Cheltenham Festival - Day 1

Here it is then, the Cheltenham Festival, jump racing’s big Spring Jamboree. All the best horses and all the best men and women (we’re talking jockeys here, not the drunk and staggering punter, lurching from bar to bathroom to betting office) trying to ink their names into the history books of the sport. Four days of top level entertainment, all of which I will hear only on the radio as I sit glued to an office chair in a windowless room in the vacuum of joy that is North Acton.

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Anyone paying attention to my blog over the past couple of weeks will know I have been trying to gamble up a pot for the Festival from a starting balance of £47 and some change. Well, the results are in and unfortunately they make particularly grim reading. After wagering a fiver on each of the past nine days I have succeeded in reducing my funds to the paltry amount of £19.48. This does not bode well for the coming days but I take comfort in yesterday’s final selection, Cadeau Du Bresil, romping home at 11/8 after being backed at 11/2 the night before. This means I am currently on a red-hot winning streak of one, which following recent calamities is a statistic worth holding on to...

So, how to split my £19.48 over the four days of Cheltenham? The temptation is to dump more money into the account, free my arms so to speak, have a really good crack at things, however I am a man of my word and so will attempt to reverse my recent bad results and turn the £19.48 back into something nearer the £100 I had at the beginning of the Trixie Challenge. Here’s the plan then; I’ll spend £6 on each of the first three days of the festival leaving £1.48 alone to lavish on Fridays racing. The first £6 of any winnings will go into the Friday pot, the next £6 will go to the following day and in the unlikely event of higher gains I’ll make decisions on an ad-hoc basis. Confused? Not to worry, I’ll most likely blow the fucking lot anyway.

Today I’ve spread my £6 across six horses, one in each of the opening six races of the festival. There’s a big money trixie where the hopes are predominantly of an each-way nature, although Richard Johnson is on board the nicely handicapped Springtown Lake and Mister Whitaker is trained by the LEGEND Mick Channon and looks to have as good a chance as anyone. The third pick is Brandon Castle, a big outsider and the result of me asking a friend to ‘pick a number’, however with Bryony Frost in the chair anything is possible.

Next comes a double on two of the day’s big favourites. Apples Jade gets my nod in the Champion Hurdle mostly thanks to a 7lb advantage over her main rivals in what looks to be an extremely tight affair. I’ve gone Benie Des Dieux in the Mares Hurdle fo no other reason than the market dictates any other choice would be a foolish one, besides Ruby Walsh rides and Ruby knows his way around Prestbury Park like no other.

Finally, I’ve gone a win single on Glen Forsa in the Arkle. It’s another Channon horse and although that alone will normally get my money it also has great form and was picked by one of the racing nerds on the BBC as having a really good shout.

Each way trixie, not a life changer if it comes in but certainly a day changer.