Cheltenham Festival 2024 Ante-Post Best Bets and Horse Racing Tips

The only news you’ll find on this race, at the time of writing, is whether Ballyburn is to compete in this or the Baring Bingham. Following his dominant victory over two miles at the Dublin Racing Festival, whichever race Willie Mullins chooses for him to compete in he will be the deserved favourite and likely winner. Ballyburn is currently trading around even money for both races, a testament to his class. But with that ongoing headache for Mullins, we can look to strike gold here by second-guessing the Mullins’ stable star. 

Enter Firefox, the only horse to come out on top against Ballyburn in his career thus far. Firefox effortlessly relegated Ballyburn to a seemingly average status over the two miles at Fairyhouse, leaving jockey Jack Kennedy without the need to urge him on. Firefox is a certain entry in the Supreme, boasts a very attractive price and has great potential to throw things off script in this year’s opener.

Despite reservations stemming from Firefox’s sub-par performance at Naas in mid-January, where it appeared that unfavourable ground conditions and an extended distance was his undoing, trainer Gordon Elliot has hailed Firefox as an all-out two-miler. Supported by his convincing 2 ½ length victory over Ballyburn at Fairyhouse and an impressive 10-length victory at Navan last February, with three wins in his last four races over that distance.

Firefox’s jumping is excellent and his proven speed instils confidence in his ability to fend off the competition in this Cheltenham contest, even if Ballyburn is to join alongside him.

With Fact to File being redirected to star in the Brown Advisory on day two of the festival, the market spaces for the Turners looks very inviting.

Currently trading as the fourth favourite in the markets is Facile Vega, a fan favourite in Wille Mullins’ stable. While Facile Vega enters this festival without any red hot form and some vulnerabilities, he transforms into the best horse in most company when performing at his peak.

The longer distance of 2m4f in this race is poised to favour Facile Vega, addressing his recent challenges of being outpaced over two miles. This adjustment is expected to enhance his strong jumping prowess, a facet where he consistently demonstrates his class in all his outings.

The competition around him have certainly shown their difficulties with balancing quality jumping and speed (Gaelic Warrior cover your ears), their prices seem overly short considering their limited appearances and quality performances over jumps. Iroko, positioned just behind Facile Vega at 6.0, has only graced the fences once.

This is certainly one of the most wide-open Turners contests in quite some time but with Facile Vega’s rich experience at Cheltenham, Paul Townend at the reigns and considering his marked improvement witnessed last year between the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham, there’s certainly value in his big price of 4.5.

Another significant blow to this for this year’s festival lineup was confirmed recently as last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle champion, Marine Nationale, had to withdraw with injury, leaving the Arkle wide open for the rest of the field.

Hunters Yarn emerges as a great value selection in this encounter, driven by a hunger for redemption following last year’s performance. The seven-year-old could only manage a midfield finish in the County Hurdle, a disappointing performance for the well fancied 6.5 shot, second favourite after a strong set of form coming into that race. But with that race being only his fifth career hurdles start, he has since gained valuable experience and is now much better prepared for the challenges of this race.

In his chase debut at Fairyhouse in December, Hunters Yarn was poised for victory after an impressive run-out, establishing a five-length lead over Sa Fureur before an unfortunate exit at the final fence. Two weeks later, he delivered a redeeming performance at Fairyhouse, claiming a decisive victory over Path D’oroux by a commanding 10 lengths.

For those that love the numbers, Hunters Yarn’s Fairyhouse triumph yielded a Racing Post Rating of 154, a figure not far off Marine Nationale’s 156 RPR on his victorious chase debut.

Paul Townend has been the rider in his last seven outings, securing three wins and a fall at the last, and if that partnership is to return for the Arkle, Hunters Yarn’s price of 6.0 appears generous.