2010 CHELTENHAM DAY THREE PREVIEW AND LATEST BETTING TIPS PART ONE
It's looking like another difficult day for punters backing favourites on day two of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival and we're already looking ahead to day three and attempting to examine some of the higher profile races in hopes of finding the most probable winners and the best value on offer.
In the 2010 Jewson Novices Handicap Chase, we have two solid contenders who are a small step above the competition. Rivaliste and The Hollinwell are both trading at around 13/2 with The Rivalist just edging his opponent at the moment. He is 12 for the season and Paul Nicholls could start off the third day with a real bang. So far he hasn't had much of a festival but you get the feeling that it will come good for him soon enough. The Hollinwell is 121 this season and has tackled exclusively small fields. I think this is a fairly wide open race and I'm tempted to favour a pair of geldings from Noel Meade's barn- Nicanor and Jered. They both boast more accomplished careers than the top two contenders here and they have quality prices that trade around 14/1. If you're looking for a more obscure selection, try having a bash on King's Forest, who is 331 and looks to be an improver.
Alfie Sherrin headlines the Pertemps Final with a price of 7/2- a few steps ahead of the rest of the pack. This is one of those tricky races to get a handle on, and I have a feeling that Alfie may rise in price as Paul Nicholls just doesn't seem to be hitting at the same clip this year. There is plenty of talent available here though with Ballyfitz and Kayf Aramis both being high-quality jumpers trading at very solid odds. Kayf Aramis has spent the season racing against much higher quality contenders then he is lining up against here. Nigel Twiston-Davies charge is well-priced at 20/1. Ballyfitz is another NA T-D selection and I think he could be a real spoiler here. I like the 25/1 price as well and will be backing him each-way.
The 2010 Ryanair Chase is the second biggest race of the day and this race absolutely oozes quality. Top names like Poquelin, Barbers Shop, Voy Por Ustedes and Albertas Run all line up here and there are some great prices available. I think this one will favour aggressive punters and we've seen, over the past two days, that past form doesn't really matter much this time around. The story of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival has been longer-odds horses having their day. Paul Nicholls' Poquelin has victories over course and distance and the ground conditions shouldn't trouble him. The 7/2 price is a bit short against a field of this calibre though, but I do think he is a worthy favourite. Barbers Shop takes a step down from the Kauto Star's and Denman's of the world and should be able to produce here at 5/1. It will be interesting to see how the Queen's horse goes. Tranquil Sea actually beat Poquelin at Cheltenham back in November and I have a feeling that Eoin O'Grady's charge may have Nicholls' number here. Voy Por Ustedes (16/1), Albertas Run (20/1) and Deep Purple (25/1) are your long odds spoilers. We'll be covering this race in further depth later on today.
Stay tuned for part two coming up at the top of the hour.