Cheltenham Day 3 Tips: Kevin Blake's appreciating Mullins' overpriced runner

Kevin Blake
16 March 2023
3:00 min read

Kevin Blake lines up his best two bets on Day 3

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It was on this day in 2021 that Kevin Blake delivered a stunning 800/1 treble at the Cheltenham Festival. Can he hit the money again? Our racing expert Kevin Blake provides his NAP and NB for Thursday's action at Cheltenham...

Kevin Blake has two tips for Day 3 at Cheltenham
Our ambassador is siding with Willie Mullins in the Turners
Henry De Bromhead's catches the eye in the Mares' Hurdle

The halfway stage has been reached and, with a bit of luck, you'll be basking in the glow of a positive betting balance on the week so far. However, there is still a lot of racing to go and now isn't the time to lose focus. Let's hammer it home!

Two point bet in the Turners

Back Appreciate It 2pts 13:30 Turners Chase at 7/2

The 13:30 Turners Novices' Chase is another really exciting novices' contest to look forward to this week. Mighty Potter is a horse I've always loved.

Long-term readers may recall that he was my pick in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle last season only for him to make a bad mistake early and soon be pulled up.

He has hardly put a foot wrong since then, winning a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in his final start last season and winning all three of his starts over fences this season including two novice chases.

While his jumping hasn't been without flaw, his latest round at Leopardstown was his most consistent. In truth, I have very little against him bar his price.

The one that makes most appeal at the prices is the Willie Mullins-trained Appreciate It. The nine-year-old has been a very high profile performer throughout his career.

He has already won twice at the Cheltenham Festival, namely the Champion Bumper and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

He was confined to one start last season which curtailed his planned novice chasing campaign by a year, but he has made up for lost time in that discipline this season.

Appreciate It 1280 (2).jpg

One could only be delighted with Appreciate It's first two runs over fences. He won both by wide margins and impressed with his assured, fluent and clever jumping on both occasions.

While it was widely expected that he would step up in trip over fences, his connections opted to keep him at a shorter trip for the Irish Arkle. That proved to be a red-hot contest run at an electric pace.

For a horse with his profile, it was slightly surprising that Appreciate It was able to lay up with the pace for as long as he did, but he looked to pay for it up the run-in.

The pace of a Grade 1 over a mid-range trip should be ideal for Appreciate It and he could well prove to be better than ever over it. This is a very strong race, but Appreciate It looks overpriced.

Back Appreciate It 2pts 13:30 Turners Chase

4.5

De Bromhead to win the Mares'

Back Magical Zoe 1pt each-way 16:50 Mares' Novices Hurdle at 10/1

The 16:50 Jack De Bromhead Mares' Novices' Hurdle had been an Irish benefit since it was created until the Harry Fry-trained Love Envoi broke their stranglehold on it last year.

The British-trained contingent will have the one to beat in it this year in the shape of the Nicky Henderson-trained Luccia.

The daughter of The Gurkha has looked very good in her two starts to date, but it has come very easy to her so far and this race is usually a test of hardiness as well as class given it's helter-skelter nature.

One at a bigger price that I like is the Henry De Bromhead-trained Magical Zoe.

The five-year-old is similarly inexperienced as the favourite, but she is likely to have learned more in her two starts over hurdles as they were harder fought victories.

She was particularly impressive in a Grade 3 mares' novice hurdle at Down Royal back in November, overcoming significant trouble in running to nail Nikini close home under a ballsy ride.

De Bromhead made a deliberate decision at that stage to put her away with a view to coming to this race and he is likely to have every screw turned in anticipation of this race. It wouldn't surprise if she ran a big race.

Back Magical Zoe 1pt each-way 16:50 Mares' Novices Hurdle

11.0

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