In-running Week: Cheltenham Festival special

In-running / Neil Munro / 17 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Cheltenham begins on March 13

"If Oscar Whisky runs in the World Hurdle be sure to back him pre-race and lay out your stake and a bit more at half BSP."

Neil Munro identifies seven horses that it could pay to bet on in-play at this year's Cheltenham Festival...

With a few abandonments happening across the country due to a recent cold snap the opportunity has arisen to spend a bit of time looking ahead to the Cheltenham Festival. Dreaming of finding that perfect trade at the National Hunt calendar highlight always starts to interrupt my sleep at this time of year. So below find some horses to keep an eye on at the Festival, but also if they run beforehand.

Finian's Rainbow

Nicky Henderson's nine-year-old is quite short in the Queen Mother Champion Chase market, bearing in mind there are question marks around the trip and I think his jumping but this does open up trading opportunities. Finian's Rainbow has an entry in the Gold Cup, which puts question marks in your mind, but also what I have seen with my own eyes has caused me to worry about the trip. He normally travels up with the pace so I wouldn't naturally see him as a lay to back trade. He does, however, tend to trade bigger in the run as he makes mistakes. He has gone off odds-on on his last three wins but has traded in the run at [3.0], [6.0] and [60.0]. But for his three career defeats his has traded at [1.14]; [2.0] and [1.50] during the race so that opens up opportunities as well.

If you have a strong opinion play pre-race, otherwise put a small back offer up at double BSP and a lay offer around evens for a similar stake with a lower offer at deeps odds-on.

Synchronised

Already mentioned a couple of weeks ago (03/01/2012) but if he goes for the Gold Cup, and it doesn't come up soft, lay him pre-race and back in-running at double BSP.

Somersby

Another horse I mentioned over Christmas. Ehatever his target is at Cheltenham (Ryanair seems the favourite) the play has to be to back small and then lay out 150% of your stake at half BSP to make money on the field for a horse who doesn't win often enough.

Oscars Well

After Pricewise tipped him for the Champion Hurdle last week, I suggested that if you had backed him ante-post you should lay out your stake and more in the run as he is not completely straightforward.

Oscar Whisky

Are they going to pitch a horse that could very easily be in the shake up for the Champion Hurdle up against Big Bucks in the World Hurdle? If they do be sure to back the seven-year-old pre-race, and then lay out your stake and a bit more at half BSP. He should travel up with the pace, trying to dictate, and he naturally catches the eye with his strong travelling, even with the market knowing Big Bucks so well.

Rock On Ruby

Paul Nicholls seven year old needs another win before Cheltenham for us to see him in the Champion Hurdle but if that happens we have another strong traveller to trade in the run. He has his half his BSP in four of five defeats.