My Cheltenham Festival 2012

[BankofKauto]

Tuesday 1.5pt e/w Brampour @ 50/1 (sporting bet, Stan James) Wednesday Thursday 5pts e/w Bobs Worth @ 13/2 (Bet365 and Bodog) Friday

[BankofKauto]

Re: My Cheltenham Festival 2012 Champion Hurdle The champion hurdle is the race I feel that offers the greatest potential for value at this stage. Hurricane Fly is the current favourite but he has yet to appear on a racecourse and while the Mullins horse is obviously a class act he can’t be advised at a best price 11/4. 2/1 no runner no bet with Ladbrokes is more tempting but if he goes straight to Cheltenham without a prep run he would still be 2/1 on the day. Another 2 horses yet to be seen are Spirit Son (8/1) and Zarkandar (8/1). Both horses could be superstars but without having seen them this season I feel it is impossible to back them at this stage. Zarkandar has only had 3 races over hurdles and to win the Champion Hurdle as a 5 year old is a tough ask but as a lightly run 5 year old he would have to be some horse, therefore I think he is a good place lay to cover a bet on a more reliable sort. Grandouet (6/1) has done nothing wrong this season and is a horse I like but I am not convinced Cheltenham is the ideal track for him and he seems about the right price at 6/1. The horse I think provides the most value at this stage is Greatwood winner Brampour (50/1). The Greatwood has proved a good trial for the Champion Hurdle. Rooster Booster won both races and 2009 Greatwood winner Khyber Kim was runner up in the Champion Hurdle. Last season’s Greatwood winner, Menorah, finished 5th in the Champion. His last run in the Ladbroke at Ascot can be excused as it was only 7 days after his 3rd behind Grandouet in the International hurdles and the soft ground at Ascot was also against him. I think the good ground and fast pace are exactly what Brampour needs and the Cheltenham hill will be no problem. He has form to find with a few of the market principles but I believe that is factored into his price. Paul Nicholls has said in his Betfair column that he Champion Hurdle is still the plan and that he shouldn’t be written off. I think Brampour is the sort that Pricewise Tom Segal could tip up when he makes his antepost selection in the racing post which also gives the potential for a good trade on the exchanges. Selection 1.5pt e/w Brampour @ 50/1 (sporting bet, Stan James)