Cheltenham Festival 2024 Tips: Eight NAPs from Betfair's best

• Brendan Duke lines up a 7/18.00 Nap

• Mark Milligan's tip is in the National Hunt Chase

• Alan Dudman finds a 12/113.00 shot in the Champion Bumper

• We're NRMB on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races

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Alan Dudman: Argento Boy - Champion Bumper

I am sure that nobody will be putting up a NAP in the Champion Bumper, so we will go against the tide and stick with Willie Mullins on the Wednesday with Argento Boy. And at least we haven't got the debate with what race he goes for.

Argento Boy is priced at 12/113.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook and that's a price that doesn't worry me in terms of chances as Mullins held 14 entries in the race at the time of writing. Argento Boy won on debut at Fairyhouse by 7L and looked very much a horse in the mould to stay.

His half-brother Briar Hill won the Champion Bumper for Mullins by a big margin at 25/126.00 in 2013, and he's also a half-brother to Boston Bob - two horses in the much-missed silks of Graham Wylie.

It's a family to improve with time and distance, and while Briar Hill turned into a horse most unlucky with injuries, Argento Boy can uphold the family tradition.

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Rhys Williams: Mill Green - Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle

Mill Green has jumped the last hurdle in front only to be picked off late on and finish third in the last two renewals of the Pertemps Final and I'm hoping he can go two places better this year off the back of an encouraging run in the Exeter qualifier.

He showed a tendency to jump to his left that day and wasn't given an overly hard ride in testing conditions so better can be expected of him in the Final off only a 2lb higher mark than he finished third off in the last two renewals.

The race didn't pan out ideally for him last year as he was last away from a standing start and raced wide so hopefully he can get a better trip this time and make it third time lucky in this race at 20/121.00.

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Brendan Duke: Edwardstone E/W - Champion Chase

A nap for Cheltenham is all they ask. How hard can that be? Well, tricky enough as it turns out. I toyed with both Lossiemouth and Dinoblue but short prices aren't really my bag. Ended up with Edwardstone e/w in the Champion Chase.

Whether nap and each-way are words that belong in the same sentence is a legitimate question. He does look a solid bet at current odds of 13/27.50 mind.

We may get eight runners on the day but that's not guaranteed. Lock up the three places now. It's hard to envisage him being a much bigger price on the day.

The Stone hadn't looked himself since disappointing in last year's Champion Chase until a zesty performance last time out in the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase. That resurgence coincided with a change in tactics. This bold jumper used his greatest weapon to full effect from the front. He had Boothill, a highly rated handicapper, in all sorts of bother when that horse tipped up at the second last.

There are other potential front runners in the Champion Chase but I don't think Edwardstone needs to lead. I fancy his jockey will give him his head early and see where he ends up. El Fabiolo and Jonbon have to be respected but neither are bombproof. I can see a world where Edwardstone bags a second Cheltenham Festival triumph, and am struggling with a world where he finishes out of the frame.

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Mike Norman: Sir Gino & Galopin Des Champs - Nap Double

Sir Gino to Win the Triumph Hurdle @ 4/61.67

Ignoring prices, if you asked me which horse I'm most confident about winning at this year's Festival it would be Sir Gino in Friday's Triumph Hurdle. Whether you back him at 4/61.67 is up to you.

The form of both his Auteuil and Kempton wins have been massively boosted, and the way he brushed aside Burdett Road in the Grade 2 Triumph Trial at Cheltenham in January was imperious. The way he travelled and quickened after the last was something very special.

Ireland's equivalent Triumph trial at the Dublin Racing Festival produced nothing to worry about, and with Constitution Hill now a Cheltenham no-show I have a feeling that Nicky Henderson will still end the week with everyone purring over one of his star hurdlers.

Galopin Des Champs to Win the Gold Cup @ 5/42.25

This year's Gold Cup - unlike some of the week's earlier Grade 1 races - is shaping up to be a great renewal, but like most people, I still have Galopin Des Champs far enough ahead of his rivals to warrant him being confidently backed at 5/42.25.

He's obviously been there and done it already as the defending Gold Cup champion, and it's worth pointing out that officially, he's rated a 7lb better horse going into this year's race (180 compared to 173 last year).

His two narrow, but surprising defeats that followed his Gold Cup success are now firmly forgiven after he produced arguably the best performance of his career when winning the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Christmas, and he's since won the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival. He's clearly the one to beat in my eyes.

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Mark Milligan: Embassy Gardens - National Hunt Chase

Willie Mullins' Embassy Gardens looks tailor-made for a tilt at the National Hunt Chase and he ranks as my best bet of the Festival.

The son of Shantou was a useful novice hurdler but has already proven much better since being sent over the bigger obstacles and is unbeaten in both starts over fences.

The feature of both of those wins has been how well Embassy Gardens has jumped, barely putting a foot wrong when scoring at Punchestown in December and then being equally proficient on his way to a smooth success in Grade 3 company at Naas last time.

Willie Mullins has taken this race four times, including the last two years with Stattler and Gaillard Du Mesnil, and Embassy Gardens looks potentially at least as good as that pair, with this proper stamina test expected to suit him to a tee.

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Ryan McCue: Facile Vega - Turners Novices' Chase

This horse has been crying out for a step up in trip and he eventually will get it here in the Turners Novices' Chase. With their being no proven Grade 1 horse in the lineup against him & his Cheltenham Festival record being strong, I am confident he will take all the beating.

He has been the apple of Willie Mullins' eye during his career and if going for this race I can see him being a lot shorter come the off.

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James Mackie: Teahupoo - Stayers Hurdle

Teahupoo is the strongest bet of the week for me in the Stayers Hurdle and there are plenty of factors as to why.

Third in the race last year when not getting the best ride in the world from a below par Davy Russell, this season he has been primed for the race from the start of the campaign and has Jack Kennedy doing the steering.

Seen just once this season when landing back to back Grade 1 Hatton's Grace Hurdles, he managed to see off Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (now Gallagher) winner Impaire Et Passe.

Off the back of that superb performance trainer Gordon Elliott named this race as his target for the season and having not been seen since that run in December he should be tuned to the max to go close.

Teahupoo is a horse that has performed to his best on soft/heavy ground and he looks set to get his ideal conditions on the Thursday of the Festival.

Being seven years of age he is massively unexposed compared to the majority of this field and that could be the difference.

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