Cheltenham Festival - Day 3

    I'm not the most sentimental of punters, backing winners and winning money is why I'm involved in following the sport of Horse Racing. I lost a fair chunk on the Queen Mother yesterday, I got the race completely wrong - but I was shouting Sprinter Sacre home from the second last as my two selections fell out the back of my television. It was a great race and it was fantastic to see the horse win at the Festival again.

    I have almost a full book of bets today. I mentioned the action I took with Sizing John when it became apparent that he was going for the Arkle and at that time Killultagh Vic was a short price for the JLT. I was completely against the horse at his cramped odds and added Bristol De Mai, a bold jumping front runner with lots of scope. He's won again since I took 12/1 about him and I have topped up since. I feel in two minds about this race, on the one hand I worry about the drying ground for Bristol De Mai and his lack of course form - but on the other I don't really rate any of the opposition. I'll sit tight and hope for the best, no cover bet.

    The Ryanair is an absolute mess now. I got involved in the race ante-post in the hope that Vautour would go for the Gold Cup. It's connections perogative to run where they like but Mr Ricci is too fond of talking and shouldn't have said it was Gold Cup or stay at home for the horse. He'll probably win and my position on the race is shite now. Let's get on with the next race.

    Thistlecrack looks bombproof for the World Hurdle and I think he'll win, my interest in the race now is in the without market where I took 4s about Cole Harden a week or so ago. He's the defending champ and he'll love underfoot conditions - I'm very hopeful he'll chase the favourite home. I also have Whisper, actually backed him for the race way back in July. Things haven't gone his way this season with wide margin defeats on soft ground and whilst his price is a bit shorter than the one I took in the summer I can't see him winning. He hasn't had a good prep and so is unlikely to fair better than he did in 2015.

    Finally I have two against the field in the Plate. Back at the turn of the year when the ground was heavy everywhere John's Spirit was getting beat in competitive handicaps and was a tumbling down the ratings. With better ground certain at the Festival and a nice mark assured I sneaked a small bet on him at 25s for the Plate back at the turn of the year and he's 7/1 and probably a bit too short for the race now. Most of his winning form at the track is on the old course but he ran a smasher in the Ryanair last year and if the Paddy Power he won had been on this new course he still would have won. Fingal Bay is an old favourite of mine and like John's Spirit he's a handicapper best when underfoot conditions are on the quick side. He has his optimum conditions today and if he's in the same form as he was for the Hennessy when he just didn't see the race out on soft ground he's sure to go close.

JLT Novices' Chase

Bristol De Mai £40w @ 74/10 (2nd)

Sizing John NR £25

Ryanair Chase:

Champagne West £5w @ 54/1 (lost)

Valseur Lido £25w @ 13/1 (lost)

Vibrato Valtat £15w @ 16/1 and £10ew @ 12/1 (fell)

Apache Stronghold NR £18

World Hurdle:

Whisper £15w @ 13/1 (lost)

Cole Harden £30w @ 4/1 (w/o Thistlecrack) (lost)

Brown Advisory Plate:

John's Spirit £20w @ 13/1 (pu)

Fingal Bay £20w @ 175/10 (pu)

£5ew Doubles:

(Supreme/WH) Buveur D'Air(3rd)Cole Harden(lost)@ 7/1 and 8/1

(Arkle(w/o Douvan)/Ryanair) Sizing John(won)Road to Riches(3rd)@ 7/2

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