Staking A Claim Week 4 Selections – Weekly Cheltenham 2023 Ante-post Tips

OB and Ciaran are back with their fourth round of Cheltenham ante-post tips in our head to head Staking A Claim competition. Each week between now and March they will pick out an ante-post bet for the 2023 Festival.

You can see all the existing selections in the table at the end of this article and there are also links to the week 1, 2 and 3 selections where you can catch up on any you have missed so far.

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 4 Bet

• Ashroe Diamond (Mares Novice)
• Current Odds – 9/1 with bet365

In modern Antepost betting, it doesn’t take much to prompt a sea of blue on Oddschecker. So the fact that a Willie Mullins horse could win on their hurdles bow and only shorten a point for the achievement is an impressive achievement in itself. I think that this week’s selection, Ashroe Diamond was low-key impressive in taking down the boys in a maiden hurdle at Naas on Saturday, easily dispatching a Punchestown Festival winner in Tag Man (whose trainer Henry De Bromhead has his string in great form).

I think that we are all expecting potential Cheltenham winners to win pulling double handfuls at this stage of the season. However, there were a couple of examples of Harchibald-like finishing efforts over the weekend (looking at you Jamie Codd And Found a Fifty) and so I take it as a plus that this daughter of Walk in the Park found generously off the bridle and stuck her neck out when the heat came on. This was after travelling very smoothly, with Paul Townend always seeming very confident. Willie and Patrick are also both on record that their horses always come on from the first run. 

This mare has a progressive profile and is herself a festival bumper winner when a well backed 6-length scorer in the Mares bumper at Aintree. She is ground versatile, having won on both good and heavy, while we know for sure that the newly named Jack de Bromhead Mares Novice hurdle will be her target. Willie has also mentioned her as a Royal Bond contender, and while that race may well come too soon, the fact that he would enter her in a Grade 1 outside of mares company is another indication of the regard she is held in. 

Off the others at the top of the market, Queens Gamble looks to be staying to bumpers this year while I felt Magical Zoe was the beneficiary of her rivals taking each on too early in her win at Down Royal. Nicky Henderson mares have to be respected but I think Luccia is overrated on her 17-length defeat of Willie’s Eabha Grace (from who she was getting 10 pounds off), Ahorsewithnoname wasn’t overly impressive when sent off favourite for a Cesarawitch and while there has been a lot of talk for Between Waters, she has yet to be seen outside the P2P sphere. 

Time to back what we have seen, not what might be. 

 

OB’s Week 4 Bet

• Blazing Khal (Stayers Hurdle)
• Current Odds – 6/1 with bet365

Week 4 sees me follow the same theory as last week by tipping a horse due to poor runs from others in the division/race. As a result of those disappointing (IMO) runs I believe my selection has strengthened his chance in the race and he is a selection I wanted to get on board and have on my side come March.

The market has reacted to the above and cut the horse by 2 points since Sunday but I still believe Blazing Khal at 6/1 to win the Stayers Hurdle is fair.

Home by the Lee winning the Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle at Navan was not expected and as a result, it asked questions regarding the form and longer-term potential of Bob Olinger, Zanahiyr and reigning Stayers Hurdle champ Flooring Porter.

The Stayers Hurdle division is one that is often windy and difficult to grasp, especially so early in a season. There is always a chance you get horses stepping up in trip who aren’t quite good enough to compete at 2m or horses who have gone chasing but failed/disappointed. But even with many unknowns, I think Blazing Khal will be at the top of this division this season.

Blazing Khal hasn’t been seen since winning at Cheltenham last December due to an injury setback that cut his novice hurdle season short. At the time he was AP favourite for the Albert Bartlett and looked a worthy favourite at that time. He had 3 runs last season and stepped up in trip on each occasion (2m3, 2m5, 3m) and he looked better the further he went.

His love for Cheltenham was evident on both starts there last season and I can only see this horse progressing and being a huge player in the staying hurdle division. The form can be questioned but he beat subsequent G1 winner Gelino Bello twice including a 4 ¼ length win over 3m.

 

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

 

He is due to reappear this season around Xmas time (its why he has stayed hurdling rather than go novice chasing) according to his trainer and if he can stay A1 throughout the season and show his ability then hes going to be bang there when it matters.

 

Stake – 1pt win only Blazing Khal (Stayers Hurdle) 6/1 general

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