Ginger Joe - Betting Tips for Day 1 of the 2024 Cheltenham Showcase Meeting

My fantastic five for Day 1 of the Cheltenham Showcase meeting

The two-day Cheltenham Showcase meeting has arrived and we have some fantastic racing here. I have five betting tips for you, which I would recommend combining into a Lucky 31.

That said, my Friday NAP pick runs in the final race and he is worth a single punt too. He already has his campaign planned for the season, and comes here off a very winnable mark. I would be disappointed if he can’t win this race fairly easily to be honest.

I will have more selections for Day 2, and let’s just say for now that I am extremely keen on a horse coming over from Ireland, so make sure you pop back to check out my Saturday selections. Meanwhile, enjoy, Cheltenham is back!

Coral is my bookie pick for Friday’s racing action

Coral have a belter of an offer for the Cheltenham Showcase meeting. If you bet £5, and you’ll get £20 in free bets. Most definitely worth a look.

13:50 Cheltenham - Novices Chase 2m - Path D’Oroux

It’s rather disappointing that there are only five runners declared for this Novices’ Chase, but it should be a decent contest nonetheless. Jazzy Matty returns to Cheltenham for the first time since winning the 2023 Boodles Handicap. He tends to go in and out of form, although he has won a couple of races over fences. This will be a tough task for him, but it’s great to see him back at Cheltenham. San Salvador is the main danger here, having won impressively on both of his last two starts. If he comes forward again, he could easily run a big race and make it three on the bounce.

Despite that, my pick here is Gavin Cromwell’s Path D’Oroux. He is still a maiden after 10 Chase starts, but he has run very well in defeat, including an excellent third behind Unexpected Party at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. That was off a very similar mark, and a repeat effort will see him very difficult to beat. He has a very strong speed figure compared to his rivals and he is jumping very well indeed. As a strong traveller he will be tough to get past coming up the Cheltenham hill. I think this is a really good opportunity for him to break his maiden over fences.

14:25 Cheltenham - Handicap Chase 2m - Matata

Next we move on to the two-mile Handicap Chase, which is deeply competitive on paper. Last year's winner, Dancing On My Own, returns and is sure to be popular for Henry De Bromhead. His jumping is superb and although he has gone up in the weights, he is sure to run a good race. Royal Mer (at a huge price) is likely to go well too. I can see him travelling for a long way, but he may not have the finishing kick needed when it comes to the uphill finish.

My suggestion here is Matata, for the Twiston-Davies team, who goes well fresh and runs off a very workable mark. He is a good traveller and was tried at the highest level last season, but perhaps wasn’t quite ready at that time. Dropping back to Handicap company is sure to go in his favour, and I can see him being fully revved up for his first run this season and I think he will prove very tough to beat.

15:00 Cheltenham - Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m - Gale Mahler (NB)

This Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle is a very interesting race. Brave Knight and Valgrand offer nice form, and both look likely to improve again, but they would need to pull something really big out the bag to beat the favourite here.

Gale Mahler has improved with every single run, and could easily put her name into the 2025 Mares’ Novice Hurdle picture with a good performance here. She does everything so effortlessly and looks all set to improve once again. Valgrand is likely to prove best of the rest, but I believe Gale Mahler is pretty much unbeatable in this field.

16:10 Cheltenham - Novices’ Hurdle 2m 4f - Potters Charm

In the Novices’ Hurdle we have some intriguing runners for sure. Minella Sixo is an interesting runner for Gordon Elliott having won on debut at Fairyhouse for new connections, and he did it in smart style too. He is sure to improve again and won’t be far away if he puts in a good round of jumping.

But I’m sure that Potters Charm will give the Twiston-Davies team a second winner on the day and this is a horse I really like. I think he will do very well as a Chaser next season, but he is sure to have a big say over Hurdles this year too. He is a strong traveller, and his form from Worcester last time out stacks up well here. He won going away and is only going to continue improving. He looks sure to relish this trip especially with the stiff uphill finish at Cheltenham. I am expecting a big run from this gelding and he gets my vote ahead of the rest.

16:45 Cheltenham - Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle 2m - Fiercely Proud (NAP)

In the final race of the day I have a strong fancy. Here Comes Georgie runs off bottom weight and is worth a second look, but the winner here for me and my NAP bet of the day is Fiercely Proud for Ben Pauling. He had cracking form last season as a Novice, which ties in with the Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Lump Sum, and I think he takes the world of beating here.

He runs off a mark of 129, but with a big 10lb claim from Callum Pritchard and that could prove to be worth its weight in gold. The plan for him is to run in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham next month and if he is to be a contender there, then he has to be winning a race like this. He has the potential to be a Graded horse going forward and his speed, his slickness with his jumping, makes him extremely hard to oppose here.

My Lucky 31 Picks for 25 October 2024

• 13:50 - Path D’Oroux
• 14:25 - Matata
• 15:00 - Gale Mahler (NB)
• 16:10 - Potters Charm
• 16:45 - Fiercely Proud (NAP)

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