Cheltenham day two tips: Picks from every race at the Festival
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The highlight on day two of the Cheltenham Festival is the Queen Mother Champion Chase which promises to be a thrilling battle between Edwardstone and Energumene.
PA Media’s Molly Hunter has Cheltenham Day 2 tips from all seven races and if you’re looking for extra content click on the links for a more in-depth look at Paul Townend’s blog, our handicap tips, Gold Cup preview, the key statistics, the Prestbury Cup and the leading owners.
Barry Connell’s Good Land can strike in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at 11/2 as the first of our Cheltenham Day 2 betting tips.
The seven-year-old has had a near-flawless season, the only defeat being a first-fence unseat on his debut run over hurdles at Fairyhouse in December.
After that he was an eight-length winner of a Leopardstown maiden and then a Grade One victor in the Nathaniel Lacy at the same track in February.
His first Leopardstown victory saw him beat subsequent runaway Thurles novice winner Embassy Gardens, and he is another proven to have handled soft ground and a longer trip with both ease and professionalism.
Gerri Colombe can maintain his unblemished record in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase as the 13/8 favourite.
The Gordon Elliott-trained seven-year-old has cruised through from the point-to-point field to bumpers, hurdles and the novice chase division, all without suffering a loss in eight starts.
🤝 Gerri Colombe – a G1 winner over fences & still unbeaten following glory in the Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase @LimerickRaces for @gelliott_racing & @GainfordJordan
🏇 Six races
🥇 Six wins
🏆 G1 scorer
⭐️ Lovely prospect pic.twitter.com/EPamQIFqub— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 26, 2022
Over fences he is already a dual Grade One winner, taking the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick by four and a quarter lengths before landing the Scilly Isles at Sandown in February.
At Cheltenham he will step up to three miles, a trip over which he won a point-to-point, and he is likely to encounter the soft ground that he has shown he can cope with before.
The pointers provided by his pedigree are also positive, with Saddler Maker producing a host of soft-ground loving stayers such as Bristol De Mai, Discorama and Alpha Des Obeaux.
Paul Nolan has not always been blessed with the rub of the green at this meeting, so with that in mind 9/1 shot HMS Seahorse would be a deserved winner of the Coral Cup.
And if the market vibes of recent days are anything to go by, he has every chance, with course experience from his close fourth in the Fred Winter last year another positive.
Edwardstone is fancied to return to winning ways at 6/4 in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase for Alan King after losing out to Editeur Gu Gite on his last start and unseating the time before.
Edwardstone wins the Tingle Creek! 😍 pic.twitter.com/MrcSJkjp43
— Coral (@Coral) December 3, 2022
Last season’s Arkle hero was an easy Tingle Creek winner when starting his campaign but departed early in the Desert Orchid Chase at Christmas and was then just defeated in the Clarence House the following month.
That latter loss was by just a head, however, and now Editeur Du Gite’s front-running ways are slightly more familiar, it is likely that Edwardstone will be ridden to suit and he can claim another Festival success.
Galvin looks like being another Elliott-trained winner of the Glenfarclas Chase over the cross-country course at 9/4. Not far off Gold Cup standard at his best, he has stablemate Delta Work to beat.
Trainer Gavin Cromwell needed little persuasion to switch Final Orders from the Arkle to the Grand Annual after he was handed just a 1lb rise in the weights by the British handicapper following last month’s impressive success at Leopardstown.
Faces stiff compettion from Andy Dufresne and Dinoblue, who are also priced at 11/2, but Final Orders can land a sixth successive victory on the biggest stage of all.
The Mullins family have a close association with the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and 8/1 shot Fun Fun Fun is particularly salient as she was bred by Patrick, son of master trainer Willie.
A 10-length winner of her maiden bumper run, the five-year-old then went on to win again when taking a Grade Two mares’ event at Leopardstown in February.
She is taken to beat the boys at Prestbury Park.
Cheltenham Day 2 tips:
1.30 Good Land
2.10 GERRI COLOMBE (NAP)
2.50 HMS Seahorse
3.30 Edwardstone
4.10 Galvin
4.50 Final Orders
5.30 Fun Fun Fun.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
