Road to Cheltenham is taking on the favourite in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham – who else makes his best bets for Day 3?
13:20 Cheltenham
KAROLINE BANBOU
I’m expecting KAROLINE BANBOU to run a big race in the Mares Novice Hurdle on Thursday afternoon and she remains an excellent each way price in my mind. She has a rating of 132 but she was highly regarded when she arrived from France and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her just yet.
Mark Walsh will take the ride and I’m expecting her to be prominent early on – she has plenty of speed and I’d imagine the quicker surface will be fine for her. Her Fairyhouse victory has been franked by Swing Davis and she was second in a French AQPS Group 1 race earlier in her career so she’s certainly classy enough to feature in the shake-up.
15:20 Cheltenham
JUNGLE BOOGIE
I’ve been a big fan of JUNGLE BOOGIE for some time and I’m thrilled to see him line up in the Ryanair Chase on Day 3 at Cheltenham after failing to get home in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
He is relatively unexposed over fences and I’d be quietly confident that he still has scope to improve – and he made a smart return to the track at Ascot in December.
Danny Mullins takes the ride and I’m happy enough with that jockey booking. Given he’s won five of his seven starts under rules, I’m surprised he’s available at such a big price and he is well worth an each way play. It’s a competitive race but if he can run like he did in last year’s feature race, he’ll be bang in contention.
16:00 Cheltenham
THE WALLPARK
Another for superstar owner JP McManus and I’m expecting a big run from THE WALLPARK in the Stayers Hurdle. Word has it that he’s been going well at home and I was really taken with his fourth in the Long Walk Hurdle – that was his first try in Graded company and he’ll have learned plenty for it.
Gordon Elliott has the favourite in Teahupoo but the drying conditions may work against him and I prefer The Wallpark at the prices. He’s got some excellent form in the book on
quicker ground and the harder they go, the better his chance. Fingers crossed there is enough pace in the race to see the selection to best effect.
