Cheltenham Tips / Andy Constantinou / 10 March 2009 / Leave a comment

Our big meeting tipster has picked a pair of big priced horses in two of the first day races.

As I write this the opening day of the 2009 Festival is merely a night and a morning away. My favourite four days of the year, probably most purists' favourite four days of the year, can't wait for it...now the hard bit, where we do we find this year's winners?

Tuesday is traditionally a top-drawer day, the Supreme Novices, Arkle, Champion Hurdle. Six races tomorrow, but only two can be analysed here for the purposes of this column each day, which to go for? Tough decision.

The Arkle is tough, Tatenen has a nice profile but this has clearly been factored in to his current price, plenty beneath him at prices can go well, Forpadydeplasterer, Tartak and Follow The Plan to name but three. Too tough.

The Champion? Now what do we do here...?! I'll know more tomorrow, will it rain or will it pour? Binocular's fate lies with the heavens for me, no good for this space the night before.

The Supreme, ahhh simplicity. Cousin Vinny is the class act but rumours are he hasn't had a meal since Saturday, acceptable if you have a price already, a real head scratcher now if you're left pondering the 11/4. Either way, Willie Mullins is the man to beat here, CV or his stablemate Kempes will come home in front for me.

So to the three-mile Handicap Chase we go, a race that will always be close to my heart for, in 2007, Joes Edge scraped home at 50/1, the bet of the day, a breathless finish. Betfair Radio's listeners who followed me in no doubt going through the same. So here we go two years later, trying to work the oracle once again.

Plenty don't appeal: badly handicapped, out of form, won't stay or simply not good enough. I want something unexposed, something at a price, something that fulfils the definition of that that elusive word...'value'.

One stands out. He's got the class to win the race, he'll definitely stay and if the overnight rains prove to validate their widespread prophecy, he'll be one of the few who will adore the likely conditions. Bring on, Golden Flight.

Not far off the best in France in his younger years, a Grade 1 winner, a horse who gave L'Ami a thorough beating in his pomp, he's always had class. He stays, he adores soft going and he's trained by the 'first time up' master trainer of them all, Nicky Henderson.

He's not run for nearly two years, no problems at all there by my estimations. I'm sure N.J.H wouldn't be bringing the horse to the Festival just for the ambience. Why risk bringing him back unless he was right after such an absence from the track? The yard remains in great form, they have a fantastic recent record in this particular race and if he's even close to the horse he was then he's chucked in off 145.

It's a risky punt but the price outweighs the relative risk and merits the bet, at around [26.0] and I'm happy to play in a field where few can be fancied. Maybe he's not what he was, maybe he'll blow out but I make him [15.0] against these and we can back him at over ten points bigger, so he's our first play today.

The other race where I'm taking an involvement for purposes of this feature is the last on the card. Numbers aplenty here but few who can be seriously fancied so we'll keep it simple.

Quevega isn't certain to stay for me, especially given the likely conditions, at the price I'm more than happy to look elsewhere. United stays, goes well with plenty of cut underfoot, has classy back form and this year's form, in particular her handicap win off near top weight beating Chief Yeoman at Haydock, stands up to the closest of scrutiny. She looks the pick to me of the market leaders.

Beneath her there's an eye-catching outsider, Over Sixty. Doesn't look good enough at first glance but she's a young unexposed mare aged six, I liked the way she fought up the hill behind Supreme Novice candidate Golan Way earlier in the season and her 70-day break from the track screams 'laid out for this' to me.

Some form publications question her ability for the trip but I have no great concerns there. I remember her grade 2 winning half sister Diamant Noir, the hill won't be her major obstacle, far more to fear in the form of her classy rivals but at [40.0] she looks overpriced to be the surprise package and 'improver' in this field.

Prices Available at time of writing on Betfair.

Cheltenham 2.40 Golden Flight 1pt E/W ([26.0] Win & [5.7] Place)

Cheltenham 4.40 United 1pt E/W ([5.5] Win & [2.1] Place)

Cheltenham 4.40 Over Sixty 0.5pts E/W ([44.0] Win & [12.0] Place)

Staked: 5pts

Good luck to everyone for the opening day, may we all find plenty of winners and the horses come home safely. If the rains do fall overnight as forecast then Wednesday's feature here will see the horse I feel currently represents the best value of the entire meeting run, back with Wednesday's Daily Festival Duo tomorrow.