StevieDay1983

Chemical Energy - Ran well enough at The Festival last season when a 10L 8th to Banbridge in the Martin Pipe. He made his chasing debut the following month, but was a well beaten 5th. Returned in September and won over 2m1f at Listowel before winning a 3 runner race at Cheltenham in October over 3m. He won by 61L there beating Mahler Mission, but he clearly didn't run his race that day. He was then off until January when a well beaten 4th in a Grade 3 at Naas over 3m1f and on soft ground. His trainer has said he will have come on a ton for that run, but he will have needed to and he didn't jump particular well when winning here. This has been his target and Elliott has a good record in the race, but stamina and how he acts on the ground are big concerns for me.
Coolvalla - Comes here on the back of 4 wins on the bounce the first of which came off 90 over 3m2f in soft ground at Fontwell. His last win was over slightly further at the same track off 117 and the handicapper now has him on 130. He clearly stays well and handles the ground, but those wins were in Class 5 and Class 4 handicaps which is miles below what the fancied horses have been running in and he can be opposed.
Fakiera - Stlll a maiden over fences after 9 starts and his best run was over 3m5f at Fairyhouse in December when a close 2nd. He hasn't been near Graded company though and he was well beaten at Gowran Park last time, although it was his 3rd run in the space of just under a month. He will stay and handle the ground, but class wise he doesn't look good enough.
Gaillard Du Mesnil - Having a 2nd crack at a novice event at The Festival after finishing a staying on 3rd in last year's Brown Advisory behind L'Homme Presse. That effort alone is better than what any other horse in the race has achieved. He followed that up with a good 3rd in the Irish Grand National, where he was giving plenty of weight away to the 2 horses in front of him. This season he made his return in the Drinmore where he was only 4.5L behind Mighty Potter over a trip which would have been too short for him. He finally got his head in front in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown over Christmas where again he looked all about stamina. He then went to the Dublin Racing Festival and again dropped back in trip and was 3rd again behind Mighty Potter. He looks all about stamina, will have no issues about the ground and has the best form in the race.
Mahler Mission - Was a fair 7th in the Albert Bartlett at last year's Festival when a 66/1 chance and followed that up when winning a Listed Race at Perth. As mentioned above he ran no sort of race here on chasing debut when behind Chemical Energy. He left that form well behind though when making all to win at Navan in January after finishing 3rd at Punchestown. He went into Graded company last time at Navan when 2nd in the Ten Up Novice Chase 3/4L behind Churchstonewarrior, but given Gillard Du Mesnil had beaten him easily at Leopardstown on that form he has a bit to find with the favourite. He does look like he will be suited by a stamina test though.
Malinello - The furthest he has been is just shy of 3m when winning at Newcastle, but that was only a Class 3 handicap back in November and he has been beaten in 2 handicaps since. Looks firmly outclassed in this field.
Minella Crooner - He does shape like a through stayer so he might find improvement stepping up to this trip, but he needs to as his form isn't as strong at Gaillard Du Mesnil's. He went straight into Graded company on his chasing debut in November and finished 2nd by a neck to Darrens Hope at Punchestown. He then won at Fairyhouse a couple of weeks later over 2m5f. He went down in trip in a Grade 3 in January at Punchestown and was a well beaten 3rd when looking like he needed further. Last time he was beaten at 8/13 at Fairyhouse in a Rated Chase and that run hardly screamed Graded Cheltenham Festival winner.
Mister Coffey - 0-7 over fences although has been runner-up on 5 occasions including in the Kim Muir at last year's Festival where he got badly hampered by a faller at the 2nd and ended up losing ground. That might have just cost him the race. He's had just 2 runs this season and finished 2nd both times in handicaps at Chepstow and at Uttoxeter last time. Derek O'Connor came over to ride him there clearly with a view to him riding him in this contest. I don't think stamina will be an issue, but given he hung left on the run-in last time (not the first time he has done that) you do have to wonder about his will to win.
Tenzing - The least exposed runner in the field having only had 3 bumper starts, 1 start over hurdles and 3 starts over fences this season. He's been beaten by some useful horses including Mahler Mission last time. Was 10L behind him that day though and it is hard to see why he should reverse that form let alone be good enough to win.
Bellatrixsa - Won over 2m2f at Chester last flat season and has just had 2 runs over fences since where she has been well beaten on both occasions. Should be outclassed here.
Verdict - He is going to be one of the shortest price favourites of the whole meeting, but it is really hard to see past Gaillard Du Mesnil here. He has the best form in the race and has proven stamina unlike anything else in the race. The rest are going to have to find a fair bit of improvement for the big step-up in trip and I am not sure they will. Chemical Energy needs to bounce back from a poor run last time and whilst his trainer left a lot to work on it is hard to want to back him on the back of that effort. Whilst Mister Coffey finds it hard to win, he does like finishing 2nd and with proven Festival form I think he could be the one to chase the favourite home.
 

