Cheltenham Tips - Festival Trials Day Predictions & Odds for ITV Racing
Festival Trials Day may not have lived up to the billing in recent years, but this year could be a classic day of racing! My Cheltenham tips below will look at all the big races, and try to pinpoint winners on the day, plus horses to watch at the festival in March.
Below, you'll get the tips, race card for each of the races we preview and the latest odds giving you all you need in one place here on Free Bets so you don't need to go anywhere else!
Cheltenham Tips - Festival Trials Day Horse Racing
I've taken a look at the key races below and alongside my picks, you'll see odds from the best betting sites too, so you can see what prices are currently available on them all.
Cheltenham 1:15pm - Prairie Wolf (EW)
Perhaps the most competitive race of the day kicks us off, and a few of these are likely to turn up at the festival in March.
Jagwar will command the market here, but rather than going in a short-ish odds, I like an each way horse against him and that is Prairie Wolf from the Sue Smith yard.
She's having an excellent year with new training partner Joel Parkinson, and we've seen them land a few nice prizes on Saturday's over the past could of months.
A winner at Aintree on Boxing Day, I thought that was a pretty good race and he's only up 3lb in the weights. I think he's still handicapped to run a nice race, and can challenge the frame at double figure odds.
Cheltenham 1:50pm - Final Orders
Anyone who saw the Cross Country race in December here would no doubt have been impressed with Final Orders, who won far more comfortably than the margin of just over four lengths.
He's got life much tougher today, with a 9lb rise in the weights, but I think he offers value in this field to go and win again.
At the time of writing, he's more than double the price of J'Arrive De L'Est who was in second back in December.
For me, the change at the weights puts them level, so the value is definitely with Final Orders. I'd say he was the strongest of my horse racing tips for the day.
Cheltenham 2:25pm - Grey Dawning
Hitting the key trials now, and this is where I've got varying views depending whether we're looking at today, or March.
I wouldn't back Grey Dawning to win the Gold Cup with someone else's money, but I do think he wins this, it looks perfect for him.
A tad shorter trip than the Gold Cup, to eliminate that worry I have, and I think all his rivals need either a little further or shorter than this trip to be seen to best effect.
Regardless of what he does here, I'll not side with him in March, but I will take Grey Dawning to win this.
Cheltenham 3:00pm - Sir Gino
I'm going to get into even more complex talk now with this race. If you're asking me who wins the International Hurdle, then I'm with Sir Gino all day long. However, I think as soon as he's won this race, I'd be looking to back The New Lion for the Champion Hurdle, as that's where all the value will be.
Sir Gino is made for two miles, this small field and a race that's likely to be fairly steady, and require speed at the end, is going to play perfectly into his hands as a true two miler.
What The New Lion needs is an incredibly strong gallop, a real test and an ending where the speedsters have had it taken out of them. And that's exactly what I'm hoping he gets in the Champion Hurdle.
So today, Sir Gino wins, but in terms of a bet, the only one I'll be interested in is seeing what price The New Lion drifts to after the race, assuming the only thing that's beaten him is speed.
Cheltenham 3:35pm - Impose Toi
I think the Irish have a far stronger hand for the Stayers Hurdle than we do, but I do think that Impose Toi is the best we've got on home soil.
He's proven it so far this year, winning three on the bounce from handicap company to a Grade Two and last time out, the Grade One Long Walk as Ascot.
On his last two starts, he's had main rival Strong Leader in behind him, and I see no reason that switches here. But even with a really good win, I'd still be inclined to go against him in the Stayers Hurdle.
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