Donn McClean: Cheltenham Festival Day 2 Banker, Next Best And Each-Way Bets
Racing TV pundit Donn McClean is at the heart of the action at Cheltenham and he has three selections for the second day of the Festival.
Donn has picked out a banker, a next best and one each-way tip from Wednesday's races.
He kicks things off with his nap of the day in the Champion Chase which, in the absence of Marine Nationale, sees Majborough installed as the hot favourite according to betting sites.
Donn McClean's Cheltenham Tips: Day 2 (Wednesday)
Banker: 16:00 Cheltenham - Majborough (Champion Chase)
It is such a shame that Marine Nationale met with a setback and is now not able to return to Cheltenham to defend his Champion Chase crown.
He was well beaten by Majborough at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, but Marine Nationale is at his best at Cheltenham on spring ground, and it would have been fascinating to see if the champion would have been able to see off the pretender.
Majborough may have won anyway, we will never know. But, in Marine Nationale’s absence, JP McManus’ horse is by far the more likely winner of the Champion Chase.
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He was brilliant at Leopardstown last time. Cheekpieces on for the first time, rider Mark Walsh just allowed him to jump and run, and he flowed.
His jumping was great, accurate and straight, and the more the race went on, the further he went clear of his rivals.
He goes well at Cheltenham too. He won the Triumph Hurdle there in 2024, and he was unlucky not to win the Arkle last year.
He made a fairly significant mistake at the fourth-last fence, and he made an even more significant one at the second-last, ultimately a chance-ending one.
If he had jumped the second-last fence even a little bit better, he probably would have won.
He can make a mistake, but even when he does, he is fast away.
He doesn’t tend to lose much ground or speed and, importantly, it doesn’t seem to faze him. He can go and ping the next fence.
Also, it may be that he is so far superior to his Champion Chase rivals that he will be able to get away with a less-than-perfect round of jumping if he needs to and still win.
Next Best: 15:20 Cheltenham - Favori De Champdou (Cross-Country Chase)
Favori De Champdou is 11 now, but he is in the form of his life.
He was allowed to go off at 66/1 for the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown in December, yet he stayed on strongly to win well and spring a shock.
Only one of his 27 rivals was sent off at a bigger price.
Winner of the Grade 2 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle at Limerick and the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown, Elliott’s horse has proved that his Paddy Power Chase win was no flash in the pan.
He went to Cheltenham in January and won the cross-country chase there.
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That was just his second run at Cheltenham’s idiosyncratic cross-country course and he appeared to relish the test that it presented.
He could have been called the most likely victor from a long way out and he careered away to win impressively.
The handicapper raised him by 8lb for that win to a mark of 157, but this race is less about weights and measures than it is about an ability to act at the track and an enthusiasm for the obstacles.
Some horses really enjoy this unique test and Favori De Champdou is one of them.
Best Each-Way: 13:20 Cheltenham - Skylight Hustle (Turners Novices’ Hurdle)
Skylight Hustle could be underrated in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.
This is a really hot race, and Jack Kennedy has chosen to ride his stable companion Ballyfad instead, but there may not be much between the two Gordon Elliott contenders.
Skylight Hustle was seriously impressive in winning his maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse in November by over 20 lengths.
He was probably a fortuitous winner of the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas.
However, he would have finished a good second to final-flight faller Talk The Talk at worst and was strong all the way to the line, going five lengths clear of the talented mare Carrigmoornaspruce.
He is probably going to have to improve on that again if he is going to win this race, but he has improved with each of his runs and there is every chance that he will improve again.
Also, as a half-brother to Sean Says, who won over three miles and one furlong, there is every chance that he will improve for the step up to the intermediate trip.
