Cheltenham Festival 2023: RaceOlly’s Best Ante Post Bets

I love this time of year when it comes to a few speculative punts on next year's Cheltenham Festival with this years still fresh in the mind. There’s so many value punts out there, but this year especially so many horrible markets, the Champion Hurdle market is laughable offering no value whatsoever to any of the fancied runners. I’ve been tasked with finding four horses though that I would like to be on the right side of for Cheltenham 2023...

Supreme Novices' Hurdle

I’d like to kick things off with MERCUREY who done everything wrong on debut by racing wide and pulling hard and still hosed up by 13 lengths. Patrick Mullins made a comment after the race that he was out working the yards other four-year-olds and the only reason they didn’t go for the Champion Bumper last year was his age. They’ll instead go novice hurdling this season and will be a perfect age for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle where Willie Mullins has won it three times recently with French bred five-year-olds (Klassical Dream, Douvan and Vautour). With Rich Ricci’s other exciting novice Gaelic Warrior going to the Ballymore it sets the path for Mercurey to come here.

Arkle Challenge Trophy

JONBON is yet another example of whatever he did over hurdles is a bonus and boy he was good over hurdles, ending in a gallant second in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. He’ll be seven next season so a novice chase campaign looks likely and with size and scope there’s a lot to be excited about. Nicky Henderson has run nine horses in this with with hurdle ratings of over 145, five won and three were second. Seven-year-olds have a good record in this too winning three of the last eight and finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th this year. The Supreme to Arkle route is well worth following lately and with Constitution Hill likely to stay hurdling next year that leaves Jonbon to carry the torch.

Mares' Hurdle

GRANGEE was a huge eye-catcher in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle this year coming from wide and out the back to grab 3rd late on. It’s also worth keeping track of Dinoblue from this race who had money pouring on her before the off but pulled hard and gave herself no chance in the end. It’s worth noting this race has had a few disappointments who came out to be very decent in recent times most notably champion hurdle winner Epatante for these connections. Anyway back to Grangee, if she were to go to the Mares' Hurdle next year she’d be the perfect age at seven with six of the last eight winners being seven-year-olds and the first three home this year and Willie Mullins French bred horses have a great record with the likes of Quevega, Vroum Vroum Mag and Benie Des Dieux all previous winners.

Stayers' Hurdle

VANILLIER’s season has been let down by constant jumping errors and he’s not been a natural over the larger obstacles for sure, but he still put in plenty of good efforts despite that. Go back to 2020 though and his Albert Bartlett win was breathtaking and the race worked out well with plenty of those in behind boosting the form since. Big Buck's went chasing before reverting back to hurdles and winning this race and Champ gave it a good go this season. He got beat by Farouk D’Alene when hurdling and Gordon Elliott came out and made an interesting comment that beating him took so much out of Farouk D’Alene he wasn’t seen again for 341 days, Farouk D’Alene has proven he’s no mug since and would have gone very close in the Brown Advisory if not coming down two out. Now the risk here is obviously Gavin Cromwell already has Flooring Porter and might be crazy to possibly cost him three consecutive Stayers' Hurdles by beating him with a stablemate, but there’s plenty of 33/1 about and if it were to happen he wouldn’t be anywhere near that price.