Sky Sports tipster Jones Knows is ready for the races and reveals his participation plan for day three at Cheltenham with six bets on his radar.
He Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle (3.30) it’s billed as a puzzle to solve, but there’s a chance people are overcomplicating things. The key event of the race – the Cleeve Hurdle – was won by GOLDEN TWEET (1 EW Point as of 11/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!) in impressive fashion, where he left two strong fans on the ride at Paisely Park and Drashel Drasher in his wake. That shape has not been given the respect it deserves, probably on the grounds that the horse is a French raider.
It bodes well that 14 of the last 17 Cleeve Hurdle winners have finished in the top four when tackling the Stayers Hurdle with five of the winners – it’s a key point. With the odds posted, Gold Tweet has form in the book to be in the mix.
I’d be quite surprised if Mighty Potter doesn’t turn out to be the good thing in the Rookie Turner Chase (1.30) but it’s not a betting proposition with the odds announced after he didn’t exactly have a pleasant experience in Cheltenham at the Supreme last year. That potential mental scar is enough to discourage me from getting involved. Similar comments apply to Shiskin in the Ryanair Chase (2.50). Yes, he’s the most likely winner, but his complete beating on the track last season makes it hard to trust him. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find an every-way angle against him in a very poor looking race.
It’s easy to get sucked into a sexy, unexposed horse in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (2.10) but I prefer to endorse one with experience at the back of a race which suggests the horse is ready to run for its life.
With eight places on offer from Sky Bet, I’m going to back three from each track that fit that mould. ITCHY FEET (1 EW Point at 1/25 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!) He was once third in a Supreme Novices Hurdle behind Klassical Dream and has reinvigorated himself returning to hurdles, winning at Huntingdon before hitting a headwind at Haydock in a Grade Two before getting caught on the line.
COLTOR (1pt EW at 1/22 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)Trained by Roger Fell, who is associated with training top-class sprinters on the floor, he seems to have found the key with this strong runner who finished fifth in the Boodles Fred Winter in 2021.
This career seems perfect for him, where he will finish with a rattle while others wither away. The same theory applies to the ever-so-game GALA GLANCE (1pt EW at 1/25 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!). In the last four years mares have won four of the handicap races at the Cheltenham Festival from just 27 runners with a further seven hitting the frame so a horse with this gutsy profile who bested the talented Ashtown Lad at Warwick la last time needs a lot of respect. at great odds.
He Plate Handicap Pursuit (4.10) it’s a fantastic, high-class renovation with a field full of hunters who could be on the brink of Grade One next season. So Scottish, absolutely up for this one, and Haut En Couleurs, trained by Willie Mullins and looking for a Grade Two winner before crashing out in the latter earlier this season, are full of talent but have yet to show their hand in Cheltenham. .
That makes it hard to trust them at low prices, plus Mullins is 0-35 in the Festival in handicap chases. I will be investing in Cheltenham’s proven form from earlier this season who has held up well in recent years in this race with Siruh Du Lac and Simply The Betts taking the spoils after winning at Cheltenham earlier that season.
That’s why I’m happy to split the stakes, with Sky Bet paying seven places, between IL RIDOTO (1pt EW at 2/17 on Sky Bet – Bet Here!), MIDNIGHT RIVER (1 EW Point at 9/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!) and FUGITIF (1pt EW at 12/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!) – all of whom have fantastic form on track this season and still look capable of winning their current mark.
P+L after day two: -10.5
Betting plan:
2.10 – 1pt EW on ITCHY FEET (1/25 with Sky Bet) & COLTOR (1/22 with Sky Bet)
3.30 – 1pt EW on GOLD TWEET (1/11 with Sky Bet)
4.10 – 1pt EW on IL RIDOTO (17/2 with Sky Bet), MIDNIGHT RIVER (9/1 with Sky Bet) and FUGITIF (12/1 with Sky Bet)
