CHELTENHAM RACES: TOP FIVE SELECTIONS FOR DAY TWO WITH BETFAIR

After a frenetic day of action on the first instalment of the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, we saw a number of high-profile favourites knocked from their perch by some higher-priced runners. I'm confident that this trend will continue, especially in the higher profile races. With a number of excellent betting options available for Wednesday's action, we've put together five of the punter's favourites heading into the Ballymore Novices Hurdle, the National Hunt Chase, RSA Chase and the Champion Bumper. Click here for your £25 free bet from Betfair.Cooldine RSA Chase: Where Ruby Walsh goes, so does the betting action and a number of punters seem to think that tomorrow will certainly be his day at the races. Having secured a very emphatic victory at the Dr. P.J Moriarty Novice Chase, he brings grade 1 winners form into this race and is leading the outright betting on a number of different sites. His Chase form is hard to argue with and at 4/1 Cooldine looks a solid bet, despite the lack of overall value. Mikael D'Haguenet Ballymore Novices Hurdle: Based on form alone, you have to back Mikael D'Haguenet (7/2) who has won his last four straight races, three of which were graded ones. Some of his more recent success' have come with Ruby on the back and we know that he's conscious of how to win a race at the Cheltenham Festival. Karabak (7/2) could present some challenges and The Nightingale (12) is my favourite if there is to be an upset, but the punters are all over Mijael D'Haguenet. Rite of Passage Champion Bumper: The 2009 Champion Bumper has one of the largest fields out of any Cheltenham Festival race and I'm confident that this one is ripe for an upset. According to the data form the bookmakers though, the odds-on favourite in this one is Rite of Passage at 5/1. Listed at the same price as Sicilian Secret, I'm giving him the edge in this tight contest simply because of his 100% record. He hasn't run many races and this 5 year-old does lack experience, but every time he's gone out he's been a very easy winner. Sometimes you can't argue with that. Parsons Pistol National Hunt Chase: Can't Buy Time, Kornati Kid and Niche Market (in addition to Wichita Lineman) have all been tipped for the National Hunt Chase but we've seen a lot of action piling on top of Parsons Pistol. He tends to start very well, but his most important factor is how once he grabs a lead, he generally holds onto it. All of his victories in the past few months have required a late burst to stave off an oncoming competitor. I can see why the punters are piling on to Parsons Pistol and at 14/1 you should give it some thought as well. The Polomoche Coral Cup: BJ Geraghty and the Polomoche 10/1 triumphed together at Stratford last October and are very highly-rated for this race. With a large selection of longer-odds runners in this one, we're seeing action moving towards Psycho and Pause and Clause, but the Polomoche remains a hot bet for tomorrow's action and this could very much be the fact that the conditions have been causing problems Tuesday. The Polomoche looks an ideal bet to capitalize on the softer going. Click here for your £25 free bet from Betfair.For more betting advice, click here to go to our complete Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide.