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Horse Racing Betting Tips - Friday 23 October - 2026 Cheltenham Showcase Meeting - Day 1

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Publish Date: 22/10/2026

Fact checked by: Jordan Noble

Key Points

Today’s betting tip performs well when fresh
This horse looks dangerously handicapped
He has a lovely racing weight and looks ready to win

We had a fantastic result yesterday, with Kennington winning at 16/1 at Newmarket, although a 30p Rule 4 did cut down our returns unfortunately. That means we’ve enjoyed two big winners this month, the first being when Alphonse Le Grande won the Cesarewitch Handicap for us at a huge 20/1.

For the next of my free horse racing tips we head over to Cheltenham for the opening day of The Showcase Meeting. And speaking of Cheltenham, I’m already ahead of the game, with several antepost picks for the 2027 Cheltenham Festival, one of which is my selection for the Stayers’ Hurdle. I originally advised this bet at 18/1, and although this horse has shortened to 16/1 now, there is still plenty of value at that price.

Betting advice

16:45 Cheltenham - Unanswered Prayers - @ 10/1 (3 places) - 0.75pt each way

bet365 has the best odds!

At the time of writing, the best horse racing odds for Unanswered Prayers are only available at bet365, and they are offering 10/1! This double-figure price for Unanswered Prayers is fantastic value and so is bet365’s welcome offer. If you sign up and bet £10 you’ll get £30 of free bets. Why wouldn’t you want a bet365 account with this kind of value on offer?

I think Unanswered Prayers might answer ours at a fantastic price

I’m quite shocked to see Unanswered Prayers available at double-figure odds. I see him much shorter, and in the rest of this article, I’ll explain why I think he can win his race today.

Unanswered Prayers performs well when fresh

If you look back through his form, often performs really well when fresh. On his debut under Rules, which was in a Bumper at Kempton, he was a neck second. Then on his debut over Hurdles at Uttoxeter, he won. He has also run creditable races in defeat here at Cheltenham, and at Chepstow and Kempton too. Each of these performances came after fairly lengthy breaks.

Last year Unanswered Prayers started his campaign in this same race, and he ran a cracker. He was sent off at 50/1 and finished fifth, beaten by less than three lengths, with Henry Main in the saddle. He raced off a mark of 126 that day, 14lb higher than today, and Henry has been booked to ride Unanswered Prayers once again.

Unanswered Prayers looks dangerously handicapped

Unanswered Prayers is dangerously handicapped today based on his best form. His last win was the Southern National at Fontwell, which arguably produced his career best form. He ran off a handicap mark of 126, producing a RPR of 134. When taking that form into consideration, he looks very well treated now off a much lower mark of 112.

He also proved that Southern National win was no fluke by placing third at Sandown and Ascot in his next two starts, off a career-high mark of 130. Those were tough Class 2 and Class 3 Handicaps, so that form deserves a lot of respect. I think his return here today may well have been a long term plan.

Unanswered Prayers has a lovely racing weight and looks ready to win

For last year’s renewal of this race, Unanswered Prayers was allocated 11st 10lb. Even with Henry Main claiming 5lb, he still had to carry 11st 5lb, and over a staying distance, every pound matters. Off his reduced mark, Unanswered Prayers carries the third lowest weight here, at 11st 1lb. When you factor in Henry Main’s 5lb claim, that weight comes down to just 10st 10lb. That will see Unanswered Prayers receive weight from all bar one horse in this field.

I think Henry Main gave him a good ride last year, so it’s no surprise that Chris Gordon has booked Henry to ride again this time. Unanswered Prayers is one of Henry’s two rides for Chris Gordon, and he won when riding the other. Although it’s a small sample size Henry Main has a 33% strike rate when riding for this trainer.

Can Unanswered Prayers improve on his fifth last year?

There is a lot to like about Unanswered Prayers as he returns for this year’s renewal of Amateur Jockeys’ race at Cheltenham. He can run well when fresh, he is a stone below his last winning mark, and he has a much kinder racing weight as a result of his reduced mark. In addition, with Henry Main booked for the ride, Unanswered Prayers will only carry 10st 10lb here. He has proven form over further too, which is a huge bonus, and could become attritional.

On the flip side, he does have a couple of questions to answer. He was pulled up when we last saw him on the track back in May, and he was well beaten in his five runs prior to that too. In fairness, he hasn’t fallen down the handicap for no reason, he has been in poor form. We are also gambling on his fitness level as he returns from a summer break. Lastly on the negative front, he is 10 years old now, so he is not getting any younger.

All things considered, I think Unanswered Prayers has a great chance of running a big race here. I certainly feel his ability easily outweighs his 10/1 odds, and I won’t be surprised if he goes off much shorter. However, taking the negatives into account, I have trimmed the stake down to 0.75pt each way today.

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