The main race on the opening day of the Cheltenham festival is the Champion Hurdle. This is the most prestigious event in the hurdling calendar. It is run over 2 miles and 87 yards and is open to horses aged 4 years or older. Off time is 3.30.
The first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927. The best race was arguably the 1977 running, when Night Nurse beat two other dual Champion Hurdle winners, Sea Pigeon and Monksfield. Dawn Run is the only horse to have won the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
At current prices, this year’s favourite Constitution Hill will be the shortest priced winner in its history, eclipsing Sir Ken who won at 2/5 in 1953.
The leading trainer, with 8 wins, is Nicky Henderson, who trains Constitution Hill.
It is a small field of 7 runners. With such a short-priced favourite there could potentially be value in backing each way.
 
I have looked at the statistics over the last 9 years and these are my key conclusions.
The forecast favourite has won 6 of the races with a profit of 5 points at SP and an AE of 1.72.
8 out of 26 runners have had 4 or more wins in their last 6 races with a profit of 11 points and an AE of 1.49. Constitution Hill and State Man pass this test.
Those horses with career starts of between 4 and 10 have recorded 7 wins from 40 runs with a profit of 3 points and an AE of 1.77. 3 horses pass this test, Constitution Hill, State Man and Vauban.
It is difficult to see beyond Constitution Hill, although at 4/11 this will not be for everyone.
For the more adventurous, a small wager on Vauban at 14/1 could provide an interest.

UNIBET CHAMPION HURDLE CHALLENGE TROPHY (GRADE 1) –  3:30PM
The main event on day one attracts some of the best two milers around. It is open to horses aged four and over and the field take in eight hurdles on their way to possible glory. Seven of the last ten winners of the race have been Irish trained and nine of the last ten winners all won on their previous start. Mares have also taken four of the last seven renewals The winner usually comes home well within four minutes, and they are usually well found in the market. Only Espoir D’Allen and Rock On Ruby have won at double figure prices within the past decade.
Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins are the trainers to follow in this race having won the race no fewer than nine times between them. Punjabi, Binocular, Buveur D’Air (2017 & 2018) and Epatante have all scored for the master of Seven Barrows, whilst Hurricane Fly (2011 & 2013), Faugheen and Annie Power have all won for the Closutton based handler. Horses who perform well at Leopardstown and Sandown in their prep races tend to have a better chance of winning this race.
Year
Horse
Age
Trainer
Jockey
2022
Honeysuckle
8
H De Bromhead
R Blackmore
2021
Honeysuckle
7
H De Bromhead
R Blackmore
2020
Epatante
6
N Henderson
B Geraghty
2019
Espoir D’Allen
5
G Cromwell
M Walsh
2018
Buveur D’Air
7
N Henderson
B Geraghty
2017
Buveur D’Air
6
N Henderson
N Fehily
2016
Annie Power
8
W Mullins
R Walsh
2015
Faugheen
7
W Mullins
R Walsh
2014
Jezki
6
J Harrington
B Geraghty
2013
Hurricane Fly
9
W Mullins
R Walsh
2012
Rock On Ruby
7
P Nicholls
N Fehily
 
 
 
