Ben Linfoot free Cheltenham Festival 2023 horse racing tips for Tuesday March 14

• Ben devised the Value Bet column and was +300pts in profit when handing over the reins to Matt Brocklebank after 10 years in 2020
• He tipped 33/1 winner Third Wind at last year's Cheltenham Festival as his ITV Tips finished +60.22pts for 2021-22
• His new Verdict column started this year and is +20.2pts following two winners at Sandown on Saturday thanks to Iceo (9/1) and Hudson de Grugy (8/1)

The Verdict tips: Tuesday March 14

1pt win Tahmuras in 1.30 Cheltenham at 10/1 (Coral, 888Sport)

1pt e.w. Threeunderthrufive in 2.50 Cheltenham at 18/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)

1pt e.w. Samuel Spade in 4.50 Cheltenham at 20/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Henderson hotpots to star in day one highlights

Constitution Hill, State Man, El Fabiolo, Jonbon, Honeysuckle, Marie’s Rock. Day one of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival could live long in the memory with the Unibet Champion Hurdle, the Sporting Life Arkle and the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle serving up some almighty clashes.

Of course, the Champion Hurdle might not be much of a clash if Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill does what he’s been doing the last 12 months, but in State Man he runs against the best hurdler he has met so far and if Willie Mullins’ horse improves again he could push the favourite to a monstrous number.

It’s a race to watch and savour, ditto the Arkle which looks to have a more evenly-matched Anglo-Irish head-to-head. This will be fast and furious with Dysart Dynamo taking them along and late mistakes can be costly over two miles on the Cheltenham Old Course.

With that in mind I favour Jonbon to follow in the hoofprints of his brother, Douvan, who beat a future Gold Cup winner by seven lengths when he waltzed to the Arkle in 2016. It’s not likely to be as easy for Jonbon with El Fabiolo in the field, but Henderson’s horse can edge him again.

Constitution Hill’s presence in the Champion Hurdle field has had a knock-on effect on the Mares’ – it’s made it an absolute belter. Two Champion Hurdle winners bang heads as Honeysuckle and Epatante take on their own sex, but last year’s winner Marie’s Rock could be a tough nut to crack and then there’s Brandy Love who’s a player if she’s come on for her reappearance at Punchestown.

Queens Brook beat her that day and she’s 20/1 for the Mares’, an indicator that this renewal is the best there has ever been.

Again, I’ll be keeping the powder dry, but talk of Honeysuckle’s regression might be exaggerated and her form from the Hatton’s Grace earlier this season could even be good enough to see her sign off with a roof-lifting victory.

Threeunder the Ultima warrior

The best betting race of the day is the Ultima Handicap Chase and the top of the market is packed with potentially well-handicapped types who should handle conditions just fine.

Oscar Elite could certainly fall into the former category off 139, his third off 1lb higher in the same race last year and his back-to-his-best win at Ascot last time two pieces of evidence that he might have been let in lightly, though I’m not convinced by the small-field form of his last run.

Last year’s winner Corach Rambler, the second from two years ago Happygolucky and the lightly-weighted Fantastikas (dead interesting but price crashed after it was confirmed he got in the race) were also on the shortlist, but they all look about right in the market now.

I’d rather back THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE each-way (check your extra places – Sky Bet are going eight, Betfair Sportsbook are going seven and six places seems the norm) at a big-looking 18/1 for Paul Nicholls and Adrian Heskin.

The eight-year-old is the type of second-season chaser that thrives in this race and I really liked his effort in the Classic Chase at Warwick last time out – a race that has provided two Ultima winners from its beaten horses in the last four years thanks to The Conditional and Corach Rambler.

Threeunderthrufive jumped with aplomb in this year’s renewal on the front end, but he lost a couple of places late on after tiring over the 3m5f trip to finish sixth and I reckon he’s still on a nice mark with a view to the Ultima test over 3m1f.

The Classic Chase is working out really well – the fourth and fifth Guetapan Collonges and Volcano have both won since – and that was further evidence that testing ground is perfectly fine for Threeunderthrufive, his form figures on soft or heavy prior to that race reading 2-1-1-1-1-6.

A first-time tongue-tie is an interesting development from Nicholls, a trainer with a fine record at spotting horses who need help in the breathing department, and in a race overflowing with pace Heskin should be able to sit where he wants just off the leaders before putting his horse’s stamina to good use.

With winning form on the Cheltenham Old Course in his locker, as well, there’s plenty in his favour as he bids to become the fourth son of Shantou to win a Festival handicap chase after Ballynagour, The Storyteller and Beware The Bear.

The Verdict: Back Threeunderthrufive in the Ultima

Nicholls charge to reign Supreme

It’s 45 horses and two Festivals since Nicholls last saddled a Festival winner but he goes into Cheltenham in tremendous form (10 from 25 at 40% the last fortnight) and could strike as early as the first race with TAHMURAS in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

This horse was cut to 10/1 for the Supreme after he plundered the Tolworth at Sandown in January and he's the same price now despite a host of factors going in his favour since that victory.

Firstly, we saw Facile Vega bomb out at the Dublin Racing Festival, a performance that blew the race wide open, then Nemean Lion bolstered the Tolworth form with his victory at Kelso and, thirdly, the soft ground – and the likely emphasis on stamina – turns things in his favour.

The Tolworth has produced a couple of Supreme winners in recent years in Summerville Boy and Constitution Hill, and while you can’t compare Tahmuras with the latter he has similar claims to the former who won the Festival opener despite a mistake at the last.

You would think Tahmuras will have to brush up his jumping as he was scruffy over the last couple at Sandown two months ago, but Nicholls will have been working on that intensively over the last eight weeks and he looks to have the engine to play a major part here under Harry Cobden.

The Verdict: Back Tahmuras in the Sky Bet Supreme

Spade to dig out Boodles profits

Ben Pauling’s SAMUEL SPADE looks an each-way bet in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at 20/1 getting six places.

He's been overshadowed in the betting by the stable’s new recruit Bad, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, but Pauling ensured this horse was qualified by running him three times after Christmas and his form stacks up well.

On his hurdling debut at Kempton on soft ground on December 27 he won despite not jumping well and the form has worked out, with Chaos Control, Artistic Choice and Postmark all franking the form with subsequent victories.

After that he ran a mighty race in the Chatteris Fen at Huntingdon, pushing Perseus Way all the way to the line under a penalty (he gets a 14lb pull with him here) and Gary Moore’s horse advertised the form in the Adonis at Kempton when running second to Nusret.

And then he qualified with an easy win at 2/13 back at Huntingdon, where there were no scares bar an errant leap to his left at the first.

With all of his hurdling form on right-handed tracks he could easily be better going the other way and he just has the look of an under-the-radar horse that will improve a bundle now he goes handicapping.

The Verdict: Back Samuel Spade in the Boodles

Preview posted at 1500 GMT on 13/03/2023

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org