Tag: paddy power gold cup

Cheltenham Saturday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is Paddy Power Gold Cup day at Cheltenham on Saturday and the going remains soft after a dry opening day.

The big race is due off at 2.30 with Oscar Whisky and Johns Spirit heading the weights. Philip Hobbs was in good form with a double on Friday but Colour Squadron was diverted from this race only to be beaten by his stable companion in the novice chase. Present View won well at the festival in March and had a nice prep race over hurdles, although connections could have done without the nasty scare when he received a cut at the last flight. Fortunately no damage was done and trainer Jamie Snowdon is optimistic that there is more improvement to come.

The card opens at 12.40 with a tricky novices’ handicap. John Ferguson’s Parlour Game was a good winner on Friday and he will be looking to Chesterfield to continue the good work. Like his stable mate, he is a former Godolphin runner. There are plenty of disappointing types in this race so I am going to take a chance on Irish raider Diamond Dame who is certainly in great form at present.

All eyes will be on Kings Palace for his chasing debut in the 1.15. David Pipe’s six-year-old looked like being one of the bankers of the festival meeting but ran at least a stone below his best and eventually fell. He has had plenty of time to get over that experience and is capable of beating his four rivals if anywhere near his early form of last season.

The Murphy’s Group Handicap Chase at 1.50 features several walking wounded including Sam Winner, Cape Tribulation and The Package. Preference is for the latter who has run some great races here over the years and is capable of winning after a lengthy absence.

The Grand National winner Pineau De Re reappears over hurdles in the 3.00 but will be hard pressed to concede 4lbs to Vivaldi Collonges. He looked likely to score here last time out but was just beaten by In The Rough after a protracted dual. They finished well clear of the third and the Nicholls’ horse can go one better here.

Nicky Henderson’s Hargam makes his hurdling debut in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at 3.35 and is expected to run well. He was a high class performer on the level in France but faces a useful sort in Golden Doyen. He was beaten on the nod at Chepstow in a decent race and his experience may just give him the edge.

Diamond Dame 12.40 @14-1 Bet365

Kings Palace 1.15 @6-4 888Sport

The Package 1.50 @8-1 Ladbrokes

Present View 2.30 @13-2 Coral

Vivaldi Collonges 3.00 @6-1 Ladbrokes

Golden Doyen 3.35 @5-2 Paddy Power

Paddy Power Gold Cup Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s the Open meeting at Cheltenham this weekend featuring two big betting races in The Paddy Power Gold Cup (Saturday) and The Greatwood Hurdle (Sunday).

The Paddy Power Gold Cup looks wide open with bookmakers going 7-1 the field. That brings in festival winner Present View who showed his well-being with a fine run in a hurdle race last month. A mistake at the last cost him victory that day but connections were more concerned with an injury picked up in the process. Fortunately it turned out to be no more than skin deep and he is reported back in great form ahead of Saturday’s race.

Last year’s first and second, John’s Spirit and Colour Squadron, return to do battle once again. There is no doubt that the runner-up was unlucky last year when finishing fast to be beaten only three-quarters of a length. He continued to run well in subsequent races but has not managed to get his head in front since 2011. That is hardly a great recommendation but I felt that he was very unlucky not to win at Newton Abbot last time out.

Tom O’Brien was a late replacement for Tony McCoy and decided to let Colour Squadron kick on a long way from home. He should have beaten Wonderful Charm at the weights but began to tie up in the closing stages and was pegged back on the run-in. I feel that he is good value at 12-1 for another big run in this race. He is 4lbs better off with last year’s winner Johns Spirit who recently won in good style. You have to respect Jonjo O’Neill’s horse but he is 17lbs higher than a year ago.

Oscar Whisky has won six times at Cheltenham in his career, all at or around this distance. He fell at the first fence at the festival and was beaten by Uxizandre at Aintree but is a classy horse and should go well. You just wonder whether he stayed over hurdles a little too long to fulfil his potential over fences and it would be a great effort to win this first time out.

Easter Meteor fell two out in this race last year but I’m not convinced that he was travelling well enough to trouble the first two.  He is now with David Pipe but has been put up 8lbs since so is not exactly a dark horse.  Buywise was let down by his jumping when fifth to Present View here in March but put in a clear round to slam Astracad by nine lengths next time. He defied a 6lbs rise at Ludlow but is up a further 6lbs on Saturday.