CONSTITUTION HILL – NICKY HENDERSON
Was made favourite ever since demolishing a fair field in the Supreme Novices’ last season and has maintained his lofty reputation ever since. Wide margin wins in the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdles mean he is very much the one to beat. Nicky Henderson last won this with Epatante back in 2020, but he is a master of winning this race having done so five times since 2009. He is rated six pounds higher than his nearest rival and on all known form ought to take the world of beating.
STATE MAN – WILLIE MULLINS
Another progressive sort who remains undefeated since February 2022. He was a particularly impressive winner of the County Hurdle last season beating the likes of First Street and Colonel Mustard. He is Ireland’s leading hope this year and having beaten the reigning Champion at Leopardstown last time, Willie Mullins will be confident of a huge run. He has six pounds to find with Constitution Hill on official ratings and that could well prove too much.
VAUBAN – WILLIE MULLINS
Has not progressed as you would have imagined this season following his good win here in the Triumph last year. He has been beaten all too easily this year and his jumping has been somewhat sketchy at times. A return to this track may well bring out some further improvement in him but he gives the impression that this sort of company over this sort of trip is too much.
I LIKE TO MOVE IT – NIGEL TWISTON-DAVIES
Locally trained runner and he bounced back to form with a demolition of the useful Knappers Hill un the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton back in January. He is a three time course and distance winner but Grade 2 races are probably more to his liking. Others in here just look to be far more consistent and have just that little more class.
JASON THE MILITANT – PHIL KIRBY & JOEL WILLIAMSON
A former Grade 2 winner in his younger days but they sadly seem to be a long and distant memory now. He has been beaten a combined total of sixty lengths in his last four races and as one of the oldest in this line-up, he looks squarely up against it. Realistically he needs to have his sights lowered and he may be able to find a small race in time. Definetley not the force of old and best avoided today.
NOT SO SLEEPY – HUGHIE MORRISON & JONATHAN BURKE
Has been in the doldrums since dead-heating with Epatante in the Fighting Fifth in November 2021. His highlight of the season so far was when finishing third to Run For Oscar in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket last autumn. Two spins over hurdles this year have seen a certain regression and he looks completely out of his depth in this company.
ZANAHIYR – GORDON ELLIOTT & DAVY RUSSELL
Has not won a race of any kind since October 2021. Did keep good company last year and was placed in the Champion Hurdle behind Honeysuckle (before subsequently being disqualified). Has looked lifeless in three starts this season and has a serious amount of improvement to find in order to reverse recent form with State Man.
Ante-post Prices
1/3 Constitution Hill, 3/1 State Man, 12/1 Vauban, 20/1 I Like To Move It, 66/1 Zanahiyr, 150/1 Not So Sleepy, 150/1 Jason The Militant
Key Trends
10 of the last 12 winners were unbeaten during the current season
9 of the past 13 winners had run no more than nine times over hurdles
14 of the past 24 winners had won at the festival previously
Summary
CONSTITUTION HILL is hardly the bravest of selections but on all known form that we have seen, he should take a lot of stopping. He has already beaten the likes of Epatante this season and he dismissed her with such ease that it was quite breath-taking. State Man seems to have won a weak Grade One at Leopardstown last time and will need to up his game a little bit more here.
Selection: CONSTITUTION HILL

my opinion on the race, I’d happily oppose Marine Nationale. While Barry Connell has been bullish to say the least, he’s not been seen for a long time which would be a big negative and I don’t think that was a vintage Royal Bond. Facile Vega ran an awful race at the DRF and while he more than likely rates the best of these, you’d still be taking a serious gamble backing him. Il Etait Temps surely represents some value and could even drift on the day, he beat Facile Vega all ends up and would be the one I’d side with at the front of the market. Dark Raven would prefer some cut in the ground, and should the rain come he may fill the places at a double figure price if they opt to come here. The English challenge is headed by Tahmuras, while Olly Murphy seemed quite sweet on Chasing Fire.  

As in previous years we will be running a tipsters competition for Cheltenham, Tuesday 14th to Friday 17th March.
 
Rules:
1 selection per race throughout the competition Bets settled to £1 level stakes - WIN Only Bets settled at SP Highest accumulative total over the competition wins £100 cash (via PayPal) Runner Up wins £40 and the third place wins £20, all prizes via your PayPal account There will be a £10 prize each day for the highest profit for that day No edits allowed in selection posts Losses incurred for losers. Replacement selections for NRs can be posted but must be before the first race deadline All Bets must be posted prior to the first race each day (no exceptions) Not compulsory to enter every day or every race (so if you miss the first day or two you can still take part) Leader-board posted each evening A minimum of 14 bets is required to qualify for the total prizes Only bets on that day's thread will be included, bets posted elsewhere will not be included  
All welcome, good luck
A separate thread will be created the evening before each day for selections to be posted in. You can find these threads in our dedicated Cheltenham Festival 2023 forum. Apologies for the confusion about moving it from the At The Races forum to the Cheltenham Festival 2023 forum!

