Cheltenham Tips

Sam Turner's Cheltenham Tips: 6/1 Be Aware the headline selection on day two

  • Sam Turner
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Horse Racing tipster Sam Turner's Cheltenham Festival tips
Sam Turner has three tips on the second day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

Betfair tipster Sam Turner - fresh from an 18/119.00 winning Nap on Tuesday (adv 10/111.00) - analyses Queen Mother Champion Chase day at Cheltenham and selects three chasers with big chances...


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The Gordon Elliott-trained Romeo Coolio has won all four of his chase starts this season including two Grade 1 contests with the latter being a victory over Tuesday's Arkle Chase winner Kargese. He's 4/91.44 to finish in the top four in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at 14:00 but the Betfair Sportsbook has super-boosted his price to 1/12.00.

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Champion Chase, 16.00 - Back Quilixios each-way @ 10/111.00

Much has been written about Majborough and his relative merits and failings, but there is little doubt he is the class act in this year's renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

While the six-year-old's jumping technique has polarised opinion since his aberration at the second last fence in last year's Arkle, the fact remains he is yet to fall and RaceiQ data has always been positive about his technique with his ability to recover quickly from jumping a fence his main attribute.

That speed away from his obstacles was evident at Leopardstown last time in the Dublin Chase where he looked a much sharper model in the first-time cheekpieces, leaving current Champion Chaser Marine Nationale toiling in his vapours.

A repeat display would probably see the Willie Mullins-trained gelding run out a comfortable winner of this year's renewal, however just three of the last 51 runners were aged six or younger and Majborough clearly hasn't been missed by the layers.

I am respectful of L'Eau du Sud as he is a much better horse fresh and the Skelton operation are brilliant at priming a horse for a long-term target, but he is the type I'd rather back at double figures each-way so Quilixios gains the nod instead as he returns from nearly a year off.

A couple of small setbacks have kept the selection off the track this term, however he is a brilliant horse fresh and his stats read 111211 when he is rested for 99 days or more with the only defeat sustained at the hands of Teahupoo who is a short-priced favourite for this year's Stayers' Hurdle.

Sent off at 40/141.00 for last year's running, Quilixios won't be that price this time sadly, but he was still in there pitching at the final fence when falling for the first time in his chase career and I'm not convinced he was totally done with at that point either.

There is clearly an amount of faith needed to back him here first time out, but his trainer has won four of the last 15 renewals so wouldn't be committing Quilixios if he wasn't totally happy with the former Triumph Hurdle winner and, with his jumping usually very much his asset, he could spring a mini surprise. 


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Grand Annual Chase, 16.40 - Back Be Aware @ 6/17.00

Twelve of the last fourteen winners of this race were rated between 135 and 147, while thirteen of the last seventeen were novices of second season chasers so Be Aware (nap) will have his fans among the trends followers.

Given a break since a rather lacklustre effort at Windsor in January, the grey son of Martaline had previously chased home Lulamba in Grade 1 company at Sandown before Christmas and would probably have been targeted at a two-and-a-half mile Grade 1 at this meeting had it still been in residence.

Given that isn't an option, this handicap looks a smart move and the Skeltons have wisely preserved the seven-year-old's handicap mark to ensure he arrives here fresh and well.

Previous experience of the chase track was harvested when the selection was second to July Flower here in a Grade 2 and I would expect him to be ridden aggressively from the outset given he stays so well.  

 

Grand Annual Chase, 16.40 - Back Jazzy Matty each-way @ 8/19.00

Having won at the last two festivals, including in this race last year, it is no surprise Jazzy Matty is on a few radars for this renewal with connections looking to to complete a stellar hat-trick.

A recent wind operation has been undertaken as trainer Cian Collins strives to find the necessary improvement in his seven-year-old who must race off a 7lb higher mark than when successful 12 months ago.

Interestingly, four of the last nine winners had run over hurdles that season (like Jazzy Matty) in order to disguise their form from the handicapper, while eight of the last 20 winners had already sampled the Grand Annual which augurs well for a strong repeat bid from last year's hero.


Sam Turner's Cheltenham Multi Tip: Each-way double could pay dividends

Betfair is offering Bet £10 Get £10 on Racing Multis each day of the Cheltenham Festival, and the multi that makes the most appeal on Wednesday is an each-way double featuring the Gordon Elliott duo The Yellow Clay (Cheltenham, 14.40) and Favori De Champdou (Cheltenham, 15.20).

The former sports the cheekpieces for the first time which looks significant and his performance at this meeting 12 months ago was a fine one in the Turners Novices' Hurdle where he made The New Lion pull out all of the stops. Favori De Champdou arrives looking for a hat-trick and, although he is up 8lb for his debut win over the cross-country fences, it might not be enough to stop him scoring again.


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Sam Turner

Sam Turner is an award-winning journalist with more than three decades of experience in the racing industry.

Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.

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