Donn McClean: Cheltenham Festival Day 4 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 final day of the Festival.
Donn has picked out a banker, a next best and one each-way tip from Friday's races.
He kicks things off with his nap of the day in an intriguing Gold Cup, which is one of the most open renewals in some years according to betting sites.
Donn McClean's Cheltenham Tips: Day 4 (Friday)
Banker: 16:00 Cheltenham - Jango Baie (Gold Cup)
It’s an intriguing Gold Cup, but Jango Baie might be the answer.
Nicky Henderson’s horse stayed on strongly to win a remarkable Arkle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival.
He was helped, of course, by Majborogh’s mistake at the second last fence, but he was competing over a distance that was well short of his best, and he showed a lot of grit and determination to stay on as strongly as he did up the hill to get up and win by three parts of a length.
He has run just twice this season to date, running out an impressive winner of the Grade 2 1965 Chase over 2m 5f at Ascot in November on his seasonal return.
Build your daily yard of horses in our new 'Stables Stars' fantasy game below to be in with a chance of winning £100, £50 or £25.
Play Stable Stars Here
Then he went to Kempton on St Stephen’s Day and ran a big race to finish a close-up fourth in the King George.
He didn’t have a great run through the race that day; he was a little wider than ideal and a little keener than ideal, and he came under a ride when they quickened.
In the end, he stayed on well to take fourth place, just a half a length behind the winner.
That was his first run at Kempton, and he was fine on the track, but he is two for two at Cheltenham, so he should appreciate a return there.
We don’t know whether or not he will stay 3m 2.5f, but he left the impression at Kempton that he would appreciate a greater test of stamina than that with which he was presented there – flat track, 3m – so there is every chance that he will get the trip all right. He could even improve for it.
He hasn’t run since the King George, and that is probably a positive, too.
He skipped the Denman Chase at Newbury because of the heavy ground, so he will go to Cheltenham fresh and well, and prepared for the race by a man who has a depth of experience in preparing horses for big races.
Jango Baie is only seven and has raced just six times over fences, so he has the potential to progress again. He could run a big race.
Next Best: 15:20 Cheltenham - Thedeviluno (Albert Bartlett Hurdle)
Thedeviluno did well to win a two-mile maiden hurdle at Gowran Park in November on his first run over hurdles, given that it was always probable that he would be even better over further.
Essentially a 2.5m bumper horse, the form of that race has been working out really well since, with the second and third, Skylight Hustle and The Passing Wife, both going on to significantly enhance the form.
Thedeviluno himself has improved on that since, too.
Paul Nolan’s horse stepped up to 2.5m next time and finished a good second to Doctor Steinberg in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle, and he stepped up on that again when upped to 3m at Doncaster last time and won the Grade 2 River Don Hurdle.
New to Gambling.com! The Cheltenham Festival Brain which analyses decades of historical winning trends across all 28 races at the meeting to produce a predicted finishing order for every single race across the four days.
He was impressive that day; he could have been called the most likely winner from a fair way out.
He found plenty when rider Sean O’Keeffe asked him to pick up, and went to the line strongly.
He will have to reverse placings with Doctor Steinberg from their run at Navan, but over the longer trip, there is every chance he will at least get closer.
Best Each-Way: 14:40 Cheltenham - Only By Night (Mares’ Chase)
Dinoblue obviously sets the standard in the Mares’ Chase. She finished second in the race in 2024, won it last year, and she has looked as good as ever this term.
But Only By Night is a progressive second-season chaser and she could give her a race.
Runner-up in the Arkle last year, Gavin Cromwell’s mare battled on well to beat the geldings in the Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase at Naas in November on her debut this season.
She was well beaten in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, but she was badly hampered at the second fence that day, in a Grade 1 race, so you can easily allow her that.
She hasn’t run since, but she goes well fresh. Her record under Rules after a break of 50 days or more reads 3171121, the seven coming in the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
The step up to 2.5m is an unknown, but she is a point-to-point winner, and she stayed 2m 1½f well at Exeter last season.
She deserves her shot at it.
