Key Points
- My Day 4 betting tip is clearly the smartest play in this race
- This mare has been extremely progressive, with a career-best effort on her penultimate start
- Dinoblue sets the standard but she won’t improve further at the age of nine
We now move onto the fourth and final day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, and what a week of racing it has been! It’s four days of sport that never lets you down, and delivers every single year! The first of my
free horse racing tips
for Day 4 lines up in the Mares’ Chase, where I’m opposing strong favourite Dinoblue. Many consider Dinoblue to be the banker of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, but I have a different opinion
You may be discovering my content here on Betting.co.uk for the first time. If so, then welcome! I’m Gav, better known as RacingGav both on here and over on X. I have been the resident horse racing expert here for over 12 months now, and you are more than welcome to review
my results from March to December 2025, should you want to verify my long-term tipping profit.
Before I get into today’s betting tip, I have already posted antepost selections for both the
Triumph Hurdle
and the
Cheltenham Gold Cup
on Day 4, so be sure to check those out if you fancy an extra couple of free tips.
Betting advice
- 14:40 Cheltenham - The Mares’ Chase -
Spindleberry
@ 5/1 (3 places) -
1pt each way
Back Spindleberry with Star Sports for a £10 free bet!
At the time of writing, Star Sports are offering the joint-best
horse racing odds
of 5/1 for Spindleberry to win the Mares’ Chase. I’m recommending Star Sports to you, as they are not one of the biggest names, and it’s more likely that you don’t have an account there yet. As a new customer, if you sign up and
bet £20, you’ll get a £10 free bet. It is relatively modest, but why turn down a free bet?
With prices as short as 13/8, I’m taking Dinoblue on!
Is Dinoblue the one they need to beat in the Mares’ Chase? Sure. Would I back her at odds of 13/8? Absolutely not. I have landed on another mare from Ireland that is available at 5/1, and in the remainder of this article, I’ll break down why I’m playing this way.
Spindleberry is clearly the smartest play in this race
I’m a big fan of Telepathique from the Lucy Wadham yard, so on that basis I was really impressed when Spindleberry readily dispatched her at Doncaster to go five from five over fences. From what we have seen of her so far, Telepathique is arguably the best of the British, despite that we are yet to get to the bottom of Diva Luna, who Ben Pauling adores. I respect Panic Attack too, but there is a big difference between winning Handicaps and winning this type of race. In fairness, she won a Listed race on her final start, but it was a very poor one, with her closest rival rated just 122. I’m also conscious that she is 10 years old now.
In terms of the Irish contingent, Dinoblue and Only By Night are Spindleberry's main rivals. While Only By Night has some solid form, I think Spindleberry is better, based on what we have seen of her thus far. For me, Dinoblue is the one that Spindleberry needs to beat, and I believe that she can pull it off. The main difference between difference between the pair of them is that Dinoblue is priced between 13/8 and 2/1, but you can get 5/1 for Spindleberry, so the latter looks like the smarter play. If we back her each way and she wins, we have a 5/1 winner. If she finishes second or third, we get our stake back. I’d rather reduce the risk and bet on Spindleberry at a decent price, than back Dinoblue to win at a short price.
Spindleberry has been extremely progressive with a career-best on her penultimate start
What I particularly like about Spindleberry is how progressive she has been over fences. She was clearly a useful horse over Hurdles, having finished second in a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse behind Jade De Grugy. Switched to fences, Spindleberry just kept improving and her record stands at five from from five runs in this discipline. Connections were even discussing having a crack at the Gold Cup with her, rather than going for the Mares' Chase, which shows just how highly they think of this mare.
Her latest run in the Irish Gold Cup was clearly a way to test the waters. But 3m 0.5f on testing ground and competing against the best Grade 1 Staying Chasers in Ireland proved a shade too far,and Spindleberry was ultimately pulled up. There is absolutely no shame in that, and at least now everyone has a much better idea of what she is actually capapble of. So that's the reason Spindleberry is running in the Mares Chase, and if I were you. I'd draw a line straight through that Leopardstown run
Conversely, judged on her penultimate effort at Doncaster, where she recorded a RPR of 160 off a mark of 151, I think she's a lot better than her 5/1 price tag suggests. Spindleberry is also an extremely versatile mare. Whether you need speed or stamina, and whether the ground is testing or quick, she just seems to keep turning up and delivering, so we need to take advantage of that.
Dinoblue sets the standard but she won’t improve further at the age of nine
As stated already, Dinoblue is the top-rated mare in this race, with an official rating of 159, so she clearly sets the standard here. Especially when she was rated 160 at her peak, and has produced RPR figures as high as 166. The fact she receives 2lb from Spindleberry makes the task much tougher for Dinoblue as well. Personally I find the penalty system here a little daft, but it is what it is. I’d much rather see these mares racing off level weights and simply see which one is the best.
But the main concern I have with Dinoblue is her age. She is nine years old now, and it can be hard to keep mares right as they get older. Many lose their appetite for racing as they get older, and once that happens, it's game over. To her credit, Dinoblue looked almost as good as ever last time out, and is showing no signs of stopping yet. However, it is worth noting that the winners of this race over the last five years have all been either seven, or eight years old, so perhaps it's for some new blood to take control of the Mares' division!
Is it time for Dinoblue to step aside in the Mares’ division?
The price is key in this renewal of the Mares' Chase. If Dinoblue and Spindleberry were both 7/2, I’d probably sit the race out, as I could make a strong case for either of them. However, with the price discrepancy I mentioned earlier, Spindleberry is my choice. There's enough juice in her 5/1 price, and a big enough field to make it worth going each way here. Another big plus point is that Mark Walsh will ride Dinoblue, due to his retainer with JP McManus, and as Allegorie De Vassy isn't running, Paul Townend will take the ride on Spindleberry.
At her best, Dinoblue is as good as she has ever been. But at the age of nine, and with plenty of miles on the clock for a mare, I just wonder whether she is vulnerable here. In stark contrast, if we draw a line through her latest run, Spindleberry is far less exposed, and has a very progressive profile. Doncaster may well have been her peak, but I genuinely don't believe that's the case, and I hope we can see a new career best from her here, or at least enough to topple Dinoblue.
Check out these superb free bet deals!
Below you can find the fantastic
betting offers for horse racing
that our partner bookmakers have available right now. There are some great deals out there, so make sure you take the time to check them out!
Want more RacingGav content? Join my Discord!
While I produce several articles per week for Betting.co.uk, the vast majority of my content is exclusive to members of my Discord server. It’s the only place where you can access all of my betting tips and much more!
The Discord launched back in January 2024 and it’s still going now, so I must be doing something right!
February 2026 was a great month for the Discord, with twelve winners on the board at 14/1, 7/4, 10/3, 3/1, 7/4, 11/4, 7/1, 9/4, 9/2, 10/1, 5/1 & 5/1!
I’m sure you are wondering how much all of this will cost you? Well, it’s just £14.99 per month - less than 50p per day!
Alternatively, you may prefer a longer-term commitment for savings:
- Quarterly: £34.99 (saves £9.98)
- Bi-Annually: £74.99 (saves £14.95)
- Annually: £149.99 (saves £29.89)
I’m confident that you’ll
enjoy the Discord, and I’m also confident that my tips will make a profit, so if you join and don’t make a profit across your first 30 days, I’ll refund your subscription fee!
If you want to know more, my DMs are always open on X – @RacingGav
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
by Racing Gav
3 hours ago
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
