Tom Bellamy’s Cheltenham Festival 2023 Day Three Preview
Looking back at day two of the festival first and it was clear that Edwardstone did not give his true running in the Champion Chase. Whether that was the ground, running flat, or both, you can put a line through that run, that was not Edwardstone.
Onto day three and we’ll kick off with the Turners. Leading up to the festival, I’ve been fancying Banbridge for this, but now there is ease in the ground, you would have to have doubts around him. All his best form is on better ground, every time he’s encountered soft ground, he’s been a little disappointing.
For that reason, I’ll stick with the favourite here, Mighty Potter. I think he’s the rock solid option, handles soft ground fine, I think he’ll take all the beating now.
Next up is the Pertemps. A tough race to solve, but after picking the winner of the Coral Cup on Wednesday, we’ll try again here. This looks wide open, but I quite fancy a horse with a bit of course form, Mill Green.
He’s placed in this race last year off the same mark, seems to handle a bit of cut in the ground, and I think it’ll be hard work tomorrow.
He’s got competitive handicap form in big fields at both Cheltenham and Aintree, so can handle that, he’s an each way price but Mill Green looks to have a good chance.
In the third race on the card, I’ll stick with the same trainer as Mill Green, because I don’t think they’ll see which way Shishkin goes.
Blue Lord is second favourite, he looks short, and you can say that about many of the others in this race. I think Shishkin looks a rock solid candidate for being the best bet of the week for me.
Onto the Stayers and of course, let’s begin with Paisley Park. He’ll like the ground, which should slow everything down for him a bit. We will still get an end to end gallop here with Flooring Porter in the race, Klassical Dream likes to be ridden up with the pace too, I think this will be run at a frenetic gallop to be honest.
If you see Paisley Park off the bridle early on, that will be the best thing that could happen for him. He likes to come with a late surge, and when he travels, it usually means they are going too slow. He’s genuinely, at 16/1, a really really good each way bet.
As for the others, Teahupoo has done nothing wrong and has improved massively over the last two runs, before that you wouldn’t have mentioned him as a stayers hurdle horse. Blazing Khal, the same thing can be said, it looks a wide open renewal, with Flooring Porter in there also, who comes to life around Cheltenham, he’s got every chance.
It’s really wide open, and the one I’ll pick out is Paisley Park as an each way bet.
Onto the Festival Plate handicap chase where I quite like the Venetia Williams trained Frero Banbou. He was third in the Grand Annual last year, not beaten too far, and he comes here off a 6lb lower mark.
This is a step up in trip, which it looks like they’ve been waiting to do. It looks like there is plenty of room in his mark. We know Venetia’s horses like a bit of cut in the ground, he looks to be crying out for the step up in trip and looks set to run a big race off a lovely weight.
In the Mares Novice Hurdle, Luccia hasn’t done anything over hurdles on soft ground, but did win a bumper on soft and looked impressive. She looks the one to beat massively.
The one I thought that could give her a run for her money is You Wear It Well from the Jamie Snowden team. She won a Grade Two last time, second in a Grade One the time before, looks a very nice horse going forward. I think Luccia will win, but she looks an each way bet against here.
Lastly, the Kim Muir and Beauport is my fancy for Nigel Twiston-Davies. He’s won off 1lb lower over hurdles, loves cut in the ground, so will be fine with the soft ground here.
He was entered in the Ultima, he’s highly thought of this horse. He was meant to run in a Grade Two against McFabulous and wasn’t a very big price for that, he then ran in the Dipper, and while he was well beaten, the form looks rock solid with The Real Whacker winning on Wednesday.
I just think his form is absolutely rock solid and he’s back into a handicap here off what looks a very workable mark.
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