Diarmuid Nolan's Daily Double From Day 4 Of The Cheltenham Festival
What a festival it has been.
The racing has been spectacular from start to finish. It was the kind of week that reminds you exactly why Cheltenham stands apart from everything else in the jumping calendar.
On a personal note, the actual punting has gone very well, which makes it all the more frustrating that not a single daily double has landed.
We've been genuinely unlucky, and nowhere more so than Wednesday, when The Yellow Clay let the each-way double down by falling when travelling like a dream. That one still stings.
But as they say, if you can't beat them, join them. Willie Mullins is the undisputed king of Cheltenham, so for the final day our double is built entirely around Closutton.
Let's send the week out in style with our 26/1 double on horse racing betting sites.
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Leg One: Karbau 14:00 Cheltenham (County Handicap Hurdle)
First and foremost, the Mullins factor in the County Hurdle simply cannot be ignored.
Mullins has turned this race into something of a personal playground over the last decade, repeatedly targeting it with well-handicapped horses who have been campaigned quietly through the season. Karbau fits that exact profile.
His handicap mark looks untapped. His runs this season suggest there is more ability there than his rating currently reflects and that is precisely what Mullins looks for in a County Hurdle horse.
This is a borderline Grade 1 performer lining up off a mark that flatters to deceive. Mullins often brings horses here fresh and peaking, and the yard tends to hit Cheltenham week in devastating form. Karbau is one of those horses.
The jockey booking is a major plus too. Paul Townend is the king of Cheltenham Fridays where he is always patient early, threading through the field late, which is absolutely crucial in the cavalry charge that the County always becomes.
On a Friday at Cheltenham, Townend is practically worth 5lb of weight on his own.
Add in that Karbau has already shown he can quicken off a fast gallop, and you have a horse that travels strongly and finishes strongly and we may have found exactly what wins this race.
9/2 is alluring.
Diarmuid Nolan's Daily Double: Cheltenham Day 4 (Friday)
(Odds correct at time of publishing 4.30pm 12/03/26)
Leg Two: Kel Histoire 17:20 Cheltenham (Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle)
The Martin Pipe is famously a race where plots get revealed, and once again the finger points straight toward Closutton.
Mullins has landed this race multiple times with well-treated horses that have been brought along with this specific target in mind, and Kel Histoire has the look of exactly that kind of plot horse.
He has been carefully campaigned to protect his mark, and his form suggests he is considerably better than the rating he lines up from here.
The booking of conditional jockey Michael Kenneally is extremely interesting. In the Martin Pipe, a talented conditional who can claim weight is a huge advantage, and Kenneally has been impressing whenever he gets his opportunities from big yards.
The stamina angle matters too. The Martin Pipe is often run at a relentless gallop, and horses that truly stay tend to come to the fore up the Cheltenham hill.
Kel Histoire shapes like a horse who will keep finding when others have cried enough. A classic Mullins handicap plot: well-treated horse, clever jockey booking, target race the yard knows exactly how to win.
The Rest Of Friday's Card
The remainder of Friday's card is superb, and there are a few horses outside the double worth noting.
In the Mares' Chase, Diva Luna appeals at 8/1 as a potential mini-shock.
In the Triumph Hurdle, it is hard to look past Proactif.
The Albert Bartlett is a race where two big-priced outsiders catch the eye in Jalon D'Oudairies and Mondoui'Boy, both available at 18/1 and both worth a small each-way interest.
And in the Gold Cup, Spillane's Tower at 12/1 is the selection, and what a story that would be for small trainer Jimmy Mangan if it came off.
Thank you so much for reading all week. It has been a brilliant festival and there is still one day left to make it a memorable one. Let's go out with a bang on Friday.
Please gamble responsibly.
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