The Final Day at Cheltenham

By Profit Swing

Well it has been a difficult week. Our two best bets of the festival, Tranquil Sea and Watch my Back ran absolute stinkers. I have noticed all Edward O'Gradys have been stuffed out of site this week and Graham Lee seems obsessed by holding up horses in last in a year when nothing is winning from the back!

Time for Rupert ran a brave race behind Big Bucks and like our selection in the bumper stuffed everything else out of sight.

The final day with the blue riband event The Gold Cup as its centrepiece at 15:20. Big Bucks was the first banker to go in this year but that is three favourites in 20 races. Bear that in mind if you think a spot of favourite backing is what’s needed!

13:30 The Triumph Hurdle

There is a lot of talk about the Irish Challenge but I think this prize will be staying on this side of the pond. We were on Soldatino when he made his British debut at Kempton and we are not deserting him now. In truth its not great form but the sight of Geraghty constantly taking a pull on this horse who is bred to get further than today’s two miles is difficult to forget. His homework has been scintillating since and it will take a good one to lower his colours today. One who could chase him home is Barwell Bridge from first season trainer Warren Greatrex. He has a win and two seconds but has been green on each occasion and I know a lot of schooling work has sharpened him up recently. This was a high-class flat horse with a similar profile to several recent winners of this and has been overlooked in the betting.

Pick: 2 Points EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 Soldatino 6.5 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)

Pick: 0.5 point EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 Barwell Bridge 23.0 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)


14:05 County Hurdle

We have Nobel Prince running for us and though he has a lot of weight he has travelled over well I have been assured by connections on what could be a huge day for the Nolan yard. We will play a small EW on one more in the race on the Alan Jones's trained Secret Dancer who looks to have been laid out for the race. He has better form than many higher in the market and this yard are more than capable of landing a touch. He looks on a very competitive mark.

Pick: 1.5 points EW 1/4 1,2,3,4,5 Secret Dancer 23.0 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)


14:40 The Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle

I do not fancy the favourites in this race at all and think we are in for a shock. We are looking for horses with big field experience in my view and the main selection was second in last year’s bumper. It is the Paul Nolan trained Shinrock Paddy who looks better the further he goes. The trainer has no ground concerns and reports him in great form. The second selection is an Irish horse I have been waiting to see run on better ground, it is The Hurl trained by Michael Hourigan. He won a grade two in Ireland on ground that his trainer said he hated, that would give him a squeak anyway but with improvement to come he looks a solid EW bet.

Pick: 1.5 points EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 Shinrock Paddy 10.0 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)

Pick: 1 point EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 The Hurl 34.0 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)


15:20 The Gold Cup

We have a major bet EW on Tricky Trickster and I would not swap him for anything else. See the excellent Priceform Magazine for my full view of this race and check out all the articles!


16:00 The Christie Foxhunters Chase

The amateur's Gold cup and a chance to draw breath. I think the favourite has a major chance against a lot of ageing plodders (that’s the horses) and could put the smile back on Sam Whaley Cohen who has taken criticism for Long Run when actually it is the horse that cannot jump. He rides Roulez Cool and is the one favourite I am interested in siding with today. We will place a saver on an Irish horse who has improved this year. It is Kilty Storm who romped away with a Leopardstown Hunter Chase last time out full of multiple winners. He may lack the pace of Roulez Cool though.

Pick: 4 points Win Roulez Cool 5.0 Sportingbet

Pick: 0.5 point EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 Kilty Storm 21.0 Betfred (Best odds guaranteed)


16:40 The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle

This looks too tough and it may be best to just cheer on the Henderson horses for our top trainer bet as my shortlist after five hours on the race was eight! I f you want a small bet wouldn't put you off Peveril but he has a lot of weight and we do not know how genuine some of the others form is!


17:15 The Jonny Henderson Grand Annual

The new get out stakes and a real humdinger of a race with loads of chances and 10 the field! Thanks Cheltenham, next year how about a nice small field handicap hurdle to close, oh well worth a try. We keep hearing that Festival form repeats and yet in this race last year’s second off the same mark lurks well back in the betting. The horse is Moon over Miami who came here last year off the back of some hugely disappointing runs, well you know the rest. I think we will see a sudden return to front running tactics this afternoon and I expect a huge run from a hugely talented horse. It was hard not to be impressed with Consigliere this season and he looked in great form when a fine third over hurdles last time. A quick two miles is just what this strong travelling sort needs and as the Pipe handicap team have been superb all week I think we can be assured he will be spot on.

Pick: 1.5 points EW 1/4 1,2,3,4,5 Moon Over Miami 34.0 Bet365 (Best odds guaranteed)

Pick: 1 point EW 1/4 1,2,3,4 Consigliere 23.0 Sportingbet

Good luck everyone and remember that great piece of punting advice

" If you want to get to your destination you have to stay on the train"

Profit Swing