Charity Daily Naps

Cheltenham Festival 2021 Preview Night

Held in aid of ALT’s Running For The Kids – for WESC Foundation & Southampton DIFTK – with support from Which Bookie

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/altrunningforthekids

4 Naps to Cheltenham Festival 2021 – Daily Naps For ALT Charity

Hopefully many of you were able to tune in to the Cheltenham Festival preview evening, and enjoyed the tips, banter and information shared by many expert names in the horse racing industry, and of course myself!

Going through the week in chronological order seemed sensible and so I will follow suit here, summarising the main fancies and a daily nap/weekly multiple that will be the subject of a £50 free bet from those good guys at Which Bookie. With all proceeds going to the above-named charities.

Day One

Shishkin surely gets the job done in the Arkle here, before going on to be a multiple Champion Chase winner in the following years. While the Champion Hurdle looks at the mercy of the ever-improving, brilliant Honeysuckle, and the Willie Mullins-trained Concertista will take out the Willie Mullins Benefit Mares’ Hurdle.

It’s hard to say with any clarity, as things stand, what will happen with the Gordon Elliott-trained horses, but should they be able to come over, then Galvin would take some stopping in the National Hunt Chase – even if Royale Pagaille turned up here, as I’m not fully sold on him.

In the handicaps, I really like the look of Happygolucky for Kim Bailey in the Ultima Handicap Chase, and as such is the first recipient of the welter burden of being my opening £50 free bet nap, courtesy of Which Bookie. At a wild price, Kauto Riko could sneak a place, if not better.

While, in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, the Grade 1-placed pair of Saint Sam and Busselton look to have been let in lightly by the UK handicapper.

Day Two

Wednesday opens up with a corking renewal of the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, and if the winner comes from anything other than Bob O’Linger, Bravemansgame or Gaillaird Du Mesnil, then, I’ll stop of shorting of suggesting doing something ridiculous, but put simply, I’d be most surprised.

Next up is the RSA/Festival Novices’ Chase/Brown Advisory/Broadway/and whatever else you want to call it doesn’t really matter, as it should be known as the ‘Cheltenham Gold Cup 2022 winner Monkfish Lap Of Honour Chase’. He is the most exciting staying chaser that I think I have seen in my lifetime – just so good, so uncomplicated, so assured of jumping, and pretty quick to boot.

Put The Kettle On is overpriced to take her record to 4 from 4 at Cheltenham in the Champion Chase, while I’ve no idea what wins the Cross Country or the Grand Annual, but I do think Grand Roi (should he run) will go close in the Coral Cup.

Sir Gerhard will take a huge amount of beating in the bumper. Yes,I know Kilcruit looked like he sprouted wings last time, but that race fell apart. Sir Gerhard is better.

Hence my second day free £50 bet goes on the Monkfish/Sir Gerhard double.

Day Three

It would be great to see Envoi Allen prove that whatever kerfuffle there has been away from the track, (with regard to Gordon Elliott, and the transferring of all the Cheveley Park Stud horses to either Henry De Bromhead and Willie Mullins,) that on the track he is simply a racehorse to be wondered at. Chantry House could give him most to do.

Day three after that is a day of some nice each-way bets I feel – The Bosses Oscar and Honest Vic won’t be far away in the Pertemps Final, Melon will be chased home by Imperial Aura and Mister Fisher in the Ryanair, while Sire Du Berlais and The Storyteller (what an amazing horse) will be in the frame in the Stayers’ Hurdle.

But for the nap of the day and the £50 free bet, Sire Du Berlais and The Storyteller could have their work cut out to beat the improving, progressive Thyme Hill. It would be lovely to see Philip Hobbs with another potential superstar.

Day Four

Gold Cup day – and the big one is mightily competitive, with plenty of double figure prices making a fair bit of appeal, in addition to the solid claims of two-time winner Al Boum Photo, Champ and A Plus Tard. But I just have a sneaky suspicion that Minella Indo can bounce back to the form that saw him go through last year’s RSA like the best horse. I know he didn’t win, but watch the race again, I urge you…

Gordon Elliott-trained horse provisos apply again, but both of his Quilixios and Fakiera be involved in the finishes of the Triumph Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, respectively.

The County Hurdle and the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle are races I love, but rarely back the winner of. But wherever Willie Mullins elects to run his trio of Blue Lord, Ganapathi and Gentleman Du Mee, they will carry my each-way support. The handicapper has given them very lenient marks on what they’ve done across the Irish Sea of late.

The nap and recipient of the £50 free bet will be Elimay in the new-fangled Mares Chase. She looks bombproof.

Festival Multiple

Yes, it’s muggy and the bet of, (apologies if I offend anyone here,) your average punter – but the Shishkin/Monkfish/Envoi Allen treble has only one worry, that is the upheaval Envoi Allen may have suffered in the recent change of stable. But Henry De Bromhead is wise and will ensure everything is done to ally those fears.