Cheltenham 2013 - Friday 15th March

Cheltenham 2013 – Friday 15^th March

Well, good news, Mr Hulmes has got his thermals on and is ready for action. Tony the bookie is offering evens that Mr Hulmes is down to them after racing!!

So onto the final day, not much luck so far with just a couple of ew bets landed.

Captain Sunshine ran a great race for us yesterday and those who took the 25s nearly landed a right old touch as he ended up at 11s. Nearly but no cigar.

Great run by Alfie Sherrin to get 4^th and if he gets in to the Grand National, he will be a lively type.

So onto today and the Gold Cup.

The last 10 all ran and were placed in the King George or Lexus.

This gives us a shortlist of 3 – Long Run, Captain Chris and Sir Des Champs.

Of these I have got to say that Long Run has disappointed me with his jumping. I know he won the King George last time but he should have won the Gold Cup last year and didn't. Also the stats are against a horse winning, losing and then winning the Gold Cup, as it has only been done once before.

Captain Chris was my Ante post Gold Cup selection last year and never ran so it would be galling to see him win this year, though stats wise he has a chance.

So on to Sir Des Champs – the selection – all the stats point to him being the most likely winner, he has a great 2 from 2 record at Cheltenham and has been trained with this race in mind all season.

Other bets today:

Ranjaan in the County Hurdle

Our Vinnie in the Albert Bartlett

Salsify in the Foxhunters

The end of a very long 4 days.

I'll be looking forward to my large Jds tonight and lighting up a cuban!

As always remember to protect your bets in-play and ensure you can make a profit.

Good luck

Cheltenham 2013 Thursday 14th March

Cheltenham 2013 Thursday 14^th March

Mr Hulmes has forgotten his sheepie so he has had to drive home, he probably could have skinned a polar bear that would have kept him warm eh? ha.

Well, here we go, this is the day when we hit our stride.

Stats are looking awesome and the form book is matching it, so we have a marriage from heaven.

Let's get to it:

Jewson 1.30– 2 Irish horses here AupCharlie and Texas Jack, excellent form, both jump, stay and travel and represent good value against Dynaste.

Pertemps 2.05 – Don't be afraid here to bet on more than one big priced horse. I've got 3 to get stuck into; Captain Sunshine a horse that is tailor made for this, According To Trev a novice who looks like a battler and Hada Men from an in form yard who has sneaked in at the bottom.

Ryanair 2.40 – Very strong trends race and the finger of fate points to Champion Court! The days' best bet.

World Hurdle 3.30 – Very strong again for the stats and here we find Reve De Sivola

Byrne Group Plate 4.0 – Look no further than V. Williams representative Kapga De Cerisy, in a race the trainer loves, this horse is improving fast.

Kim Muir 4.40 – Jonjo O'Neil is a master trainer of staying chasers, his 2 entries here are both course winners and both have good amateur jockeys booked so get stuck into Alfie Sherrin and Galaxy Rock

Cross Country – 5.15 Arabella Boy given on Tuesday and still the nap today.

So here we go hold on to your hats! And remember to bet in-play and protect your profits.

Good luck

Cheltenham Wednesday 14th March

Cheltenham 2013 – Wednesday 14^th March

Mr Hulmes reports that the polar bears have now eaten all the penguins on Cleeve Hill so that's a good result for them, not so good for the penguins though!

So not the greatest day yesterday but water, bridges, milk, spilled and all that!

The stats are first up again today with 2 ew wagers recommended.

Coral Cup – 4.00 pm

Tricky as ever, but never be afraid to back one at a decent price in this. The suggestion is Urbain De Sivola from the N. Williams yard that had Swincombe Flame placed at 40s yesterday. This horse has good back form, fits the trends and his trainer knows how to prepare one for Cheltenham. Its a decent price for us today.

Fred Winter Hurdle – 4.40 pm

A relatively new race and one that trends are beginning to emerge for. The selection here is Zamdy Man from the in form V. Williams yard, he ran a good race at Haydock last time, in a race that is showing up as a good guide for this race. Well bred which again is important in this race, he is also a decent price.

Ok, so form wise, it's a tough day – the 4m is not my cup of tea, the Queen Mother is all but over as the mighty Sprinter Sacre is racing and the RSA has disappointed us stats wise and so we're going to give it a wide berth.

So only 2 more races to discuss – the Neptune at 2.05pm and the Bumper at 5.15 pm

I'm a big fan of Taquin De Soleil in the Neptune but the word form Ireland is that Pont Alexandre is a superstar, still I'm sticking with Taquin.

In the Bumper, we got word about Le Vent Datan first time up and he obliged but I have a feeling that D.Pipe has 2 lively chances here so both The Liquidator and Dr. Harper should be worth a small wager. Keep stakes small today as there are a lot of imponderables.

But remember that you can always bet in-play to cover and protect – just like The Octonauts would do!

Good luck

Cheltenham 2013 - Tuesday 12th March

Cheltenham 2013 - Tuesday 12^th March

So it's the opening day of the festival and it's freezing! Not good. My good friend Mr Hulmes has reported penguins on Cleeve Hill, though that may be taking it too far.

The fields have been finally been confirmed and we can get stuck into the Stats and the form.

Firstly from a statistical point of view, there are 2 selections today.

1. White Star Line in the JLT at 2.40 pm, although it's worth mentioning that we should watch for Loch Ba and Nuts and Bolts as these fit most stats but White Star Lines previous Cheltenham Festival run just gives him the edge.
2. Arabella Boy in the Cross Country chase at 4.00 pm.

Secondly from my own perspective, I am backing 2 more Irish horses that have really caught my eye over the season.

• Un Atout in the Supreme at 1.30 pm has easily the best and most fluid action of any horse I've seen this season. He came over with a massive reputation from France and his 2 performances to date have seen him excel. He can be ridden aggressively or sit just off the pace and he represents good value at his current price. Obviously My Tent or Yours will be a warm order in this but don't forget that N Henderson has had Binocular, Sprinter Sacre and Darlan all beaten in this race before.

• Arvika Ligeonniere in the Arkle at 2.05 pm. His price is over inflated due to the presence of Simonsig and the fact he fell last time out. That was an uncharacteristic thing for him as his jumping is normally excellent. He will handle the ground, which Overturn may not, he will handle the track and his natural speed will make him a big danger to Simonsig. This will be the first time Simonsig has met such quality horses over fences, so who knows how he will cope? Therefore I would much rather take the odds about Arvika than odds on about Simonsig.

Note that, as always, you can trade in-play, with all of your bets to protect your profits.

Good luck with all your bets and remember there are 4 days to bet and we need to be in profit by Friday night!!