Rory Delargy is in charge of the Cheltenham Punting Pointers and he's got three more fancies for the final day of the meeting.
Racing betting tips: Cheltenham Festival, Friday March 19
0.5pts e.w Milkwood in 1.55 Cheltenham at 33/1 (Bet365, 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6)
0.5pts e.w You Raised Me Up in 1.55 Cheltenham at 11/1 (Bet365, 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6)
0.5pts e.w Salvatore in 3.40 Cheltenham at 40/1 (Bet365, Boylsports 1/5 1,2,3,4)
1:20 Cheltenham
The Triumph Hurdle is being billed as a match between Zanahiyr and Tritonic by some, but in a normal year, impressive Spring Hurdle winner Quilixios would be a warm order, and he looks an ideal sort for this race. There is no-one riding better over hurdles at Cheltenham than Rachael Blackmore, and she will be sure to have this smashing prospect in the right position throughout. I respect the other pair, but he is the value.
1:55 Cheltenham
Martin Brassil is less inclined to send a horse to the UK than many of his contemporaries, and his rare UK runners merit maximum respect. He expressed his intention to run YOU RAISED ME UP in the County Hurdle some time ago, and in the son of Presenting, he has a major chance.
You Raised Me Up has won the last two of his six runs over hurdles, both of those coming since his excellent third in the Ladbrokes Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival last season. That race under different guises has proven a good pointer to the County and/or the Coral Cup over the years, but the eight-year-old was not rated high enough to make the cut last season. It looks to me that his campaign has been mapped around this meeting ever since, and in keeping himself to novice company so far, he’s gone under the radar to a degree, with his current mark potentially lenient.
The two who appeal are Strong Glance and MILKWOOD, and the latter gets the nod on a coin-toss. He’s best on good ground, and ran well to make the frame last autumn in the Welsh Champion Hurdle and Gerry Feilden where he looked very unlucky not to win. He typically travelled well in the Betfair Hurdle last time, but weakened late as if the run was needed after a break, and although held by a couple on that form, I think it’s best to point to his earlier efforts as an indication of his ability to land this prize.
2:30 Cheltenham
Fakiera looks the pick in the Albert Bartlett on the back of his staying-on fourth in the Golden Cygnet at Leopardstown, and he ticks all the right boxes for this contest as a second season hurdler, and he is taken to turn the tables on Golden Cygnet third Stattler, who may not be such a stout stayer.
3:05 Cheltenham
A Plus Tard has been a revelation as a stayer, given he was able to beat Chacun Pour Soi over 2m last season. He ran well in the Ryanair, but his downfall there was the fact that while he made no serious mistakes, he tended to be slower away from his fences than the pair who beat him. Ironically, that style of jumping is probably an advantage in a Gold Cup, where his rider won’t want to have to rein him in, and jumping cleanly and carefully will enable him to conserve his undoubted speed for the latter stages, which gives him a theoretical advantage over Champ in that regard. A Plus Tard did well to win the Savills Christmas Chase at Leopardstown, where he had to work extremely hard to bridge the gap between the long-time leaders and the main pack. The way he did that pretty much proves he will stay, and the way the Gold Cup is run won’t demand him to that work alone. I like his prospects a lot.
3:40 Cheltenham
Assuming this will be run on good going, I’d be keen on the chances of prolific pointer SALVATORE, who was heavily backed to win on his rules bow in the Point To Point Championship Final over C&D in 2019. He looked pretty raw, and tended to be careful at his fences, but ran well for third behind Latenightpass after being badly hampered by a weakening rival running to the third-last fence, and again when that horse fell there. He certainly lacked the pace of Latenightpass, but the winner didn’t really see it out after looking like winning comfortably, and might struggle to stay in a better race.
As for Salvatore, he’s since tasted defeat only once, and that was when a close third to Shantou Flyer at Larkhill last January. His recent wins between the flags have come on good ground (and once on holding), and he again showed that he’s all about stamina when winning the Scottish Foxhunter at Musselburgh last month from 139-rated Alcala. He needed every yard of the 3¼m there, and I thought he did well to beat a rival who was better positioned than him. He’ll need to step up again, of course, but he will relish both ground and trip, and can repay each-way support at 40/1.
Published at 1900 GMT on 18/03/21
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