February 15th, 2016 | 
Author: The Cheltenham Festival is coming up in March (12th to 15th). It's one of the…
One month until Cheltenham: which horses look set for victory?
On March 15th, horse racing fans from all over the world will be fixed to the four-day Cheltenham Festival. Over the course of the meeting, the best horses, trainers and jockeys will all feature heavily and punters will be looking to make a hefty profit in some of the most prestigious races on the planet.
Last year, Ruby Walsh enjoyed plenty of success on the opening day of the festival and Cheltenham punters will be hoping for similar results next month. In anticipation of the event, we’ve had a look at our top three horses throughout the meeting and have provided our reasons for these suggestions.
Faugheen
On the opening day, Faugheen will attempt to defend his crown in the Champion Hurdle. Although he will be coming up against both Nichols Canyon, the only horse to beat Faugheen during his 13-race career, and stablemate Arctic Fire, Ruby Walsh’s mount still looks a superb bet at 1/3 with Coral and it’s hard to imagine him getting beat here. Even trainer Willie Mullins was speechless at Faugheen’s defeat to Nichols Canyon in Novemeber and for us, there’s only one winner here and that’s the defending champion.
Un de Sceaux
The Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh combination will look to strike in the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Un de Sceaux. Although his jumping has been suspect at times, he’s got phenomenal potential and should find this relatively straightforward if Ruby stays on board. Although there are a few decent contenders, Un de Sceaux is simply a class above the rest and may romp home. At 4/5, he’s not going to make you a millionaire but he’s well worth backing – that’s how good he is.
Bristol de Mai
Bristol de Mai is a superb thoroughbred and he looks a real candidate for future successes at the festival. Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, Bristol de Mai has never finished outside of the places and is likely to finish in the top three once again at Cheltenham. On current form, he stands a great chance and Coral punters are tipping him after his recent victory at Sandown. In fact, he was priced at 6/1 two weeks ago and he’s as short as 7/2. In order to ensure the best odds, it’s probably a good idea to place your wager on him to win the JLT Novices’ Chase now – that way, you can bet now and win later at Cheltenham!