After some decent placed returns on day one of the Cheltenham Festival, Raceolly returns with his best bets for Wednesday's action at Prestbury Park, and you can check out all his day two tips here...

13:30 - Ballymore Novices' Hurdle

After 12 months of waiting I finally get to watch Journey With Me and Bravemansgame run for my money. Journey With Me kicks me off for the day and looks to emulate Bob Olinger for connections who won this last year and with his form working out and his ceiling yet to be reached he’s very exciting. I’ve been on about him for the last year and he’s now 7/1 and I’m happy with the ante-post slip of 20/1.

If I were playing it without that though and looking at the race now I’d be happy to play STAGE STAR at a decent price. Paul Nicholls has never won this race, but he’s rarely had runners over the years and in fact Bravemansgame was his first runner in 10 years last year when finishing 3rd. There’s a stat about no Challow hurdle winners winning this but six from the last eight were placed and Stage Star won that easily last time out and looked special in doing so. 

14:10 - Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

I won’t be betting this race on the day but happily sit on a 20/1 ante-post ticket on Bravemansgame. Now 5/2 mostly and although the most likely winner not a play at that price for me. Ahoy Senor would appeal as a each way price at 13/2 and drifting at the moment but not big enough to tempt me in. 

14:50 - Coral Cup

DROP THE ANCHOR finished well over two miles plenty of times hinting that this trip would be perfect. Done just that in the County Hurdle last season when beaten three lengths in 7th off 3lbs higher, and he was a huge eye-catcher last time when finishing strongly in to 5th in his prep run, coming from an impossible position in doing so.

Previous course form seems to be key in this and also fits the trends being lightly raced this season and he would have pushed Belfast Banter very close off this mark last year who then went on to win a Grade 1 at Aintree and runs off 20lbs higher these days. Plenty of evidence to suggest this maybe have been the plan for some time off a very decent handicap mark. Also gets a big tick for being Irish trained who often do very well in this.

16:10 - Cross Country Chase

MIDNIGHT MAESTRO was well fancied, but didn’t run his race over a course and distance attempt in December, but he won’t be the first or the last to flop on first run and bounce back from it and he acts very well around the Punchestown cross country track. Enda Bolger is also dangerous in these events having won five of the last 17 with four seconds, four thirds and four fourths with three runners in this this time around with Midnight Maestro the outsider of them surprisingly - especially after winning a decent trial for this in the P P Hogan memorial Cross Country at Punchestown beating his stablemate. Hugely over priced on his efforts in cross country events at Punchestown.

16:50 - Grand Annual Handicap Chase

HASANKEY comes here in the form of his life after winning three on the bounce and going up 21lbs in that time. He’s the right age for this as six-year-olds have a good record and also gets a great racing weight creeping in the bottom of the handicap off 137. This is a step up on what he’s done to date but he’s only ran four times this season, unseating when challenging on first of those and winning the other three.

Laura Morgan is having a fantastic season and has a 28% win rate with her handicap chasers, she very rarely comes to the top meetings and it’s interesting the yard have decided to come here and booking a claimer that they have a 22% win rate with. The claimer puts the horse effectively off a mark of 130 and horses rated between 130 to 134 have a very good record in this landing the 1st and 2nd for six years and the winner in two of the other years since 2000.

17:30 - Champion Bumper

Outside of the front two in the market there’s one at a huge price that catches the eye and that’s AUTHORISED SPEED at a huge 80/1. He looked good winning at Newbury and has excuses last time when finishing 4th in a listed event when being sent off 13/8 fav when the race was far from ideal after they crawled around. Guaranteed a fast pace to aim at here which will suit, and Authorised horses do well in bumpers boasting a 17% win rate. Gary Moore has only sent two horses to bumpers at Cheltenham before in his career and it’s very interesting he’s sending Authorised Speed here for this.