Just giving this a bump so people can see this when they sign in to the forum. Get involved! We can never have too much horse racing knowledge on this forum! 

Do you think it could be worth backing early doors in case Soaring Glory performs at the Imperial Cup? Or is it a case of playing it cautious and waiting to see how the Imperial Cup performance goes?

I have backed  him already for  the county hurdle at  40's the thing is if he runs badly on Saturday they may pull him out  of the   Cheltenham race in which case i get my doe  back as would be the case if thet pulled him out because of ground conditions  but to be honest for me i am happy to take a chance as i am qute sweet on the horse chances and  as  i said i will probably back him on Saturday too but as long as the ground isn't to soft.  Martain pipe use to run  them in both races (imperial cup & a Cheltenham race) and indeed got the double up a couple of times  if i remember correctly  there is a bounus for it .

Well, blow me down with a feather, the drama just doesn't end around here does it! The to-ing and fro-ing between Jobu Jabulani's team and @Gazza's United's Palmers Allstars took another twist this week with the two teams now tied on 1,692 points. A rampant chasing pack is just behind but the 14-point cushion the top two hold will be tough to reduce in these latter months of the season.
Congratulations go to @SEAN NUMWA's FC We We for their 93-point haul. Not a bad total when the highest points tally overall was 133 points. It's interesting to note that 68 of those points came from their three Liverpool players. He could even afford to have a zero point scoring James Ward-Prowse in the starting XI!
The lowest score of the week goes to Terry Barker's Short Positioning. To put it bluntly, this team is currently a mess and the 17 points total for this week sums that up. It could have been a lot worse for the team had Kevin De Bruyne (6) and Danny Welbeck (5) not come in with a total of 11 points. Injuries and sold players suggest it's time for Terry to play his wild card!
The deadline for this next round of games is 11am GMT on Saturday 11th March! 

With  NRNB i am happy to play   1.5pts  e/w  SOARING GLORY 40/1 1/4 4places CORALS
Jonjo 'O'Neil trained horse i think has a bit of class about him and is back on  his last winning mark  he  likes  better ground  and  with good ground being ideal if he gets it then big big chance imho and 40's will look outrageous His last run can be forgiven as tank emptied   over a distance to far back to Two miles is just what the doctor orderd . He is also entered for the Imperial cup at Sandown and is 16/1 i willl have a bet e/w but only if the ground suits.
P/L + 0.22pts
 

The Cheltenham Festival 2023 is nearly here and Punters Lounge is here to provide you with all the latest racecards, odds, tips, offers, and information you want! Take a look around our dedicated Cheltenham Festival forum and get involved in all the chat and discussion before, during, and after each race. I thought it was worth posting this announcement in here because some might miss it in the announcements section.
Check out our Cheltenham Festival 2023 coverage here
You'll also want to keep an eye out for our betting competition that we'll be running during the festival where you'll have a chance to win prizes! As always, we are also keen to hear your bets and predictions for each race so we can bash the bookies! 

The Cheltenham Festival 2023 is nearly here and Punters Lounge is here to provide you with all the latest racecards, odds, tips, offers, and information you want! Take a look around our dedicated Cheltenham Festival forum and get involved in all the chat and discussion before, during, and after each race. I thought it was worth posting this announcement in here because some might miss it in the announcements section.
Check out our Cheltenham Festival 2023 coverage here
You'll also want to keep an eye out for our betting competition that we'll be running during the festival where you'll have a chance to win prizes! As always, we are also keen to hear your bets and predictions for each race so we can bash the bookies! 

