ITV Racing Tips for Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 15 March

ITV Racing will be showing five races a day from the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and we have asked Henry to go through each race and pick his best bet from each race each day.

The day 2 Cheltenham betting tips from the ITV Racing can be found below as well as a quick preview of each race, starting Ballymore Novices Hurdle at 1.30pm and the big race of the day is the Champion Chase, due off at 3.30pm where it looks a match between Edwardstone and Energumene. Henry has also added in his picks for the final two races of the day, which will not be shown on ITV Racing this year but can be found on Racing UK.

 

Cheltenham Day 2 Tips for ITV Racing

• 1.30pm – IMPAIRE ET PASSÉ (7/4)
• 2.10pm – GERRI COLOMBE (13/8)
• 2.50pm – HMS SEAHORSE (9/1) EW
• 3.30pm – EDWARDSTONE (13/8)
• 4.10pm – GALVIN (9/4)

Races not on ITV

• 4.50pm – SIZING POTTSIE (25/1) NAP
• 5.30pm – FACT TO FILE (5/1)

 

1:30 Cheltenham

The opener on Day 2 is the Ballymore Novices Hurdle over 2m5f, a Grade 1 for the novice hurdlers.

I really like IMPAIRE ET PASSÉ (7/4) for this. I think he’s Willie’s best novice hurdler and I expect he will be well-suited by this test. He has shown he’s got a potent turn of foot when winning the Moscow Flyer over 2m last time out but he also won his debut over 2m3f in tough conditions suggesting this trip will be no problem. The Ballymore is often a speed test so that turn of foot could prove beneficial here. Hermes Allen is the best of the English challenge but I don’t think he will be fast enough to fend off a few of the Irish challengers. Gaelic Warrior is overrated in my opinion and his jumping is an obvious concern. Good Land is the danger for me but I get the impression he’s just not as a classy as the selection.

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2:10 Cheltenham

Next up on Day 2 is the Brown Advisory Novice Chase over an extended 3 miles.

Conditions have come right for GERRI COLOMBE (13/8) and he can maintain his unbeaten sequence here. He will relish the soft ground and this step up to 3m looks a move that looks certain to bring out further improvement. He’s a straightforward horse who jumps well and has displayed a good attitude throughout his career to date. Sir Gerhard is a danger but he comes here off the back of one chase run and that was over 2m. He just can’t be fancied based on that. The Real Whacker should run well but I’d expect there to be one or two in here that are classier than him. He’ll give Gerri Colombe a lovely toe into this race I imagine.

 

2:50 Cheltenham 

The Coral Cup comes up at 2:50, a handicap hurdle over 2m5f with 26 runners set to go to post.

I like HMS SEAHORSE (9/1) EW here. He ran a cracker here last year in the Boodles finishing 4th before two decent third placed efforts in novice hurdles including at Grade 1 level to end last years campaign. However, I always got the impression he’d be better over further and he certainly was last time out when stepping up to 2m4f for the first time at Navan. He stayed on strongly to win a decent handicap that day and he has been put away since that run suggesting connections were waiting for the big spring handicaps. A mark of 143 is more than fair and trainer Paul Nolan has a fantastic record when targeting one at this meeting. I expect a bold bid.

 

3:30 Cheltenham 

The feature on Day 2 is the Grade 1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase over 2m.

It’s EDWARDSTONE (13/8) for me here. I think he’s the best horse in the race. His victory in the Tingle Creek earlier in the season is by far the best performance of the year out of this lot and it is by a long way. He had the obvious mishap over Christmas when coming down at Kempton but he bounced back to form when losing out in a head bobber here at Cheltenham last time out. Editeur De Gite got a solo out in front there and Tom Cannon had to come from a mile back to challenge the winner that day. He’ll be ridden closer to the pace today and I expect that form to be reversed. Energumene has to be taken on after his run last time out and although he won the Champion Chase last year, I don’t think Cheltenham is his track. That was a weak renewal with Shishkin disappointing and Edwardstone is by far the more solid option. Last year’s Arkle winners have a great record in this for obvious reasons and that has to be another plus for Edwardstone.

 

4:10 Cheltenham 

The 4:10 race from Cheltenham is the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase over the unique 3m6f track.

I’ll chance GALVIN (9/4) here. It’s between the Gordon Elliot pair in my opinion but I just think Galvin is the classier animal. He has been well-schooled over the Cross Country fences and trainer Gordon Elliot seems really pleased with him. Davy Russell takes the ride and he obviously known this Cross Country course well. Delta Work won on his debut over these banks last year and I’m hopeful Galvin can do the same.

 

4:50 Cheltenham 

The 4:50 from Cheltenham is the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Chase, a trappy handicap for the 2 miler chasers.

I like SIZING POTTSIE (25/1) NAP. He sneaks in near the bottom of the weights running off a lovely weight of 10’13 here. This time last year, he was winning Graded chases for ex-trainer Jessie Harrington. He has since moved to David Pipe of course, and he did win on debut for David over hurdles. He’s ran two no shows over fences since and his chase mark has dropped 9lb to 140 as a result. I get the impression that connections have always had this race in mind and they would have been really pleased to see him drop 9lb so quickly. He now gets first-time cheekpieces alongside his regular tongue-tie which looks interesting. David Pipe knows what it takes to win a decent handicap chase here at the Festival and with the rain coming in time for Sizing Pottsie, he’s one I think will run a huge race at a massive price.

 

5:30 Cheltenham 

The finale on Day 2 is the Weatherby’s Champion Bumper with 24 runners set to line-up with Willie Mullins set to field ten of them.

I’ve landed on one of Willie’s and it is FACT TO FILE (5/1). He won his bumper debut over 2m4f showing he was all stamina to get back up close to home. He then went to Leopardstown and finished second behind the current favourite A Dream To Share beaten just under 3L. However, that was more of a speed test and this race is going to be the totally opposite in my opinion. Fact To File will be staying on stronger than any and he looks set to relish the hill on soft ground. He is the choice of Patrick Mullins which is a positive and I think JP McManus bought A Dream To Share because he knows Fact Or File is a real good one too.

 

Cheltenham Day 2 ITV7 Tips

Race	Selection
1	Tahmuras
2	Chase A Fortune
3	Jonbon
4	Going Mobile
5	Monbet Genius
6	Constitution Hill
7	Love Envoi

 

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