Ginger Joe's Cheltenham 2023 Day 1 Preview: Betting Tips & Winning Picks!

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival has finally arrived and it’s time to get the show on the road!

For each of the four days of the Cheltenham Festival I'm going to give you previews of my very best bets so far, including my NAP and my Next Best (NB) selections. So, let's get this Cheltenham show on the road right now with Day 1.

Joe’s favourite bookie for Cheltenham Day 1

13.30: The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m

I can’t wait for the tape to go up for the Supreme! We all want to get off to a winning start and I think I have cracked the code this year. Facile Vega has been the talking horse for a long time now and is bred to be very special, but his Bumper form really has turned out to be nothing special at all.

He is clearly very capable and there won’t be too many better than him in time, however he showed us some serious flaws last time out and I plan to lay him as soon as the money piles in for him. I think the tactics that unfolded last time out are going to hugely backfire on connections.

I imagine this time round the plan will be to hold him up, as they won’t want to risk having him too prominent, as there is likely to be tons of pace up front. Personally, I don’t think this will suit him at all. His turn of foot isn’t anything special and I now think he would be better up in trip. I can’t have him for a Supreme with what I’ve seen this season.

Il Etait Temps won at Leopardstown last time out at a big price, but I feel it was more luck than judgment that brought him that victory. The race couldn’t have fallen apart much more than it did and he had a free run on the outside to pick up the pieces. This lad has no chance in a Supreme in my opinion.

High Definition is a horse I like and if he can put it all together, he can absolutely get competitive here, and the ground looks like it should suit Tahmuras too. However, the horse they all have to beat is MARINE NATIONALE (NAP) who to me is a standout bet here.

If you missed the 20/1 that followers of my Ante Post series will have taken, it’s worth knowing he may drift, because the money will soon come in for the Mullins battalion. However, in my eyes, Marine Nationale has the best form on offer by far and his campaign has been perfectly executed.

He started off by winning his Bumper, beating the talking horse from Gordon Elliott’s yard, and has done nothing but improve since. He looks like equine perfection to me and for those that have any doubts about the going should go back and watch the Royal Bond.

Despite the heavy going and mistakes in front of him shuffling him back twice, he still managed to sit back on the bridle, travelled superbly and still found a snappy turn of foot after bunny hopping the last.

Any one of those events was enough to knock most horses out of their rhythm and if you think any of the others in this field would have been able to put up a decent performance after all that happened, you're wrong. I’m willing to put my neck on the line for Marine Nationale and he is my best bet for Day 1, if not for the entire Festival!

14.10: The Sporting Life Arkle Chase (Grade 1) 2m

This year, the Arkle looks like a two-horse race in the market and I tend to think this is how it will turn out. Jonbon got the better of El Fabiolo when they both met at Aintree last year, but there are a few factors to take into account.

Jonbon won that day and had to do that after what looked like a very tough race at Cheltenham the month before, when he finished a distant second to Constitution Hill. On the other hand, El Fabiolo went to Aintree fresh, and looked an unlucky loser after making a bad mistake at the last.

They have both turned into very smart Novice Chasers, each with different attributes. El Fabiolo has an electric turn of foot, whilst Jonbon is physically superb and a tremendous jumper of a fence. I really do think this one is for a coin toss, but pushed for a selection, I'd give JONBON the edge, with his jumping being the decisive factor.

Ready to Roar?

Honeysuckle

14.50: The Ultima Handicap Chase (HCP) 3m 1f

The Ultima is the first Handicap race of the Festival and you need to be able to deal with the hustle and bustle of the mid-race antics here as it does become a bit of a bumpy ride. The one in particular that really stands out to me though, is Jonjo O'neill's Monbeg Genius.

He blitzed Mr Glass by 20 lengths on his final start over Hurdles and has taken to fences very well indeed. He has had wind surgery and finished last of four on his Chase debut, but since then has just gone from strength to strength. He won his next three starts, including twice at Chepstow, which is the type of form I really like.

