Concertista finished second in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival and has now been sent over the bigger obstacles. Paul Townend for that narrow defeat and the eight-year-old is unbeaten over fences, with Sean O’Keefe having steered her to victory in a Novice Chase in early December.
There was another Novice Chase victory at Limerick Racecourse towards the end of December, although this will be a much stiffer test and perhaps Elimay could be a better Cheltenham Festival betting tip. The eight-year-old only lost this race by half a length last year and could come on for that particular run.
However, Mark Walsh was unable to steer Elimay to a victory on New Year’s Day when running in a Mares’ Chase on New Year’s Day, with Mount Ida the victor on that occasion and perhaps the Gordon Elliott-trained charge could be the best each-way betting value in the race.
Mount Ida was sent off as the 3/1 favourite in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase and duly obliged with a victory, with that Cheltenham success marking her out as a horse who has the course and distance already in the bag. The recent win against Elimay will strengthen the claim that the horse will run well here.
Riviere D’etel is another young horse who could be among the best Cheltenham Festival bets, with the five-year-old having run in esteemed company this season. The horse finished seventh in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham meeting and there have been three victories this season at Fairyhouse, Navan and Punchestown.
In the Racing Post Novice Chase on Boxing Day, the same runner finished second to Ferny Hollow over two miles and one furlong on soft ground, while the horse was a close second in the Irish Arkle Novices’ Chase, with connections now considering whether to go down this route or aim the horse at a different Cheltenham Festival target.
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