Racing Only Bettor Cheltenham Preview: Our tipsters' best bets for the feature races

Joe Dyer
08 March 2023
3 min read

Will the Betfair panel serve up the Festival winners?

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Tony Calvin, Kevin Blake and Brendan Duke debate the biggest races of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, picking out their best bets for the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Stayers Hurdle and Champion Chase

Tips for the four feature races
Three bets for every race
Favourites and outsiders mixed

Mark your card for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival with our special 2023 Festival podcast.

Held in our Dublin office in front of a live studio audience, this year we welcomed Gold Cup winner and Betfair Ambassador Rachael Blackmore onto our star panel.

The best jumps jockey in the business was joined by our Racing...Only Bettor and Weighed In regulars Tony Calvin, Kevin Blake and Brendan Duke.

Host Vanessa Ryle kept it running smoothly as we ran through all four days of the upcoming Festival.

Listen back to get views on the feature action of each day and a whistlestop tour of our tipsters' best bets from the day's other races.

To whet your whistle this is what you can expect from the panel with bets for the four biggest races of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

How to play Constitution Hill at even money

Champion Hurdle - Tuesday, 15:30

Tony Calvin: "There is an angle in here - State Man is odds-on in the betting without Constitution Hill - but I think his form might be a bit overrated. I Like to Move It is about 4/1 in the betting without Constitution Hill. He is a young improver - each-way or straight win-only would be way I play him."

Kevin Blake: "Constitution Hill is probably going to go on and win. There's very little to pick at with him, he's been given a very sympathetic campaign and is hard to knock. For a bet, you can get around even money for a straight forecast of Constitution Hill and State Man and if I had to play it that would be the way I would go."

No. 1

Constitution Hill

Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Jockey: Nico de Boinville
Age: 6
Weight: 11st 10lbs
OR: -

Brendan Duke: "Just sit back and enjoy Constitution Hill because I don't want to be looking 10 lengths back to see how my horse is getting on. Constitution Hill will win by 6.5 lengths or more."

Back I Like To Move It in betting without Constitution Hill

4/1

Calvin has a big priced fancy in the Queen Mum

Champion Chase - Wednesday, 15:30

Tony Calvin: "I am belatedly coming round to Team GB and Team Nicholls. Greaneteen is my bet here. He has a body of work that suggests he should be bang there if at his best and Paul will have him fresh for this."

Kevin Blake: "It's Edwardstone for me. I thought he was deadly last time out at Cheltenham when he came back lame with a foot issue. This should be a cracker of a race."

Brendan Duke: "I am a huge Edwardstone fan. He's one of the toughest horses in training, one of the best horses in training. I do think he was an unlucky loser at Cheltenham last time out."

Back Edwardstone to win the Champion Chase

13/8

Gold Tweet a bet for two of the panel

Stayers Hurdle - Thursday, 15:30

Tony Calvin: "If Gold Tweet was trained by a Henderson or a Mullins he would be nearer to 4/1 than 12/1. Given age, unexposed nature, performance last time, the 12/1 seems wrong."

Kevin Blake: "Teahupoo is my marginal choice in a really tough race. I have always liked this horse, and he was my selection in last year's Champion Hurdle which went terribly! Yes, there are question marks about the ground, but I am inclined to take a chance. I think he has the right racing character."

Brendan Duke: "Gold Tweet is a very interesting horse. Looked like he pulled the jockey's arms out the whole race last time at Cheltenham, the danger is that he repeats that. That would be a concern."

Back Gold Tweet to win the Stayers Hurdle

12/1

A Plus Tard the wrong price for Gold Cup win?

Gold Cup - Friday, 15:30

Tony Calvin: "It's A Plus Tard at around 10.09/1 on the Betfair Exchange. Anybody who has listened to me on Racing...Only Bettor or Weighed In knows I think A Plus Tard has been the wrong price for a long time."

A Plus Tard Gold Cup win 1280.jpg

Kevin Blake: "I thought Gallopin des Champs was really good in the Irish Gold Cup last time. He was powerful late on and that got rid of some of the worries I had about him. But you look down the line and you see A Plus Tard and Minella Indo in opposition. I can't wait for this race, proper contest."

Brendan Duke: "I like the dour stayers and Stattler is made for this. He jumped like a bunny in the 3m6 race last year."

Back A Plus Tard to win the Gold Cup

10.0

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