Cheltenham Festival 2010: Day four Tips

Things are heating up for day four of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival now that Big Buck's has finally scored one for the punters in a ride to go down in history as one of the cheekiest moments ever in the Cheltenham Festival.

Looking ahead to Friday's action we have the 1:30 JCB Triumph Hurdle kicking off the day, and a number of first-rate youngsters are set to do battle. Alaivan is a justifiable favourite at 4/1 and just landed a Grade 2 victory. Secant Star, who just walked all over a maiden race a few weeks back, trades at 9/1, and he looks a proper challenger against a field that has question marks all over it.

The 2:05 County Hurdle is one of those wide-open races where the favourites are at 8/1 and there are about seven justifiable winners here. Jonjo O'Neill's jumper hasn't raced since November, but had taken three on the bounce already on that point. Secret Dancer is taking a step down in class here and could score if the stars align; he's at 20/1.

In the 2:40 Albert Bartlett, Shinrock Paddy looks great at his 9/1 listing. He's got good form and can handle the Cheltenham course fairly well. His form over hurdles can't be argued at 4 from 5, and he should be able to stay on nicely here.

Should Possol line up for this one, he will likely go off at shorter than the 33/1 he's trading at now with some bookmakers. He took a spill the last time out, but if he can jump well this time out is a real contender here against a field that he is capable of besting.

Now that we've covered the three undercard races on the penultimate day of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, we're now set to tackle the big one- the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup. What a race this is going to be.

Living legend Kauto Star is set for his next major accomplishment after capturing the hearts of a nation once again in the King George, winning by an insurmountable 36 lengths. This is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and now that Big Buck's has broken the duck for the bankers, it looks like punters from all four corners of the globe will be piling bets onto Paul Nicholls' superstar.

Denman will likely see plenty of action as well and I predict the Kauto/Denman forecast to be the wager of the day.

Imperial Commander almost got the better of Kauto late last year, and some still contend that the race should have been considered a dead-heat. I'm not sure if he can replicate that form again here, so the 7/1 price looks too short against the quality on offer here.

If there's anyone who's going to make a statement here, it's Tricky Trickster; another delegate from Paul Nicholls yard taking a big step up in class. One of the this horse’s best traits is his energy in the final moment of a race; he looks good at 16/1.

Carruthers isn't capable of winning this one, so his 50/1 price is really just smoke and mirrors. Grand National winner Mon Mome is set to run here and trades at 150/1. Taking that bet is up to you, but a surprise third or fourth place would still pay quite well.

My Will is also here at 100/1, but it’s doubtful he can handle the quality. Cerium and Mr Pointment are at 500/1, and if you're feeling cheeky why not place them both underneath Kauto in a forecast?

Kauto Star all the way here in the 3:20, with Denman second and Tricky Trickster completing your trifecta.

In the 4:40 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle, we have another field that looks a bit tough to clarify at the moment. It's a tricky puzzle with favourite Ashkazar not really inspiring confidence. Jonjo O'Neill's 20/1 improver Born Again looks set to make a statement here, and is 24312 in his debut season on hurdles- a very good each-way shout. C'est Ca at 10/1 is an okay bet for the win-only.

In the final race of the Cheltenham Festival, the 5:15 Grand Annual Chase, I'm backing Tataniano and the very talented Tartak here. Tartak in particular has been lining up against the likes of Kauto Star and Kalahari King this year and acquitted himself fairly well under the circumstances.

With the right trip, he's very dangerous at 12/1. Tataniano is a justifiable favourite and 7/1 price belies confidence in a jumper who hasn't finished outside the top 2 all season long.