Cheltenham Ante-post Week 17 Tips – Plate Handicap & Gold Cup Ante-post Tips

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival is now just a month away and we are into the final stages of our ante-post tipping series between Ciaran and OB. Both have had some good and bad ante-post picks so far but now the entries are becoming a little clearer.

You can see all the existing selections in the table at the end of this article and there are also links to the write-ups for each week. That’s 32 ante-post tips already in the can for the 2023 Festival and although some have already fallen away, we hope to go into March with some nice ante-post prices and live chances.

All the selections will be recorded as a 1pt win or 0.5pts each-way and we haven’t restricted the tips to any particular bet so you can expect to see singles, doubles and even the odd treble for the tips.

You can also follow both Ciaran (@murphfinbarrs) and OB (@OB_14) on Twitter where they will be outlining all of their ante-post bets and thoughts ahead of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

 

Ciaran’s Week 17 Tip

• Coole Cody (Plate Handicap) EW
• Current Odds – 40/1 with bet365

After the rip roaring success of Week 5s trip across the channel, (if Proschema starts tomorrow, he might win next year’s Stayers Hurdle), week 17 sees just my second non-Irish selection. But I am being compensated for this risk with a price of 40/1 for a current festival champion. 

And while I am unsure of the trends for 12 year old winners at the festival (I imagine not good), I think that there is a case to be made for COOLE CODY in the 2 and half mile “notsurewhothecurrentsponsoris” plate. I think that he is the beneficiary of some pretty generous handicapping. His mark was not raised after winning a 2 horse race against Saint Calvados in December (even the handicapper dismisses poor David Maxwell), while in 2 subsequent runs (over course and distance), he has been dropped 8 pounds to a mark of 143, 2 below what he won last year’s race off. And while on the face of it, he may seem regressive, his record in 2 races at Cheltenham this year is eerily similar to his prep for last year’s race. 

In his last outing at the Paddy Power, he showed that he is still capable of getting to the front and he ran well for a long way before cutting out and finishing 10th of 16 (it was 7th out of 10 in the same race in 2022). I am hoping that Evan Williams left him a bit short with one day in mind. Look, at 12 years old, he may just find one too good but he is a sound horse (touch wood) who can only have one target and at 40/1, he will give you a good run for a long way and hopefully hold on for the place money. And I certainly couldn’t let him win unbacked at that price. 

Back Coole Cody at 40/1 EW with Bet365

 

OB’s Week 17 Tip

• Bravemansgame (Gold Cup)
• Current Odds – 8/1 with bet365

Week 17 sees me go back to a British selection once more and pick a horse who is aiming to give his trainer his 5^th Gold Cup.

I had to think long and hard for my selection this week and it was extremely difficult holding back from a handicap selection knowing that is probably best to wait a week now until we have the entries.

This has led me to backing Bravemansgame (8/1) for the blue ribbon race that is the Gold Cup using a Cheltenham NRNB bookies. Now, I’m fully aware that he has a huge task in front of him and lowering the colours of favourite Galopin Des Champ will take some doing but I’m willing to take a risk. My selection is joint 5^th in the betting and I just don’t think that’s right or gives the horse enough credit. I believe it should be 2^nd fav and be a 4-5/1 shot (and I think he will go off shorter than he is now).

I think my selection has a huge chance and I’m of the opinion that his form is a lot better than many rivals ahead of him in the betting. There are question marks over At Plus Tard who we’ve only seen once this season (pulled up in the Betfair Chase), Noble Yeats is a terrible price on the basis of his 2 chase starts this season and although I am a fan of Stattler, I still need to be convinced he has the class to win a Gold Cup.

Bravemansgame King George winning form is good and he had L’homme Presse at it and beat when he UR at the last. BMG will no doubt have critics crab his form and question whether he will stay the 3m2f trip, but we can have a similar argument with the 13/8 fav. BMG impressed me in the King George and I believe he has improved again this season.

