R2C's Betting Tips for Friday & Saturday at the Cheltenham October Meeting

The National Hunt season has been slow to get going due to the weather but the return of racing at Cheltenham really whets the appetite and it should be an exciting two days of action at the Showcase Meeting.

All eyes will be on Prestbury Park this weekend, with jumps racing fans flocking to the racecourse for the first time since the Festival. With a bit of luck, hopefully the majority will head home with a bit of extra money in the pocket!

Here, I look through my three best bets over the next two days at Cheltenham. The stage is set and the declarations are in, so let’s get down to business and hopefully I can lead you to a winner or two to kickstart the new season at Prestbury Park.

COOLTOBECARELESS (2/1) - 1pt 

Dan Skelton has won this race in each of the last two years, with Valgrand in 2024 and Fortune De Mer twelve months ago. He has a fantastic chance of claiming a third victory on Friday afternoon with COOLTOBECARELESS, who bolted up on hurdles debut at Chepstow’s jumps opener earlier this month.

I was rather taken by the performance that day, he jumped really well and he looks to be a strong travelling type that will relish a pace to aim at. He wouldn’t want too much juice in the ground but he should cope with current conditions at Prestbury Park and he’d be one of my stronger fancies of the weekend.

The Nicky Henderson-trained Planters Punch is the main rival according to the betting but I am always wary of backing Seven Barrows runners at this stage of the season. They are often overbet and the yard were 0-3 at this meeting last year, with runners going off at 4/1F, 10/1 and 11/2 second favourite.

Planters Punch was the ante-post favourite earlier in the week but the market appears to be settling now and Cooltobecareless has shortened up. With fitness and experience from Chepstow under his belt, he’s very much the one to beat for me.

LISBANE PARK (5/1) - 1pt

I’ve been looking forward to seeing LISBANE PARK over a fence for a while now and I’d be amazed if he’s not rated significantly higher than his current BHA mark of 120 come the end of the season. If Joe Tizzard has him forward and ready to make hay, he could do some serious damage off that mark.

He has some solid hurdles form in the book, including a clear-cut success over Pioneer Pete at Exeter last November. The Jonjo & AJ O’Neill horse is now rated 133 after his success in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow, while my selection also finished behind the likes of Old Park Star, Scorpio Rising and Kocktail Bleu last term.

It looks a competitive enough race – as you’d expect for a Novices Limited Handicap Chase at Cheltenham – but the presence of O’Moore Park at the top of the field means that Lisbane Park carries a lovely racing weight and I’m very hopeful that he can go close on Saturday afternoon.

To quote his trainer, “he jumps like a stag” and fingers crossed he will be there pitching in the closing stages of the race. He looks well handicapped off a mark of 120 and the Tizzard yard are operating at a 17% strike rate over the past two weeks – fingers crossed Lisbane Park can continue their fine run at Prestbury Park.

HERE COMES GEORGIE (4/1) - 1pt

A field of nine runners go to post for the £100,000 Handicap Chase and there’s a lot to like about HERE COMES GEORGIE on his first start for Dan Skelton. Stepping right up in trip, there could be a fair bit of improvement to come if he stays the trip – and I believe there’s a good chance he will.

He has an entry in the Badger Beers Handicap Chase at Wincanton and you could see him potentially taking that race in, if all goes well here. The ground should be perfect for him and he’s a fascinating runner on his stable debut, and it’ll be interesting to see if he is well supported in the market.

If you look through his form, he has some nice lines in the book. He was involved in an exciting finish alongside Alien Storm (now 7lbs higher) and Road For Home (now 10lbs higher) at Doncaster last November and my selection is now 4lbs lower than his mark that day. Throw in the fact he’s now with Skelton and you can see the appeal.

Looking further back, there’s form that ties in with Ryan’s Rocket – who won the Red Rum Handicap Chase at Aintree’s Grand National meeting earlier this year. His form over shorter trips is certainly intriguing and if Skelton can eek improvement out over the extended distance, then he goes here with a live chance.