Our racing team's best bets for the Cheltenham Festival

Matt Brocklebank - Alpha Des Obeaux (RSA Chase, Wednesday)

Might Bite looks a fantastic raw talent and stands out on the bare figures, having clearly been on his way to bolting up before falling in the Kauto Star at Kempton. However, he didn't impress particularly when winning at Doncaster since then and looks vulnerable ahead of a brutal race such as the RSA.

It's an event the Irish have done well in recently, claiming five of the last eight, and while Acapella Bourgeois is respected, he isn't going to be gifted the kind of soft lead he was at Navan last month and also looks to prefer very deep ground.

It may seem bordering on contradictory to question Might Bite's ability to scrap for a win and in the same sentence suggest Alpha Des Obeaux as the banker of the week, since he hasn't been seen in public after pulling-up at Leopardstown over Christmas.

However, trainer Mouse Morris didn't seem one bit concerned about that blowout in a recent interview, suggesting he was probably just suffering from a winter cold like the rest of us, and there's seemingly a lot of positivity around this horse as he looks to go one better than at last year's Festival.

He finished second to Thistlecrack in the Stayers' Hurdle 12 months ago, himself a long way clear of the third, and that's clearly top-notch form, while he's already shown he can attack fences with similar relish by taking a Grade Three at Cork in November.

He put up another excellent effort when third to Coney Island over an inadequate two and a half miles in the Drinmore the following month and a thorough test around Cheltenham on spring ground looks exactly what he's begging for.

There's confidence from Morris and there's confidence in the market, so there's clearly plenty in place to suggest Alpha Des Obeaux is primed to recapture the RSA crown for Ireland.

Will Hayler - Yanworth (Stan James Champion Hurdle, Tuesday)

I have to agree with Matt's view (see above) on the RSA Chase. Might Bite looks one of the most opposable favourites of the meeting on the basis that he's anything but a natural jumper of a steeplechase fence. Horses with questionable jumping records can and do with this race, but everything about his profile looks wrong other than the magical time figure he was supposedly going to post until failing to lift even a toe at the last fence on Boxing Day.

The single best bit of advice for punters next week is to behave like a floozy. Take advantage of every special offer waved under your nose by bookmakers desperate to keep their bosses happy by meeting ambitious trading targets. Accept the free bet offers, the inflated prices and the improved each-way terms with grateful thanks. They might not turn a losing Festival into a winning one, but they won't do your bottom line any harm. Get your bets on in the morning then sit back and enjoy the action.

But for those looking for the name of just one horse, I give you this year's winner of the Stan James Champion Hurdle, Yanworth. He was anything but impressive at Wincanton last time, nor particularly at Kempton previously, but those races bore little similarity to the test he will face at Cheltenham next week, where his staying power will come much more to the fore on the final climb to the winning post.

I'm not sure even Alan King was entirely convinced of his Champion Hurdle credentials when the race was first mooted at the start of the season, but I am now, and I have nothing but respect for the trainer's view, especially when he has been in such good form all season long.

Ian Ogg - Josses Hill (Ryanair Chase, Wednesday)

Bar a foray to France over three miles, Un De Sceaux has only been beaten by Sprinter Sacre in his completed starts which could suggest that the top price of 7/2 for the Ryanair Chase is a gimme. Gordon Elliott has made it clear that he'd rather be running second-favourite Empire Of Dirt in the Gold Cup and we've been there before with Gigginstown and Road To Riches. Former winner Uxizandre made a fine return to action after around 18 months off but it still requires a leap of faith to take the 6/1 available while Sizing John is set to take his chance in the Gold Cup.

There are slight doubts about the ground if it comes up faster though while this will be his first run in Britain and Ireland over a trip as far as this. There had been talk of him missing Cheltenham earlier in the season which suggests that connections are not wholly convinced but there are no such imponderables for Josses Hill, who has always had this race as a target and who remains overlooked in the market at a best of 10/1. It's true his jumping hasn't always impressed and not an awful lot went right last season, which culminated in a 22 length defeat behind Vautour in this race.

The current campaign has been one of relentless progress though with an impressive defeat of Camping Ground followed by victory in the Peterborough Chase which was impressive even if the talented second and third Tea For Two and More Of That weren't at their best. He may have finished last in the King George but that seven-length defeat behind Thistlecrack was arguably his best run of the season as his jumping stood up under the pressure of a top-class race and was right in contention until his stamina gave way.

Stats fans will be only too well aware of the fantastic record of horses that ran in the King George when dropping back in trip for the Ryanair Chase and Josses Hill looks ready to add to it. His Festival record is decent despite last year's defeat, with second placed finishes in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Arkle already to his name, and the nine-year-old now looks to be in perfect shape to gain revenge on Un De Sceaux for his defeat in the latter contest.

Dave Ord - Caid Du Berlais (Brown Advisory Plate, Thursday)

No flippant answer of Altior or Douvan here – but instead a cracking each-way bet on Caid Du Berlais at around the 20/1 mark.

You need to find the non-runner/no bet concession given Paul Nicholls’ charge needs a few to come out but there’s no doubt he’s back down to a winning mark – in fact the very same one from which he won the 2014 Paddy Power Gold Cup.

He returned to 143 having been dropped 3lb for a fifth place finish in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster – a rare generous gift from the assessor given how he travelled through the race. The eight-year-old was still on the bridle turning for home but failed to last out over the extended three miles on testing ground.

We know two and a half miles plus change around here is perfect for him. It’s a competitive race as you’d expect but the strong-travelling Caid Du Berlais looks to have been teed up for it all year.

He’s a really sporting bet at current odds and I’d expect him to go very close.

Ben Linfoot - Djakadam (Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, Friday)

There's very little between the top three in the Gold Cup market. Cue Card, Native River and Djakadam are all rated on or around the 170 mark and a mistake here or a bit of luck in-running there could be the difference between defeat and victory.

However, one thing that could help Djakadam find a few crucial pounds on his rivals is that he comes in here fresh, on the back of an uninterrupted preparation. While Native River and Cue Card have had four races each this season, including a Hennessy, a Welsh National, a Betfair Chase and a King George, Djakadam has had just two runs in Ireland, both before the turn of the year.

In the first of those he looked as good as ever, beating subsequent Lexus winner Outlander in the John Durkan. Then, in the Lexus, Djakadam was only third, but he wasn't beaten far and connections felt they would have had a different result had they ridden him more aggressively.

Still, it was a good run, and everything he's done this season has been in preparation for a third crack at the Gold Cup. Second to crack novice Coneygree two years ago and then exceptional winner Don Cossack last year, there might be nothing of that calibre in this year's line-up and Djakadam could conceivably match his last two efforts in the race and win.

But he could improve on those runs, too. Last year, he didn't jump a fence between cutting himself when falling on trials day and the first obstacle in the Gold Cup. Yet he jumped superbly behind Don Cossack, brushing off potential rustiness in the fencing department.

It was hardly the ideal prep, though. This time he's had a trouble-free run. This time there is no Coneygree, nor Don Cossack. Or Thistlecrack for that matter. This time everything is set for Djakadam - and he is still only eight-years-old remember. It could be his - and Willie Mullins' - time to strike Gold.