Staking a Claim Week 6 Selections – Weekly Cheltenham 2023 Ante-post Tips

OB and Ciaran are back with their sixth round of Cheltenham Festival 2023 ante-post tips. Our Staking a Claim feature is pitting the wits of these two ante-post punters together as they pick a weekly pick ready for Cheltenham next March.

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.

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 6 Bet

• Grangeclare West (Ballymore Novices Hurdle)
• Current Odds – 10/1 with bet365

After my unsuccessful trip across the Irish Sea for last weeks selection, normal service resumes and this week’s pick comes from the emerald Isle, and more specifically, the yard of the great WPM. 

I was at Navan on Sunday for the Troytown and while there were some very nice performances,  the most impressive horse on the day was certainly GRANGECLARE WEST. 

Before we get into the race itself, the betting was curious and pointed to a lack of confidence in his readiness for the day. He drifted from even money to 3.4 on the exchange and Willies post race quotes told a similar story (he would have been happy with 3rd or 4th apparently).

When the tape went up, he travelled well in behind a decent pace, but showed a nice turn of foot over the last and powered away from some pretty smart rivals. Filling the first five places in this race was approximately €1.2 Million worth of talent so its hard to question the strength of the race. 

Now he was cut in both the Ballymore and Albert Bartlett markets (outright favourite in the latter) but it is the 10/1 with bet365 for the Ballymore that I am taking. 

Now being by Presenting, he would have no problem getting 3m, Willie mentioned the Lawlors of Naas as a possible next target. In the last 5 years, while no Mullins horse has ran there and went on to the AB, 4 have gone on to run in the Ballymore. GW has shown a lot of Class in his 2 racecourse outings, and Cheveley Park clearly like the race, winning it with both Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard in recent years. 

The Ballymore market is one where there is value to be had. Facile Vega is the favourite, but in my eyes, he will start at 2 miles and unless he is beaten (which he won’t be), he will be supreme bound come March. The rest of the market lacks any standout candidate and so I’m backing GRANGECLARE WEST to continue to pay back the £470,000 outlay by winning the Ballymore (10/1 bet365) 

 

OB’s Week 6 Bet

• Telmesomethinggirl (Mares Chase)
• Current Odds – 8/1 with bet365

Week 6 sees me move back to familiar territory and tip another Irish horse with this weeks selection coming from the Henry De Bromhead yard. Previous Cheltenham form is always a good box to tick going into a Festival and this is my 3^rd selection (2^nd festival winner) who has previously won at Cheltenham.

My aim this week was to try and target a race that I believe to be weak or have little depth to it and then choose a horse I think has a great chance in it. That decision has taken me to the Mares Chase and selecting TELMESOMETHINGGIRL (8/1 general).

The 2021 Mares Novice hurdle winner goes novice chasing this season and I think her connections will aim her at this race (even though there is a risk she could take on the boys in the Turners). She will have to give chasing experience to some of the field if going to this race but im hopeful she can take her hurdle form to fences.

She hasn’t jumped a fence yet (at the time of writing she is entered in a beginners chase on Thursday) but neither has favourite Allegorie De Vassy who is half the price and has no Cheltenham experience due to being off the track a while after last season was cut short due to a setback.

My charge was tanking along at Cheltenham in March in the Mares hurdle when she was unfortunately brought down. She then fell at Punchestown in her last start of the season so comes into this season on the back of a frustrating spring.

Im taking the chance that my mare can get the better of more experienced chasers (Elimay, Scarlet & Dove et al) and her class can make her a serious player in this. Im hoping she takes up her entry on Thursday and can show us shes in good order and takes to fences well. If she does then I think she will be half the price come Thursday evening.

Stake – 1pt win only Telmesomethinggirl (Mares Chase) 8/1 general.

 

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

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