Cheltenham selections Thursday 12th March
Thursday is traditionally the most difficult day to find winners given the open natures of the races, but also the most rewarding. The switch of the Mares Hurdle to this afternoon does change the dynamic somewhat, but I have four other races on the card to find some value. We had a cracking day yesterday with wins for Jingko Blue (advised 10/1) and Final Orders (SP 7/1) plus a place for Kateira each-way (15/2).
Cheltenham 2.00: Regents Stroll & Meetmebythesea
Paul Nicholls rescued another otherwise disappointing Festival in 2025 when winning this race with Caldwell Potter and can do so again with the enthusiastic REGENTS STROLL.
Always highly regarded at home, he has sometimes spoiled his chances by pulling too hard, as was the case on his chasing debut at Newbury earlier this season. However he settled better when winning at Wincanton next time and then qualified for this race by chasing home Miami Magic here on New Years Day.
Harry Cobden attempted but failed to hold him up that day, but I suspect he will look to keep him handy throughout today, just as he did with Caldwell Potter last season. The defection of Sixmilebridge this morning will make that tactic an easier task.
MEETMEBYTHESEA has an impressive 5-7 win record over fences and I think we can largely ignore a heavy defeat in the Game Spirit last time as he did not have the class against top senior 2m horses and would not have appreciated the heavy going. Without running there though he would not have qualified to run here.
Kept to 2m this season, he will surely be better at this trip and already has a third place over 2m4f to his name in the valuable EBF hurdles final at Sandown last season. He was speedy enough to win a couple of races around Ludlow’s sharp track last season, but I am sure he will prove better with a stiffer test of stamina that he will get today.
Cheltenham 3.20: Teahupoo & Impose Toi
It has been a miserable Festival for trainer Gordon Elliott so far this week but today might be the day that turns and TEAHUPOO can land a second Stayers Hurdle having won the race impressively in 2024.
He was of course a narrow second in last year’s renewal, outpaced late on by Bob Olinger. However that rival is eleven now and was well held by Teahupoo on their running at Leopardstown over Christmas. As usual Elliott has kept his charge back for today as he has such a good record fresh and although the drying ground is not ideal, he has done most of his racing on similar ground over the past couple of seasons and he has looked as good as ever on it.
Drying ground will be a help for IMPOSE TOI though and makes him each-way value for today. He was just touched off in the Coral Cup at last season’s Festival but has improved for a step up to 3m this term.
Having coasted home in a Pertemps qualifier at the start of the season, he has graduated well into graded company. He managed victories in top staying races at Newbury and Ascot and the ground was too soft for him when beaten here on Trials Day. He will appreciate the sounder conditions today and has always produced a very high level of form around Cheltenham.
Cheltenham 4.40: Yeah Man & Bold Endeavour
Despite a quiet season, Gavin Cromwell’s team have come to Cheltenham in great form and have already bagged a winner this week. Cromwell might just have pulled a masterstroke in coming here to exploit a lower hurdles mark with YEAH MAN.
He qualified for this with a strong finishing second over Christmas at Leopardstown on similar ground to today and he remains 10lbs better off over the smaller obstacles.. We know him better as a fine staying handicap chaser, notably when taking the Grand National Trial at Haydock over 3m4f two seasons ago.
He had a run around Gowran last month over 2m to ensure he met race conditions having raced for a fifth time over hurdles, but he remains unexposed having won over 3m in a maiden way back in his career. He is sure to be staying on at the finish and Conor Stone-Walsh will be buoyed by his first Festival success for the trainer here yesterday.
However surely the best handicapped horse all week is BOLD ENDEAVOUR. This horse finished a fine fourth in this race in 2024, a week when the Henderson horses were nearly all sick. He raced off a mark of 143 that day. He had three runs for another stable last season, but failed to perform in any.
He has returned to Henderson for this season and we have seen him just the once when finishing third in a qualifier at Huntingdon last month. That was much more like the old Bold Endeavour and he is back on a mark of 130,so if he is anywhere near his best he is going to take plenty of beating today over a course and distance he is already proven at. Good going will be no issue either.
Cheltenham 5.20: Herakles Westwood & Daily Present
Finishing a close fourth here from 9lbs out of the handicap in December could have proved a costly move by Warren Greatrex in his handling of HERAKLES WESTWOOD. However the horse defied an 8lbs rise in the ratings to win here over 1f shorter on New Years Day and has only been put up a further 2lbs for today.
Given a wind op since that run, this horse has always shaped like an out and out stayer and so the extra furlong today will be in his favour. He has improved with every run at this track and in Finny Maguire has one of the top pilots on board. Given the often suicidal pace this race is run at, expect to see this horse creep into the race for a late run.
I am surprised to see last season’s winner DAILY PRESENT at such big odds to repeat the feat from just a 6lbs higher mark. He has raced over fences just once since in the Irish National where he might have been feeling the effects of a hard race here, though he is probably better on faster ground like today anyway.
He has just been given two runs over hurdles this season, giving a particularly bold effort the first time, but that should have set him up nicely for today. There was no fluke about his win last year, cutting down Johnnywho up the run in (who has franked the form in style this week). The same pilot Barry Stone, who gave him such a good ride around the inner last season is back on board today.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Regents Stroll – 2.0 Cheltenham – 5/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – Meetmebythesea – 2.0 Cheltenham – 13/2 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt win – Teahupoo – 3.20 Cheltenham – 7/2 general
1pt each-way – Impose Toi – 3.20 Cheltenham – 8/1 general (1/5 odds 1st 3)
0.5pts each-way – Yeah Man – 4.40 Cheltenham – 20/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 6)
1pt each-way – Bold Endeavour – 4.40 Cheltenham – 7/1 general (most bookies 1.5 odds 1st 6)
1pt each-way – Herakles Westwood – 5.20 Cheltenham – 9/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – Daily Present- 5.20 Cheltenham – 16/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
