Today's Tote Placepot Tips for Cheltenham

Leg 1 Selections: Gentle Slopes, Master Chewy

The Milton Harris-trained GENTLE SLOPES has won two of his three bumper starts and absolutely bolted up here in a Listed event last time. It’s interesting to see him switch to hurdles on his debut in this sphere at Cheltenham. He has the makings to be a good novice hurdler and could be hard to beat with Johnny Burke booked to ride. 

MASTER CHEWY ran a promising race when third on his hurdles debut at Chepstow and had the race in safekeeping when unfortunately falling at the last hurdle at Ascot last time. That looked like a warm race for the grade, so in the hope he can navigate his way around this course, compensation may await him in this race. 

Leg 2 Selections: Mister Coffey, Green Vault

MISTER COFFEY has frustrated many but is equally talented and proved that when an excellent second in the Kim Muir here at the Cheltenham Festival. He didn’t take to the National fences a month later but he goes well fresh, has the strongest course form in the book and takes a huge drop in grade on his return, so he gets quite a confident vote to defy top-weight here. 

GREEN VAULT makes the long journey down from Scotland and has a good chance off a nice weight here for the Lucinda Russell team with Derek Fox in the saddle. He has won four of his last five starts and is two from two in this sphere. He is open to further improvement and while this will undoubtedly be his toughest task to date, he could give the former most to think about here. 

Leg 3 Selections: Legends Ryde, Her Indoors

This is really competitive but LEGENDS RYDE won back-to-back events back in March and April and while her last two performances haven’t seen her competitive, she could bounce back to form returned to this level. She finished second on her only previous visit to this course and could sneak into the frame in today’s race. 

HER INDOORS made her return/chase debut at Bangor last month and while she could never figure, finishing a well-beaten fifth, the form has already been advertised by the second Miah Grace, who won yesterday over fences. She won a Grade Three over hurdles here last year and should hopefully have learnt a lot from her chase debut effort, so she’s worth another chance.

Leg 4 Selections: Nassalam, Spiritofthegames

I am glad to see Gary Moore has confirmed NASSALAM for this race instead of the December Gold Cup tomorrow given the way he stormed up the hill to finish a never-nearer sixth of 14 having been outpaced in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at the November meeting. He won a Grade Two in this sphere last year and the assessor has dropped his mark a couple of pounds from last time. With that larger-field experience under his belt, he’s entitled to be extremely competitive in this easier race. 

SPIRITOFTHEGAMES has loads of Cheltenham experience and has made the frame at this course seven times over fences off much higher marks, including twice here earlier this year off marks of 137 and 136 in a pair of Grade Three events. He shaped well when sixth of 14 in the Grand Sefton last time and is back on the same mark as when touched off by a neck on his return. He has the form and mark to really go close here. 

Leg 5 Selections: Oakley

OAKLEY capitalised on a reduced mark when scoring at Stratford in earlier this year and shaped well under a big weight when last seen at Wetherby. The nine-year-old had twice made the frame over course-and-distance in the past off mark of 132 and 134, so he’s effectively well-handicapped off 131 here. If he can build on his latest return to action, there’s no reason why cannot be on the premises with plenty in his favour. 

Leg 6 Selections: Indefatigable

I am going to take a chance on INDEFATIGABLE, who is a big price here, mostly because top-weight Dusart is in the line-up. This mare has a good record at this course and is a Grade Two winner too. She was still going well when she took a tumble two out at the Festival in the Close Brothers Mares event and while she finished last of six at Wetherby last time, this is a drop in grade. She gets on well with Daryl Jacob and could be competitive here.