2010 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL TIPS FOR PAUL NICHOLLS

As anybody who follows jumps racing will know, Paul Nicholls is your Cheltenham Festival go-to-guy, and there are plenty of interesting bets out there for the high-profile trainer. His two top jumpers, Kauto Star and Denman, will be facing off in the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup but you can make plenty of cash before then by backing Paul Nicholls. In fact, a number of top UK bookmakers have special bets and wagers exclusively on how well Paul Nicholls will fare at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival.

William Hill has a stellar market on just how many Paul Nicholls-trained winners we’ll see at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The favourite, currently, seems to be exactly four winners which pays out at a 9/4 margin. Five winners for PF Nicholls pays out at 5/2 while three winners is a tidy 4/1. Six winners total is listed at 9/2 while two or fewer is at 7/1. If you think Paul Nicholls will train seven or more winners you can grab a hefty 12/1 price on that.
Looking at Paul Nicholls list of top contenders, I actually think he has a genuine chance of pulling off seven or more winners at this year’s festival. There are 24 total races at this year’s festival and he’ll need his charges to score in nearly 1/3 of them.
In the 2010 Supreme Novices Hurdle, Nicholls best chance is likely the long-shot jumper Pepe Simo who is trading at around 33/1 with most major bookmakers. He also has another outsider who stands a solid chance of an upset in the 2010 Arkle Chase with the talented six year-old Tatiano. You’ll find him at 16/1 and well-poised to capitalize at a very solid price. In the 2010 William Hill Trophy Chase, Paul Nicholls’ best shot is the inconsistent Kicks For Free- a nine year-old Irish jumper who trades at around 20/1.
In the 2010 Champion Hurdle, Nicholls will be saddling Celestial Halo, one of my totetentofollow horses, and I expect him to really give this one a go. He is up against Binocular and a few other jumpers, but I think this one could go Paul Nicholls way. He will also be sending out the 11 year-old veteran Cornish Sett to take on Garde Champetre and L’Ami in the Cross Country Chase. He’s trading at a lengthy 33/1.
Pepite De Soleil is likely Paul Nicholls best shot at the 2010 David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at a lengthy 25/1. His 8 year-old jumper Massasoit is the 2nd favourite for the 2010 National Hunt Chase at an 8/1 margin. The 2010 Neptune Novices Hurdle has a very under-rated Nicholls charge set for a run here with the talented German Ghizao at a lengthy 25/1. He has a great record and could be a real upset.
The Nightingale is Paul Nicholls best candidate for the 2010 RSA Chase and he’s trading at around 16/1. One of the biggest bankers of the whole festival is the talented Master Minded taking on a tough field in the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase. He’s odds-on at 4/5 and looks like he will take this one with aplomb. The 2010 Coral Cup is one of the most wide-open fields of the festival but Nicholls has the co-favourite, Grade 3 winner Beshabar, in good form and he trades at 10/1.   
For the 2010 Fred Winter, we have another progressive-looking sort from the Paul Nicholls yard is the 4 year-old Sanctuaire who is 531 from the season. Teaming up with Ruby Walsh was the difference and this young gelding could be the story of the day. French jumper Rivaliste is the betting favourite for the 2010 Jewson Novices Handicap Chase.
In the 2010 Pertemps Final Nicholls again wields the favourite. Alfie Sherrin, a 7 year-old by Kayf Tara trades as the 5/1 favourite against a rather forgettable-looking field. Nicholls saddles the highly-rated Poquelin in the 2010 Ryanair Chase and you’ll find him trading at around 4/1.
Big Buck’s is considered to be the biggest favourite at this year’s festival and you’ll find him at 4/7 to take the 2010 Ladbrokes World Hurdle. He is undefeated since November of 2008 and that’s only because of a UR. He is a banker. Chapoturgeon is set for a run in the 2010 Byrne Group Plate and he’s a reasonable contender at around 12/1 in a field that lacks a stand-out.
Tito Bustillo is a five year-old French jumper trained by Paul Nicholls and he is the current betting favourite in the 2010 County Hurdle at a price of around 8/1. Najaf, another French five year-old looks like a contender in the 2010 Albert Bartlett Hurdle with a 14/1 price tag.
A cadre of Paul Nicholls-trained jumpers including Kauto Star, Denman and Tricky Trickster are all lining up for the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup. We have more coverage on this race in other articles, but this one looks to be going Nicholls’ way for certain.
In the 2010 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle, Nicholls has the solid Red Harbour prepped for a run at a price of 14/1 or so. He will also be saddling the talented Tataniano for a run in the 2010 Grand Annual.