With the cold snap likely to play havoc with the weekend race cards in Britain, it seems more sensible for me to take an early look at the Cheltenham Festival from an ante-post point of view. It is stating the obvious but the number one rule of ante-post betting is to do all you can to back a horse that is going to run in your chosen race – in this case one of the contests at the Cotswolds racecourse in two months’ time.
For me that rules out most of the high-class novice hurdles and novice chasers in which Irish trainer Willie Mullins and other top yards like to shuffle their pack with different horses being allocated to different races of different distances right up to the 48-hour declaration stages.
I will look elsewhere for two ante-post bets. The Grade 1 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on 13 March is much more open than usual with last year’s winner Inothewayurthinkin failing to sparkle in two runs this season and no other horse stamping its authority on the ante-post market. It is asking a lot – though not impossible – for dual Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs to regain his crown at the age of ten.
One of my biggest faults as a gambler is to stay too loyal to horses that I like when they lose their form but with HAITI COULEURS it is the other way around: I have not stayed loyal enough to him after a winning bet.
In early February last year, I put up Rebecca Curtis’s gelding for the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase at 8-1 in this blog. He duly obliged by comfortably winning the race at 7-2 some five weeks later.
Since then, Haiti Couleurs has won three of his next four races, including the BoyleSports Irish Grand National last season and the Coral Welsh Grand National this season, without my hard-earned being on him in any of these races. It’s easy to forgive him his one bad run when he was clearly not right when pulling up in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Haiti Couleurs has plenty to find on official rating to win a Gold Cup. However, when this magnificent jumper is running for fun from the front under jockey Sean Bowen, he is a very difficult horse to pass in any class of race. His Welsh handler is aiming him at the Gold Cup in which she says he has a serous chance. Back Haiti Couleurs 1 point each way at 14-1 for the race, a price available with almost all bookmakers.
By any standards GOLDEN ACE was a fortunate 25-1 winner of the Unibet Champion Hurdle last March after both State Man and Constitution Hill crashed out of the race. She has had plenty of good fortune since then too, winning the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdleat Newcastle in November at 22-1, this time after Constitution Hill and The New Lion both fell.
However, Golden Ace is a consistent and game mare who, unlike many of her rivals, always jumps well and it seems certain that trainer Jeremey Scott will send her back to Cheltenham in March to defend her crown, rather than opt for the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle over a longer trip.
Sir Gino, a six-year-old gelding, is going to be a tough to beat in the Champion Hurdle if he turns up but this is a horse that has had his injury issues in the past resulting in a year away from the track. With that record, I would not want to be taking the current odds of 11-8 or less.
Instead back Golden Ace 1 point each way at 16-1 for this year’s Champion Hurdle on 10 March, once again that is a price available with most bookmakers. Over the past two seasons, Golden Ace has undoubtedly been a lucky horse and hopefully that will continue on 10 March in a race which could easily result in a small field. There were only seven runners in the race last year.
From her small Somerset yard, Golden Ace looks certain to go under the radar yet again even though she is now a dual Festival winner, having won the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in 2024. The softer the ground, the better on the day as she is not short of stamina.
Sadly, one of my two earlier ante-post bets is going to miss Cheltenham: Derryhassen Paddy has suffered a stress fracture and therefore won’t be winning the Brown Advisory Chase. That’s the ups and down of ante-post betting and why it isn’t for everyone.
Pending:
1 point each way Romeo Coolio at 16-1 for the Arkle Chase, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Golden Ace at 16-1 for the Champion Hurdle, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Derryhassen Paddy at 25-1 for the Brown Advisory Chase, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Haiti Couleurs at 14-1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
Last weekend: – 4 points
1 point each way Annsam at 10-1 for the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase final, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places. Fell. – 2 points.
1 point each way Hot Fuss at 9-2 for the Read Nicky Henderson’s Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2025-26 jumps season: running total – 7.875 points
2025 flat season: + 84.12 points on all tips.
2024-5 jumps season: – 47.61 points on all tips.
2024 flat season: + 41.4 points on all tips.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
Total for six full seasons of tipping: + 126 points
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