His only run at Cheltenham was when 3^rd behind Bob Olinger (when he was at his best) so there’s no worry on course form for me (like there are with others). My selections form in the spring is questionable and he has that to prove. He is unbeaten in his last 9 starts in the autumn/winter but has yet to taste success in the spring.

The plan has always been to go straight to the Gold Cup after his King George success and if there’s a trainer you want to freshen up a horse and get him 100% spot on for a Gold Cup then it’s the 4 time winner of the race and champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Stake – 1pt win only Bravemansgame (Boodles Gold Cup) 8/1 365 NRNB

 

Staking a Claim Tips so Far

	Ciaran	OB
Week 1	Galopin Des Champs (Cheltenham Gold Cup) & Allaho (Ryanair) ODDS: 12.5/1	Gaillard Du Mesnil (National Hunt Chase) Delta Work (Cross Country) ODDS: 15/1
Week 2	Dysart Dynamo (Arkle) ODDS: 16/1	Brandy Love (Mares Hurdle) ODDS: 5/1
Week 3	Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle) ODDS: 4/1	Chapeau De Soleil (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 12/1
Week 4	Ashroe Diamond (Mares Novice) ODDS: 9/1	Blazing Khal (Stayers Hurdle) ODDS: 6/1
Week 5	Proschema EW (Stayers Hurdle) ODDS: 25/1	Jet Powered (Supreme Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 14/1
Week 6	Grangeclare West (Ballymore) ODDS: 10/1	Telmesomethinggirl (Mares Chase) ODDS: 8/1
Week 7	James Du Berlais (Brown Advisory Chase) EW ODDS: 20/1	Lossiemouth (Triumph Hurdle) and Luccia (Mares novice hurdle) ODDS: 19/1 win double
Week 8	Hiddenvalley Lake (Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 8/1	Three Stripe Life (Brown Advisory Novices Chase) ODDS: 14/1 win double
Week 9	Barry The Butcher (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 20/1	Impaire Et Passes (to win any race) ODDS: 6/1 win double
Week 10	Salvador Ziggy (Pertemps) ODDS: 25/1	Three Card Brag (Albert Bartlett) ODDS: 14/1
Week 11	Arctic Bresil Without Favile Vega (Supreme Novices' Hurdle) ODDS: 20/1	El Fabiolo (Turners) ODDS: 10/1
Week 12	Fascile Mode (Champion Bumper) ODDS: 12/1	Risk Belle (The Boodles Fred Winter) ODDS: 16/1
Week 13	Tekao (Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) ODDS: 8/1 NRNB	Selection: Chris’s Dream (Hunters Chase) ODDS: 10/1
Week 14	Brandy Love (Mares Hurdle) ODDS: 4/1 NRNB	Threeunderthrufive (Ultima Handicap Chase) ODDS: 12/1 NRNB
Week 15	Galvin (Cross Country Chase) ODDS: 6/1	Gerri Colombe (Brown Advisory Chase) ODDS: 8/1
Week 16	Inothewayyourthinking (Martin Pipe) ODDS: 16/1	Spanish Harlem (Martin Pipe) ODDS: 20/1
Week 17	Coole Cody (Plate Handicap) EW ODDS: 40/1	Bravemansgame (Gold Cup) ODDS: 8/1
Week 18	Shanbally Kid (Albert Bartlett) ODDS: 25/1 EW	Camprond (Coral Cup) ODDS: 20/1
Week 19	Gerri Colombe (Brown Advisory) & Mighty Potter (Turners)double ODDS: 6/1	Sharjah (County Hurdle) ODDS: 10/1 EW
Week 20	Dino Blue (Grand Annual) ODDS: 7/1	Mighty Potter (Turners Chase) & Edwardstone (Champion Chase) ODDS: 11/2

Staking a Claim week 1 Selections

Staking a Claim week 2 Selections

Staking a Claim week 3 Selections

Staking a Claim week 4 Selections

Staking a Claim week 5 Selections

Staking a Claim week 6 Selections

Staking a Claim week 7 Selections

Staking a Claim week 8 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 9 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 10 & 11 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 12 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 13 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 14 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 15 Selections

Staking a Claim Week 16 Selections

Relevant news