Mad Als Cheltenham 2013 Guide

A sure fire way to lose some money

DAY ONE
Lets make a good start!
Supreme Novice Hurdle (13:30)

Racing Post Arkle (14:05) Contenders:Simonsig, Overturn This does seems to be a two

General Guidance for making your Cheltenham picks In theoryGraded races should be easier to find winners because all horse runs off level weights, so the best horse should win. Handicap races are where horses run with different weights in an effort to level the field making these generally tougher to find a clear potential winner. They also attract bigger fields. Previous course form is a big plus, especially at the festival. Nothing else quite compares to Cheltenham.

Contenders:My Tent or Yours, Jezki Un Atout, Dodging Bullets Lively Outsiders:River Maigure, Puffin Billy My Tent or Yours is the hot favourite for this race and this was a horse that was been touted for Cheltenham glory shortly after the 2012 festival ended. With McCoy set to pilot him and some impressive wins this season, it seems almost too good but the recent history of this race looks to put a spanner in the works because 7 of the last 8 winners were outside the first 3 in the betting. It should also be said that, Jezki (who was recently bought by J P McManus for a lot of money he also owns My Tent or Yours), Un Atout and Dodging Bulltets are no mugs, but I cant oppose the favourite here. If youre looking for anoutsider, Puffin Billy could run well at a bigger price. Mad Als Verdict: My Tent or Yours

horse race with the two head and shoulders above anything else. Simonsig is the younger horse and has only tasted defeat once in his career, yet he missed his prep run, Overturn has significantly more experience and is unbeaten in his 3 runs over fences. Feeling in my bones says Simonsig Mad Als Verdict: Simonsig JLT Handicap Chase (14:40) Contenders:-

Our Mick, Cantlow, Fruity ORooney, The Package, Opening Batsman Others to look at:Quantitativeeasing, Monkerty Tunkerty, Alfie Sherrin Big Handicaps like this are awful, you can never pick a winner with confidence so if youre parting cash go steady! However, a stat Ive read for this race is that the last 13 winners had an official rating that was no higher than 143 and with quite a few prominent horses in the betting being higher than that, I think I may take my chances with Fruity ORooney whos rated at 139. Mad Als Verdict: Dont bet on big handicap races

Champion Hurdle (15:20) Contenders:- Hurricane Fly, Zarkandar, Rock on Ruby Rock on Ruby won this last year beating Hurricane Fly in the process, buggering up a huge double I had with Sprinter Sacre, HOWEVER, The Fly didnt run anywhere near his best that day.

Rewards4Racing Novices Handicap Chase (17:15) Contenders:- Carlito Brigante, Colour Squadron, Attaglance, The Druids Nephew Others to consider: Vulcanite,

Mr Nathan Stace thinks lightening will strike twice, but Im convinced The Fly is in better shape this year and will cream the field. This probably means Zarkandar wins? Mad Als Verdict: Dont listen to Stacey, Hurricane Fly to win.

Kapga De Cerisy, Hazy Tom, Shangani The last race of day 1 and if things havent gone so well it could be time to get your darts out? Hopefully thats not the case for you all as Im struggling to find you a winner here. At the time of writing Carlito Brigante is favourite, but I just dont like this horse so Im swerving him. From trends, Colour Squadron and Vulcanite seem to have very strong cases and the formers trainer (Philip Hobbs) has a decent record in the race too. However, Hazy Tom is a likeable horse and there is a suspicion that he might be well handicapped going into this race. Mad Als Verdict: Taking a pun t on Hazy Tom.

Glenfarclas Handicap Chase (Cross Country) (16:00) Contenders:- Arabella Boy, Balthazar King, Outlaw Pete, Uncle Junior, Sizing Australia First thing to say is this race is stranger than most Handicaps in that its a cross country chase meaning they go all over the place, up and down banks and over strange looking fences, making it twice as hard as normal handicaps to predict. But to the race itself we have two former winners in the field with Balthazar King winning last year and Sizing Australia winning this in 2011. However, with trainer Enda Bolger having such a good record in this race (won 15 out of 38 cross country races at Cheltenham) his runner Arabella Boy could take the crown this year. Mad Als verdict: make sure you watch the race, its something completely different.

OLBG Mares Hurdle (16:40) Contender:- Quevega Willie Mullins mare is aiming to win this race for the 5th year in a row and theres no one in opposition this year that looks likely to stop her. In many eyes the banker of the festival you could do a lot worse than declaring her as your day 1 Nap in the tipping competition. Mad Als Verdict: Put all your money, your house, your car and your first born child on Quevega to win!

I wish you the very best for your day 1 selections and I hope this brief guide has pointed you towards some winners. The very best of luck

Mad Al
[Pick the date] [Edition 1, Volume 1]