It's Ladies Day today at Cheltenham and I am hoping that Lady Luck favours me with my picks and we can do a bit better than the 1 place yesterday. There are a couple of larger fields and some races with enhanced each way places as well as some good offers from various bookies which should cover a few losses but I would ideally like to land a big winner.
Source Traditional ladies day attire
Ballymore Novices' Hurdle 13:30
I was a big fan of Sons of Anarchy so the horse Samcro jumped out straight away, but then I saw the odds and as I said yesterday I tend to stay clear of short priced favourites. According to the tipsters this is a 2 horse race between Samcro and Next Destination.
As this is a bet with multiple offers providing opportunities to gamble risk free I will be betting on Next Destination at 4/1. With £55 on it, it should be a very good return if it does win and thanks to the promotions returning my stakes as free bets I will be able to reduce my losses to just a few quid if it fails.
RSA Insurance Novices' Chase 14:10
The tipsters are mostly leaning towards Monalee here but I fancy something with a little longer odds.
Black Corton stands out to me despite no tipster that I have seen favouring it there are some impressive stats. It's had 4 runs in this class and won 3 while placing in the other, has won both it's races at this course over this distance and has 7 wins with Bryony Frost riding. I am placing an Each Way bet on it at 9/1 as well as a bet on Dounikos also at 9/1 which has been tipped.
Coral Cup 14:50
This is a race I am using as a pure risk free opportunity, it is a big field and several bookies are offering enhanced each way places with Coral leading the way offering 7 places. Thanks to the win and place markets on the exchange being separate while they are fixed at the bookies it's possible to get favorable trades that can make a profit regardless of the outcome.
Due to the nature of the bets and the constant flow of the markets I place these bets closer to the race.
Queen Mother Champion Chase 15:30
This race seems to be a competitive race between 3 horses all with good stats and in good form, though 2 of them seem to have had health problems. This could mean that while the winner may come from 1 of them there may be room in the places for a long shot to sneak in.
I am placing a small Each Way bet on Ordinary World at 66/1, not just because I am a Duran Duran fan though. The horse has placed previously behind one of the favourites before in big race in the Arkle and has placed in 5 out of 7 races at this class. I am also going with another long shot Each Way with Charbel at 40/1.
If just 1 can sneak into the top 3 it will be a decent payout and if I am really lucky and 1 wins then the drinks are on me!
Cross Country Chase 16:10
There are a few names even I as a casual horse racing gambler recognise with some regulars from the Grand National. The field is pretty large and most bookies are only offering the top 3 so I do not think it is worth an each way bet on this one.
Most tipsters are going with Cause of Causes who is the favourite but I don't feel like the odds are good enough and so will skip this one.
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 16:50
and
Champion Hurdle 17:30
The day ends with 2 more races with big fields but both have plenty of bookies offering extra places and there are lots of big priced horses.
These 2 will both be races in which I will look to go to the exchange closer to the off and see if I can place a few trades that ensure a risk free profit.
It may not be the most exciting way to end the day but if those long shot bets don't come in earlier in the day these races will ensure I can get my stake money back in time for Day 3.
Best of luck to anybody reading this and gambling on today's races!