered in a couple of handicaps as well, and he’s the type that might go well at a big price if he rocks up. I’m not sure what the plan is because he’s entered a lot of races. He may go down the Irish National route.
Master Chewy is very interesting. He’s got plenty of experience for a novice, and his form is stacking up really well. He won the Wayward Lad at Kempton, where he beat Nickel Back by a good margin. He was second to Elixir De Nutz at Newbury, and those two horses have won Grade 1s since, so his form has been well-franked. The worry with him is if he’d run better in the Lightning. He would rock up in the Arkle, but that’s still a worry because he’s trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. He would have a decent handicap mark because the handicapper’s less likely these days to adjust ratings on subsequent results.
He’s run well in big-field handicap hurdles, so he should handle the field, and he’ll handle the ground, whatever it is. He’s got the right sort of profile, and the stable have won it before with a similar type of horse.
The form that Theater Man showed earlier in the season has worked out pretty well, and he’s a sound jumper for a fairly inexperienced chaser. He might be slightly under the radar. He was second in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase behind Ginny’s Destiny, and that’s a race that tends to work out well for throwing up Festival winners. The only concern would be that he got a bit outpaced before running on well to finish second. You wouldn’t want him to lose his place in the Plate.
Rory Delargy’s Handicap Picks
Tuesday 12 March (14:50), Ultima Handicap Chase – Le Milos
Tuesday 12 March (17:30), National Hunt Chase – Favori De Champdou
Wednesday 13 March (14:50), Coral Cup – Doddiethegreat
Wednesday 13 March (16:50), Grand Annual – Master Chewy
Thursday 14 March (14:10), Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle – Lord Snootie
Thursday 14 March (16:10), Plate Handicap Chase – Theatre Man
Friday 15 March (14:10), County Hurdle – Faivoir
Read More
- Gallop over to Paddy Power News for all the latest horse racing tips
- Cheltenham Tips: Ruby Walsh’s 9/1 and 12/1 non runner money back Hunters Chase picks
- Cheltenham Tips: A Lucky 15 to set the scene from Mick Fitzgerald
- Cheltenham Tips: Rory Delargy’s 9/1 Hunters Chase Non Runner Money Back Bet
- Cheltenham Tips: Matt Chapman’s non runner money back picks include a 16/1 play on the opening day
- Cheltenham Free Bet Offers: Why Paddy’s better than the rest for Festival fun
The latest racing odds are on PaddyPower.com now
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