Well past experiences say it is quite possible but i once watched a video on the drainage system at Cheltenham and have been to the festival on many occasions and seen the drain off through many ditches, culverts and streams and the amount of water running away was quite impressive even when the weather was dry. One year it hammered it down all week but by the Tuesday the ground had changed from soft to heavy on the Thursday to good by Tuesday. If the snow hasn't melted so can't drain away you might assume that racing would be abandoned anyway so i might suggest Heavy would be very unusual and soft more likely due to the current weather forecast. One further consideration is that it has been a very dry winter and the water tables are very low so have plenty of capacity to soak up the water even without taking the drainage systems into account. Personally i am going to assume soft at worst when considering form and selections up until Sunday or Monday where we will have a more definitive forecast. Finally, A bigger problem for punters is that if it rains on the day/s the ground cutting up will maybe have a significant influence but at least with that scenario we can adjust our thinking day by day.

Connell says Marine Nationale has "incredible speed" i can't find any evidence to back that up. I don't like the faux hype at the fav end of the betting this may well go to mullins or connell but when you look at what the size of this field will be do you really want to bet good money on any of those? I say this because they all look very similar to these eyes and to be honest i just don't get it so i am going to put 2 selections up.
Good or decent horses from the flat if they take to jumping is my play in this race. The ground at Cheltenham drains incredibly quickly due to its amazing drainage systems so i am guessing on good or good to soft ground.

The first horse is High Definition at 12/1 ew, never really been a fan of this horse but one look at its form from the flat tells you anything you need to know, as for jumping it managed to win first time up beating 26 rivals second time it didn't jump too well pecked and unseated Slevin. You can be sure they have had plenty of time to get his jumping up to scratch this team are no fools.
My main choice is Amir Kabir at 100/1 ew , why? you may ask, well Unlike Connell telling you his horse has "incredible speed" this one has proved it by running 8 seconds faster than standard over hurdles, a reasonable performer for the Charltons on the flat, Gordon Elliot has snapped this one up and it duly beat 14 rivals comfortably, it then got beat giving 4 Lbs to Flaming moon over 2m 1/2 furlong back over 2m (its 3rd start) it comfortably. beat the same opponent on level weights and then was presumably put away for this.
 
Amir Kabir is a no show was NRNB so no losses there.

You'll enjoy this then Richard !
 

My top 2 rated for supreme 
Il etait temps   9.0  7.8 
Marine national   8.7  4/1 
It's early but odds will plummet the closer we get ....my idea of winner is il etait temps if he runs and I can't see why not  ....the way he won last time suggests more to come and Marine has a 100 day layoff to overcome which is a big negative  but I'll try 10 pt wins both ? 

Sound the alarm! We have a new leader in the Punters Lounge Fantasy Football League! Jobu Jabulani with their eponymously-named team have stormed to the top of the table and knocked off @Gazza's United's Palmers Allstars. It was beautiful whilst it lasted Gareth but all good things must come to an end.
It was a rather hit and miss week this round with a large numbers of players not involved in league games due to the EFL Cup Final on Sunday. Essentially, if you paid attention and made your subs then there was every chance you could have scored big with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool players. However, if you didn't make the necessary changes then you were at risk of suffering a low score.
It was a bumper week for a lot of you with quite a few players surpassing the 100-point mark. However, it was an extra special haul of 117 points for @Dramfech's Amants Bandits. Double figure scores for Alisson, William Saliba, Virgil Van Dijk, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Mohamed Salah, and Erling Haaland helped them on their way. The team even had the luxury of carrying zero point scores from James Tarkowski, Neco Williams, Marcus Rashford, and Ivan Toney!
Prepare for something quite extraordinary with @Soi Bongkot's Whelan Wonders bringing in the Name of Shame award for this week with a diabolical 10 points. A team that has clearly felt no love for quite some time now had John Stones, Marcos Alonso, Bernardo Silva, Philippe Coutinho, and Wilfried Zaha all fail to notch up even a single point. Somehow, he remains off the bottom spot but for how much longer will that be the case?
The winner of the Manager of the Month for February goes to Jobu Jabulani but due to them not being registered in the sign up thread on the forum they are not eligible for the monthly prize. Let's see who can take the award next month!
Deadline for this week's games is 11am GMT on Saturday 4th March, 2023.

