We could see a pair of treble-clinching runs on Wednesday as Altior and Tiger Roll take to the track at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. Here are our betting tips for the second day of the UK's premier jumps meeting.
Ballymore Novices' Hurdle betting tips
13:30 GMT – Grade 1 – 2m 5f
Envoi Allen is many bettors' Irish banker of the meeting and the horse can justify that confidence by winning the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle. The Gordon Elliott-trained runner has the best form and ratings and is unbeaten in seven starts. Envoi Allen is an outstanding prospect that could have run in the Champion Hurdle and been a factor. However, the owners have gone down the novice route and that tip cannot be ignored, so fill your boots at +125 with Bovada.
RSA Chase betting tips
14:10 GMT – Grade 1 – 3m 1/2f
The RSA Chase is the championship race for novice steeplechasers over three miles and half a furlong. It is the Gold Cup for inexperienced horses that do not have the maturity to run in that race. Coneygree did win the Gold Cup as a novice in 2015, but that is rare and the RSA Chase is usually the target for the best young chasers of the season. Champ could be a false price because of the back story. The horse is named in honour of AP McCoy, but that does not mean his suspect jumping under pressure will not be found out in the RSA Chase.
The form and ratings suggest Champ has a few pounds in hand, but the race will be his greatest test and he could crack. Copperhead has not taken the conventional route to the race and won two handicaps early in the season. The horse showed improvement to win a Grade 2 race at Ascot by 17 lengths. Copperhead will be staying on at the end of this race, acts on heavy going and can progress again. At +450 with Bovada, he is a better option than Champ to prevail at Cheltenham in the most prestigious novice chase of the season.
Coral Cup betting tips
14:50 GMT – Grade 3 – 2m 5f
There are 28 declared runners for Wednesday's handicap hurdle over two miles and five furlongs, and the favourite is +800. The title sponsors are settling each-way bets at one-fifth the odds for six places when the standard terms for a race of this nature are one-quarter the odds for the first four. You can't be dogmatic about the Coral Cup, but Stratum looks overpriced at +2000 with Bovada.
Champion Chase betting tips
15:30 GMT – Grade 1 – 2m
Altior has every chance of running in the Champion Chase and can become just the second horse in the history of the race to win it three times. Badsworth Boy (1983, 1984 and 1985) is the only other horse to complete a hat-trick in the championship steeplechase over two miles. In what could be the race of the Cheltenham Festival, Altior is tipped to beat Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi, his nearest rivals in the betting. At the time of writing, Altior looks a huge price at +275 with Bovada.
Trainer Nicky Henderson reported that Altior had been found to be lame over the weekend. The latest bulletin was that the horse was recovering quickly from a minor complaint and will run. Chacun Pour Soi has the form to beat Defi Du Seuil and so could win the race if Altior is absent. There has been word that Dynamite Dollars could outrun his +2000 price, but Altior is tipped to be the champion chaser again.
Cross Country Chase betting tips
16:10 GMT – UG – 3m 6f
The theme of the day is three-peats because Tiger Roll is trying to win the Cross Country Chase for the third time and his fifth race overall at the Cheltenham Festival. As much as the owners are saying the championship Cross Country race of the season is the main target, the world and his wife know that Tiger Roll has bigger fish to fry at Aintree in April. Even so, he cannot be opposed at +100 with Bovada to win on Wednesday.
The race is run over three miles and six furlongs and there are 32 obstacles of a variety in nature. It is now a conditions race, which means that Tiger Roll has enough in hand to make him a long odds-on chance. Getting even money for a horse that could be competitive in the Gold Cup to win a race for slow horses could be the bet of the century. French horses have dominated the trials, but Tiger Roll must be backed to win the Cross Country Chase.
Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle betting tips
16:50 GMT – Grade 3 – 2m 1/2f
The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is the consolation race for horses aged four that did not qualify for the Triumph Hurdle. It's another open contest with a favourite at +500 and five horses available at up to +1000. Blacko showed some decent form in France and is a fluent jumper, which is key in a big-field handicap. The Alan King-trained runner has the potential to improve but is a speculative selection at +1600 with Bovada.
Champion Bumper betting tips
17:30 GMT – Grade 1 – 2m 1/2f
The Champion Bumper closes the card on the second day of the Festival and can get the punters out of trouble. If the fancied runners have got beat earlier on the card, Appreciate It could be the backers' saviour. However, if Envoi Allen wins the first there will be huge liabilities on the double. Appreciate It might be a false price, which means there will be some value among the other runners. Queens Brook looks the best option at +700 with Bovada.