He has gone from a rating of 124 all the way to 140 and still seems very comfortable at that weight. Even though he has a Kim Muir entry, connections will want young Jonjo O’neill Jr on board, who has been superb on Monbeg Genius this season.

The other I’m quite keen on is Lord Accord, who won here over course and distance in October and is weighted to go very well indeed. I imagine he will be ridden prominently and should have things his own way out in front. Providing he jumps well; I can’t see him being too far away either. My personal preference is Monbeg Genius, but both are still available at 14/1 with five places on offer at most bookies.

15.30: The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m

So, Constitution Hill just goes out and wins the Champion Hurdle. Or does he? I think his main market rival, State Man, has been campaigned perfectly for a tilt at the Champion Hurdle and I think he absolutely has the gears to serve it up to the shortest-priced Favourite of the Festival.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t want to see Constitution Hill go out there and bolt up. However he has only had five starts over Hurdles so far in his career, so it’s not a foregone conclusion in my eyes.

State Man is a proper, smart, and classy Grade 1 horse and he will be more than ready to pick up any pieces when given the slightest opportunity. My prediction is that they jump the last together and Constitution Hill wins, but by less than 2 lengths.

16.10: The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f

For the Mares, I’m against Honeysuckle from a betting perspective, but would be as happy as anyone to see her win. She is 2/1 now and likely to receive strong support on the day, simply due to her huge fan following.

There is a real classy bunch of mares here this year. Last year’s winner Maries Rock might just end up going to the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday instead, but if she turns up here, I will be getting stuck into her. She is a very powerful mare, who is built for these sort of trips whereas Honeysuckle to me prefers the shorter trip, despite her recent defeat. So, if Maries Rock turns up here, I’ll have a decent punt on her and I have done so already on the NRMB market.

The other mare I am very keen on is BRANDY LOVE (NB), who was purchased by the Donnelly’s prior to her prep run for this race and she is likely to have come on a fair amount since. She is much better than we saw her last time out. In fact, we already know that from her performance at Fairyhouse last year, where she was mightily impressive when absolutely destroying Love Envoi by nearly 10 lengths.

Both Maries Rock and Brandy Love hold plenty of value heading into the Festival, so I’m also doubling Brandy Love with Gaillard Du Mesnil in the National Hunt Chase.

16.50: The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (HCP) 2m 1/2f

I’ll probably have a few goes in the Boodles Handicap, as it could turn out to be run a few different ways. The main two I like here are Tekao and Sir Allen, both of which I think will go close.

Tekao was given a very light ride last time out and is very likely to be ahead of his Hurdles mark. Although Willie Mullins has got a few options here, Tekao stands out for me and he’s got plenty of scope for further improvement. If you go back and check out his latest run at Leopardstown, it says to me that he could have finished a lot closer with a more positive ride.

Sir Allen didn’t win by far last time out, but he showed tremendous guts to win in the fashion he did. Prominent in a small field and twice looked like he was going to get swallowed up by the pack. However, he managed to find even more when under pressure and ran all the way through the line. I really like Sir Allen’s attitude, he looks very straightforward and is a great each way bet at a double-figure price.

17.30: The National Hunt Chase (Grade 2) 3m 5f

Gaillard Du Mesnil is considered a banker at this year's Festival for many, but for a horse that doesn’t win all that often, I won't be getting involved at even money. I will have him in a double with one of my picks from the Mares’ Hurdle, as mentioned, but I would prefer to find value from an each way angle this time around.

I’m going to take a slight chance on Chemical Energy at 8/1. He already has some decent course form and although he hasn’t been this far, he acts like a horse that will stay and probably prove quite effective on good to soft ground. I don’t have a big view here, but I am having a piece each way (for small stakes) regardless.

Ginger Joe's Cheltenham Day 1 video

2023 Cheltenham Festival Day 1 selections. Champion Hurdle, Supreme Novices Hurdle, Arkle Chase

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