Sound the alarm! We have a new leader in the Punters Lounge Fantasy Football League! Jobu Jabulani with their eponymously-named team have stormed to the top of the table and knocked off @Gazza's United's Palmers Allstars. It was beautiful whilst it lasted Gareth but all good things must come to an end.
It was a rather hit and miss week this round with a large numbers of players not involved in league games due to the EFL Cup Final on Sunday. Essentially, if you paid attention and made your subs then there was every chance you could have scored big with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool players. However, if you didn't make the necessary changes then you were at risk of suffering a low score.
It was a bumper week for a lot of you with quite a few players surpassing the 100-point mark. However, it was an extra special haul of 117 points for @Dramfech's Amants Bandits. Double figure scores for Alisson, William Saliba, Virgil Van Dijk, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Mohamed Salah, and Erling Haaland helped them on their way. The team even had the luxury of carrying zero point scores from James Tarkowski, Neco Williams, Marcus Rashford, and Ivan Toney!
Prepare for something quite extraordinary with @Soi Bongkot's Whelan Wonders bringing in the Name of Shame award for this week with a diabolical 10 points. A team that has clearly felt no love for quite some time now had John Stones, Marcos Alonso, Bernardo Silva, Philippe Coutinho, and Wilfried Zaha all fail to notch up even a single point. Somehow, he remains off the bottom spot but for how much longer will that be the case?
The winner of the Manager of the Month for February goes to Jobu Jabulani but due to them not being registered in the sign up thread on the forum they are not eligible for the monthly prize. Let's see who can take the award next month!
Deadline for this week's games is 11am GMT on Saturday 4th March, 2023.

The Cheltenham Festival 2023 is nearly here and Punters Lounge is here to provide you with all the latest racecards, odds, tips, offers, and information you want! Take a look around our dedicated Cheltenham Festival forum and get involved in all the chat and discussion before, during, and after each race.
Check out our Cheltenham Festival 2023 coverage here
You'll also want to keep an eye out for our betting competition that we'll be running during the festival where you'll have a chance to win prizes! We'll be sure to let you know when that starts. As always, we are also keen to hear your bets and predictions for each race so we can bash the bookies! 

Hi all,
I have been messaged by @MCLARKE to state he's currently in hospital but is hopeful he will be out and back to his normal routine in a couple of days so there will be a small delay to the NAP table being updated this week. We wish Michael all the best with what he hopes is a swift recovery and if he needs more time for recovery then we will look to get the tables updated for him. Understandably, this is Michael's labour of love and he's keen to continue to update it himself if possible for continuity purposes.
Thank you!
Steve

Hi all,
I have been messaged by @MCLARKE to state he's currently in hospital but is hopeful he will be out and back to his normal routine in a couple of days so there will be a small delay to the NAP table being updated this week. We wish Michael all the best with what he hopes is a swift recovery and if he needs more time for recovery then we will look to get the tables updated for him. Understandably, this is Michael's labour of love and he's keen to continue to update it himself if possible for continuity purposes.
Thank you!
Steve

Hi all,
I have been messaged by @MCLARKE to state he's currently in hospital but is hopeful he will be out and back to his normal routine in a couple of days so there will be a small delay to the NAP table being updated this week. We wish Michael all the best with what he hopes is a swift recovery and if he needs more time for recovery then we will look to get the tables updated for him. Understandably, this is Michael's labour of love and he's keen to continue to update it himself if possible for continuity purposes.
Thank you!
Steve

Hi all,
I have been messaged by @MCLARKE to state he's currently in hospital but is hopeful he will be out and back to his normal routine in a couple of days so there will be a small delay to the NAP table being updated this week. We wish Michael all the best with what he hopes is a swift recovery and if he needs more time for recovery then we will look to get the tables updated for him. Understandably, this is Michael's labour of love and he's keen to continue to update it himself if possible for continuity purposes.
Thank you!
Steve

Hi all,
I have been messaged by @MCLARKE to state he's currently in hospital but is hopeful he will be out and back to his normal routine in a couple of days so there will be a small delay to the NAP table being updated this week. We wish Michael all the best with what he hopes is a swift recovery and if he needs more time for recovery then we will look to get the tables updated for him. Understandably, this is Michael's labour of love and he's keen to continue to update it himself if possible for continuity purposes.
Thank you!
Steve