Martin Pipe Betting Tips 2023 – Two Ante-post Tips from our Staking A Claim Series

We are hurtling towards the start of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and with the Dublin Racing Festival out of the way, things are starting to become a bit clearer in the ante-post markets.

This week, our Staking A Claim tipsters are going head to head in the get-out-of-jail stakes of the Festival, the very last race on the four day card.

You can see all the existing selections in the table at the end of this article and there are also links to the write-ups for each week. That’s 28 ante-post tips already in the can for the 2023 Festival and although some have already fallen away, we hope to go into March with some nice ante-post prices and live chances.

All the selections will be recorded as a 1pt win or 0.5pts each-way and we haven’t restricted the tips to any particular bet so you can expect to see singles, doubles and even the odd treble for the tips.

You can also follow both Ciaran (@murphfinbarrs) and OB (@OB_14) on Twitter where they will be outlining all of their ante-post bets and thoughts ahead of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

 

Ciaran’s Week 16 Tip

• Inothewayyourthinking (Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey Handicap Hurdle)
• Current Odds – 16/1 with Coral

This week, myself and OB take each other on with selections in the same race. There are a lot of similarities between 2. Both Novices, which has been an advantage in handicap hurdles in recent years and both having their 4th runs this week (a necessary requirement to qualify for a Cheltenham handicap this year).

INOTHEWAYYOURTHINKIN (16/1) is entered in a hot novice hurdle in Navan over what seems an inadequate 2m against American Mike. Given an Irish Mark of 137, I am hoping for a quiet ride here which should secure the sub 145 rating required to get into the race. Gavin Cromwell and JP teamed up for a big winner at the 3m Handicap Hurdle at the DRF and Cromwell knows how to train a staying hurdler to festival success (the Martin Pipe tends to favour a staying type). 

The selection was impressive in beating expensive Willie Mullins purchase Lot of Joy in his Maiden hurdle before going on to beat Imagine and (Spoiler alert) Spanish Harlem at Gowran Park. Never put into the race on his latest outing, the Grade 1 Lawlors of Naas, he ran credibly to finish 4th. 

His runs to date have come on soft/heavy but he seems a nice moving type by Walk in the Park and is a half brother to both Spades are Trumps and Ilikedwayurthinkin who both appreciate nice ground so he could improve for a sounder surface.

 

OB’s Week 16 Tip

• Spanish Harlem (Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey Handicap Hurdle)
• Current Odds – 20/1 with Coral

Week 16. How they have flown by. 5 picks to go to Cheltenham and we are getting into the business end of the countdown. With the DRF behind us and the majority of trials done, there’s a good chance that most Cheltenham horses have run their last race before the festival. My pick this week will be having his final run on Thursday and I want to get him on the team sheet before that.

I’m going to have to wait for the last race of the festival for this selection to come in as it’s Spanish Harlem (20/1) in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle. The horse runs on Thursday and it’s significant as it will be his 4^th run over hurdles which qualifies him for a handicap (previous rules meant only 3 runs were enough to qualify for a handicap mark).

It’s very rare for Willie to turn out a horse so quickly from a previous run but his defeat to Three Card Brag was only 15 days ago. I think this is clear intent to get a 4^th run into him as quickly as possible and then give him time to recover for the festival.

The Martin Pipe is often a competitive handicap and it takes a good one to win (Past winners inc Banbridge, Galopin Des Champ & Sir Des Champ) but I think this has been the plan for a while and Willie getting him handicapped is no surprise to me.

The new ruling has made it difficult for many horses to get enough runs in to qualify for such races without ruining a mark. Added to a season of dry ground and then frost, we aren’t going to have as many unexposed novices in these handicaps like we have before (State Man, GDC et al) so I believe it’s going to be an easier race to win than previously.

Spanish Harlem has only raced on soft/heavy in his career but id be confident that he will improve for the better spring ground and a slight step up in trip. I hope he runs on Thursday, does enough to show he has the ability to win a Cheltenham handicap but does so without blowing a potentially good mark.

 

Staking a Claim Tips so Far

	Ciaran	OB
Week 1	Galopin Des Champs (Cheltenham Gold Cup) & Allaho (Ryanair) ODDS: 12.5/1	Gaillard Du Mesnil (National Hunt Chase) Delta Work (Cross Country) ODDS: 15/1
Week 2	Dysart Dynamo (Arkle) ODDS: 16/1	Brandy Love (Mares Hurdle) ODDS: 5/1
Week 3	Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle) ODDS: 4/1	Chapeau De Soleil (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 12/1
Week 4	Ashroe Diamond (Mares Novice) ODDS: 9/1	Blazing Khal (Stayers Hurdle) ODDS: 6/1
Week 5	Proschema EW (Stayers Hurdle) ODDS: 25/1	Jet Powered (Supreme Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 14/1
Week 6	Grangeclare West (Ballymore) ODDS: 10/1	Telmesomethinggirl (Mares Chase) ODDS: 8/1
Week 7	James Du Berlais (Brown Advisory Chase) EW ODDS: 20/1	Lossiemouth (Triumph Hurdle) and Luccia (Mares novice hurdle) ODDS: 19/1 win double
Week 8	Hiddenvalley Lake (Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 8/1	Three Stripe Life (Brown Advisory Novices Chase) ODDS: 14/1 win double
Week 9	Barry The Butcher (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 20/1	Impaire Et Passes (to win any race) ODDS: 6/1 win double
Week 10	Salvador Ziggy (Pertemps) ODDS: 25/1	Three Card Brag (Albert Bartlett) ODDS: 14/1
Week 11	Arctic Bresil Without Favile Vega (Supreme Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 20/1	El Fabiolo (Turners) ODDS: 10/1
Week 12	Fascile Mode (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 12/1	Risk Belle (The Boodles Fred Winter) ODDS: 16/1
Week 13	Tekao (Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) ODDS: 8/1 NRNB	Selection: Chris’s Dream (Hunters Chase) ODDS: 10/1
Week 14	Brandy Love (Mares Hurdle) ODDS: 4/1 NRNB	Threeunderthrufive (Ultima Handicap Chase) ODDS: 12/1 NRNB
Week 15	Galvin (Cross Country Chase) ODDS: 6/1	Gerri Colombe (Brown Advisory Chase) ODDS: 8/1
Week 16	Inothewayyourthinking (Martin Pipe) ODDS: 16/1	Spanish Harlem (Martin Pipe) ODDS: 20/1
Week 17	Coole Cody (Plate Handicap) EW ODDS: 40/1	Bravemansgame (Gold Cup) ODDS: 8/1
Week 18	Shanbally Kid (Albert Bartlett) ODDS: 25/1 EW	Camprond (Coral Cup) ODDS: 20/1
Week 19	Gerri Colombe (Brown Advisory) & Mighty Potter (Turners)double ODDS: 6/1	Sharjah (County Hurdle) ODDS: 10/1 EW
Week 20	Dino Blue (Grand Annual) ODDS: 7/1	Mighty Potter (Turners Chase) & Edwardstone (Champion Chase) ODDS: 11/2

Staking a Claim week 1 Selections

Staking a Claim week 2 Selections

Staking a Claim week 3 Selections

Staking a Claim week 4 Selections

Staking a Claim week 5 Selections

Staking a Claim week 6 Selections

Staking a Claim week 7 Selections

Staking a Claim week 8 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 9 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 10 & 11 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 12 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 13 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 14 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 15 Selections

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