Colour Squadron @14-1 888Sport, Betway

¼ odds, 1,2,3,4

Greatwood Hurdle Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The second big prize of the Open meeting at Cheltenham this weekend is the Greatwood Hurdle on Sunday. The favourite is a horse that was a rare failure for the Nicky Henderson stable last season who failed to go on after finishing runner-up behind Olofi in this race.

Cash and Go revives painful memories as I had backed him at Ascot for the Ladbroke Hurdle on the strength of his performance in the Greatwood. Barry Geraghty is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished jump jockeys around but I think even he would admit that he got it all wrong on that occasion. He took a pull early on and practically left his horse blinded towards the rear of the 21-runner field. I’m sure that he was guessing at his hurdles and it was no surprise when Geraghty slid out of the side door after a mistake at the fourth.

The fact that he is favourite this year owes nothing to his subsequent efforts so I can only presume that he has been showing a lot more at home. Pine Creek won the William Hill Hurdle at Ascot last time out and certainly cruised into the race in good style. He did not win quite so easily as seemed likely and I’m not convinced that it was the greatest race. Neither of the front two makes any appeal at odds of around 6-1.

I have much more time for Sametegal at nearly twice the price, trained by Paul Nicholls. On the face of it he has a tough task under 11st 7lb having beaten Bayan by only a neck here last month. However, he had previous winner Handazan stone cold with half a mile to go and would have been more impressive with a stronger pace. He was a respectable third in the Triumph Hurdle and should run well.

My second selection is Kashmir Peak. He was beaten a mile in the Triumph but that was as a result of an early mistake and he is better judged on two meetings with Sametegal last season. He beat that rival by a length at Doncaster and was set to do so again at Musselburgh before unseating his rider four out. His four races on the flat have resulted in three placed efforts including a fine head second to Thomas Hobson at Newbury last month. If he transfers that improvement to hurdles he must have a good each-way chance.

I am also adding a second long-shot to my Paddy Power Gold Cup selection in the form of Astracad. Nigel Twiston-Davies has stated that he will run as long as the ground doesn’t turn soft and he also looks generously priced at 33-1.

Paddy Power Gold Cup Astracad (each-way) 33-1 888Sport

Greatwood Hurdle Kashmir Peak 12-1 Ladbrokes, BetVictor

Greatwood Hurdle Sametegal 10-1 Coral, Bet365

 

Paddy Power Gold Cup Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Conduct (8-1) overcame a wide draw to win the November Handicap by five lengths on Saturday, ensuring that we ended the flat turf season on a winning note. Cheltenham’s Open meeting should get the pulse racing this weekend and the Paddy Power Gold Cup has attracted a good quality entry of 28.

Not for the first time, David Pipe is deliberating long and hard before committing Dynaste to this race. It is very much a case of Grands Cru revisited. Dynaste looked the best three-mile novice in training last season but was diverted to the two and a half miler at the festival at the last moment. He was beaten there but returned to his brilliant best at Aintree. He has the potential to make up into a Gold Cup contender this year so you cannot blame Pipe for being cautious. Likewise, I wouldn’t risk a penny on him until he is declared a definite runner.

Nicky Henderson has three entries with Finian’s Rainbow, Rajdhani Express and Nadiya De La Vega. The first two look to have a tough task at the weights on their seasonal debuts but Nadiya De La Vega is actually 5lbs lower than when third here a year ago. The seven-year-olds form is a bit in and out and has not been the safest conveyance in the past.

One of the best backed horses is Jonjo O’Neill’s Johns Spirit, an easy winner here at the last meeting. Whilst he looked a good bet at 14-1, he makes less appeal at a miserly 6-1 when you consider that he has been raised 10lbs and this is a much tougher race. Martin Keighley’s Champion Court has run well here in the past, notably when second to Sir Des Champs at the festival in 2012. The trainer reports him to be in great shape and admits that he has targeted this race for some time.

There are question marks about Salut Flo, Ballynagour and Katenko. Salut Flo has not raced since winning at the festival in 2012, Ballynagour has two ways of running and Katenko would probably like it softer. The latter also has to contend with a lengthy absence. Irish raiders are rare in this race but Hidden Cyclone and Texas Jack could be interesting at long odds. Texas Jack was up with the best staying novices last season and Hidden Cyclone is reportedly on course for a big run.

One horse that looks overpriced is Alan King’s Kumbeshwar at 40-1. He was staying on strongly behind Somersby at Exeter and Wayne Hutchinson is booked for Saturday. He is a tentative each-way selection at this stage and we’ll take another look when the final declarations are made.

Kumbeshwar (each-way) 40-1 Ladbrokes, Coral