Staking a Claim: The Last Four Cheltenham Festival Ante-post Tips for 2023

After 20 weeks of selections, we are finally down to the eve of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and a double header of tips from both ante-post punters to round off what has been a successful journey to the Festival, now we just need some winners to get over the line.

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 40 ante-post tips already in the can for the 2023 Festival and although some have already fallen away, the majority go with a live chance.

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 Tip

• Gerri Colombe & Mighty Potter both to win
• Current Odds – 6/1

In a desperate attempt to add a winner to my list, I am going to unashamedly double my 2 naps of the Festival. The first comes in the 3m Brown Advisory Chase and has already been tipped up by OB at much bigger price. GERRI COLOMBE is almost certainly the best horse in the race, unbeaten in 7 starts over what are clearly inadequate distances. I have never subscribed to the theory that he needs soft ground. In my early season mega-odds Lucky 15, I outlined a solid case for this horse and nothing I have seen this season has changed my mind on his ability (on a side note, change those slips to Any Race markets and it’s not a bad effort 🤪).

The Brown is without a doubt the weakest Grade 1 of the week. The Real Whacker is an atrocious price on what he has achieved and talk of a Gold Cup bid is laughable, while Thyme Hill can’t jump and is 9. The only horse who could beat Gerri is Sir Gerhard but I think there are too many factors against him here. People’s main argument against Gerri is ground, but I don’t think he actually needs soft ground, and he might end up getting it anyway, in which case he would go off odds on Fav. 

To Complete my Gordon Elliot Novice Chaser Double, we have MIGHTY POTTER. A dual Grade 1 winner over hurdles, he has improved out of sight over fences. His ability to jump and travel means that he is tactically versatile and can go on any ground. Again the appeal is heightened by what to me are substandard rivals. Banbridge is a horse I like, but needs good ground and may just be a shade below the top level. Appreciate It won the worst supreme since Summerville Boy and again is a 9-year-old novice. There is nothing else to beat. 

The double pays roughly 6/1 and is probably my NAP of the week. 

 

Ciaran’s Week 20 Tip

• Dinoblue (Grand Annual)
• Current Odds – 7/1

My final pick of the series comes in a Handicap. I combed through all the races, starting from the bottom up in search of a grandstand finish…….. And ended up with the favourite in the Grand Annual, coming from little-known connections JP McManus and WP Mullins. 

I was hugely impressed by DINOBLUE in her narrow defeat by Impervious (who is now rated 151 in Ireland). She jumped flawlessly, attacking every fence and was just outbattled by a stronger stayer. Over 2m, she is certainly better than a mark of 140, she has won on heavy ground and won’t be overly inconvenienced if it comes up on the slow side of good. At 6, she is still improving and her run at Cheltenham when running keen wouldn’t overly concern me. 

Connections also have the well-fancied Andy Dufresne in the race but if Dinoblue is the Chosen one, the JP could see her go off half of her current price. 

Back her at 7/1 now! 

 

OB’s Week 19 Tip

Selections 19 and 20. The final week is here and I’ve got 2 bets to complete the team sheet. I’ve gone for a single for 1 of my selections and a double for the other. I wanted to cover a few more races that I haven’t played in yet so it made sense to put the double up.

• Sharjah (County Hurdle)
• Current Odds: 10/1

Pick 19 sees me go for another competitive handicap and pick my 9^th horse from the Willie Mullins yard. At the time of writing, this horse is still in 3 races but I believe he is going to end up in the County Hurdle on the Friday.

The horse is a favourite of mine and is the much loved and travelled Sharjah. A multiple G1 Winner and Champion hurdle runner-up, the horse is all class and even though he’s now 10 years old, I think he still has 1 big win left in him.

He’s been battling out Grade 1’s for years and if he was to run here it would be the first run in a handicap for a while. Rated 155 in Ireland, Sharjah is in a small pool of horses who wasn’t raised a single lb from the UK handicapper at last week’s weights reveal.

With 4 hurdle runs needed to qualify for this race now, we won’t be seeing another unexposed novice like State Man in here as we have in the past. Willie has won this race under top weight with Arctic Fire and I see no issues with doing so again with Sharjah.

Sharjah has been seen twice this season chasing home State Man and although he hasn’t been able to lay a glove on him, he hasn’t run bad races in defeat. He was beaten Last time out against Fil D’or which was slightly disappointing but the ground was heavy that day and he would have hated it. Put a line through that.

Hes been backed into a shorter price in the last couple of days but im still happy to take the 10/1 that’s out there

Stake – 1pt win only Sharjah (County Hurdle) 10/1 bet365 NRNB.

 

OB’s Week 20 Tip

Im backing a double (my 3^rd in this series) for my final bet and although it’s short enough (11/2) I think they both win. Mighty Potter in the Turners chase is my banker of the week and I just needed to get him involved. Short enough fav for the race at 5/4, I want to put him in with something to enhance the price.

The Turners looks a weak race to me with little depth and I think he takes all the beating. His form is by far the best in the race and even though he disappointed at the Festival last year, he had his excuses. A winner of 2 Grade 1’s over hurdles, Mighty Potter has improved again for a fence and that has resulted in 2 further Grade 1’s this season (The Drinmore & Ladbrokes Chase). I can’t see how he gets beat and I cannot wait to see him jump round Prestbury Park next week.

We have an English horse to make up the 2^nd leg of this double and it’s Edwardstone in the Champion Chase. Currently edging favouritism (7/4) over last year’s winner Energumene (2/1). I think he’s the right favourite and the horse who has the best chance of winning.

Last year’s Arkle winner, Edwardstone’s form still gets crabbed and he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He was an easy winner of this season’s Tingle Creek where he smashed course specialist Greaneteen with Shishkin disappointing behind.

The Clarence House (ran at Cheltenham this year) is the key form line going into this year’s Champion Chase. That saw Edwardstone get the better of 2^nd fav Energumene but he couldn’t pass Editeur Du Gite who held on in the final yards to cause a massive shock.

Edwardstone was left with lots to do turning in but made up that ground in a matter of strides and came to win the race only to be outbattled by the winner. I believe the horse and Tom Cannon would have learnt from that and will be better come the Champion Chase if ridden more prominently. The race next week is on the new course as opposed to the old like on trials day and this will further benefit Edwardstone.

Edwardstone lost the battle in January but Im confident he will win the war come next week.

Stake – 1pt win only double Mighty Potter (Turners Chase) & Edwardstone (Champion Chase) 11/2 365 NRNB

 

The Full List of Both Tipsters Ante-post Tips 2023

	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

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