Cheltenham Day 2 Tips – Wednesday’s Race by Race Betting Tips and Predictions
The 2025 Cheltenham Festival rolls into day 2 and Ciaran has been through the Wednesday card and picked out his best win and each-way betting tips for the seven races.
We get underway with the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at 1.20pm with the feature race coming up at 4pm where Jonbon is the short-priced favourite to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Read Ciaran’s preview and betting tips for Wednesday 12th March below.
Cheltenham Day 2 Tips
- 1.20pm – The New Lion (15/8 with William Hill) & Kiss Will EW (25/1 with bet365)
- 2.00pm – Ballyburn (Evens with bet365)
- 2.40pm – Comfort Zone (10/1 with Ladbrokes)
- 3.20pm – Busselton (15/2 with William Hill)
- 4.00pm – Jonbon (10/11 with BetVictor)
- 4.40pm – Unexpected Party (6/1 with William Hill) & Dancing On My Own EW (20/1 with Paddy Power)
- 5.20pm – Kalypsochance (11/2 with Coral)
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1.20pm – Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle)
There is an argument to be made that this is the most competitive Grades race of the week, with The Yellow Clay, The New Lion and Final Demand all showing up. Add in a supporting cast that includes a couple of lightly raced Willie Mullins horses and you have the recipe for a cracker of a race. Of the supporting cast, I really liked the debut of Kiss Will (25/1) who was a 300k purchase off the flat in France and would give him an EW chance in an ordinary year.
But this is not an ordinary year and indeed, while I like the Yellow Clay, I think the winner comes from the top 2 in the market. Final Demand may end up being the better horse long term but I’m taking a chance on THE NEW LION (15/8) to break the Challow curse. The form of that race is largely irrelevant anyway because of how easily it was won. He clearly has a good cruising speed and may just have the extra gears to outspeed Final Demand on a relatively sound surface. JP doesn’t buy too many duds, let alone pay 7 figures for them and I think he has bought a festival winner here.
WIN – The New Lion (15/8 with William Hill)
EACH-WAY – Kiss Will (25/1 with bet365)
2.00pm – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Broadway Novices’ Chase)
In my Cheltenham back or lay column some weeks back, I proposed BALLYBURN (Evens) as my bet of the festival and I have seen nothing since that would make me deviate from this view, even at this shorter price. He is undoubtedly the classiest horse in the race, with an OR of 162 over hurdles, 12 pounds clear of the nearest rating in the race. He had the speed and ability to win Grade 1 hurdles over 2m. To me, any stamina questions were put to bed when he powered clear of Croke Park up the run-in at the DRF and his breeding suggests that there will be no issues in this regard. Those taking him on may point to his jumping but to my eye, his jumping at 3 mile pace is economical, unspectacular and accurate and that is exactly what I would want. To add to the case, I would say that the ground will be against his 2 main market rivals, Better Days Ahead and Dancing City and while this ground would favour Gorgeous Tom, he was just a 135 rated hurdler and shouldn’t be good enough to win here.
WIN – Ballyburn (Evens with bet365)
2.40pm – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
Be Aware has obvious chances in the Coral Cup for the winning connections of the last 2 years but I couldn’t advise backing him at 9/2 in a contest this competitive. Respect has to be paid to Bunting who Paul Townened elects to ride. Townend is selective in his handicap rides at the festival and is obviously impressed by what he sees at home. That in conjunction with the 4-year-old form from last year would ensure that he has to be on the shortlist. However, COMFORT ZONE (10/1) has been a talking horse on the preview scene and it’s easy to see why. Joseph O’Brien has a strong team of handicappers heading across the water and this lad is chief among them. He has high-class Juvenile form, including winning a Grade 2 contest at the track. He was not distracted in a couple of flat handicaps over the summer and last time out at Christmas, he ran a very pleasing trial, coming 3rd and one place ahead of subsequent Boyne Hurdle winner Maxxum. He has been freshened up and runs here off just 137 and I think has a fair bit in hand on that mark
WIN – Comfort Zone (10/1 with Ladbrokes)
3.20pm – Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (Limited Handicap)
The first year this race has returned to being run as a handicap and yet top weights Stumptown and Galvin head the market. However, I like the chances of BUSSELTON (7/1) here to make Joseph O’Brien’s day even better. Once good enough to contest and finish (an admittedly distant) second in a Grade 1 Cheltenham Novice Chase, his most notable win came on good ground, winning the Kerry National off a 4-pound higher (Irish) mark. He has had 2 sighters over these fences, with the latter of these eye-catching his last run came in the Boyne Hurdle, a notable prep race used by past winners Delta Work and the great Tiger Roll himself. The final piece of the puzzle is the first time application of headgear with blinkers being applied. With Joseph being one of the best target trainers, it smells like a well hatched plan coming together on the big day and a very good case was put together by Paul Beck when he put the horse up as his bet of the week at 33/1.
WIN – Busselton (15/2 with William Hill)
4.00pm – BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
In that back or lay column, I stated that I would lay JONBON (5/6) even though I thought he was the best horse in the race. This was on the basis that (as has been widely publicised and debated) he may not be at his best around Cheltenham. However, I have watched his main rivals fall by the wayside and the rain that Energumene would need has not been seen. He may not be at his best around Cheltenham but the fact is that he won’t need to be to win here. He is far superior to any horse in the race. The lack of Matata and Il Est Francais will help Solness who will get an easy lead but it’s hard to see that being enough to improve the 2 stone he would need to from his 11th in the Grand Annual off just 149.
WIN – Jonbon (10/11 with BetVictor)
4.40pm – Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
Dan Skelton has famously shown an ability to somehow get a horse who has won at the previous year’s festival well handicapped enough to follow up in the same race the following year. While he amazingly got Langer Dan back on the exact same mark (Martin Greenwood, you had your pants pulled down), here UNEXPECTED PARTY (6/1) returns off a 6-pound higher mark. But he absolutely bolted in last year and I think that he certainly had that 6 pounds in hand. A couple of others to note are So Scottish, having his first start over Fences since December 23 for the genius Emmet Mullins. There has been absolutely no talk about this lad, which with these connections, I am taking as a positive -watch the market closely. Also, Dancing On My Own (20/1), although 11, is an entirely ground dependent horse who runs here off just 1 pound higher than a course and distance win here last year. Last time out, he was 3rd, just 5 lengths behind Matata, giving that rival 6 pounds. Matata is now rated 161. I think he has been saved for one last hurrah and is worth an EW saver.
WIN – Unexpected Party (6/1 with William Hill)
EACH-WAY – Dancing On My Own (20/1 with Paddy Power)
5.20pm – Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1)
While it is a dangerous game to take on Willie in the Bumper (he has won 5 of the last 7 renewals), Gordon Elliot had one of those winners and even set the groundwork for one of Willies wins (starting the season training Sir Gerhard). At the DRF, we were wondering where all of Willie’s contenders were and then Bambino Fever, Copacobana and Gameofinches went literally on the bridle to the top of the market. Before that, KALYPSOCHANCE (11/2) was the best bumper horse in Ireland and may be slightly overpriced here. I would be slightly worried about good ground for the first 2 in the market, whilst the Gigginstown contender won his Point to Point on Good to Soft Ground (whatever that means) and both his Bumper wins have been on a relatively sound surface, including last time out at Navan when he powered up the hill.
WIN – Kalypsochance (11/2 with Coral)
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