Episode four of the free Cheltenham Festival 2025 Ante-post tips article is here and I have a 10/1 Coral Cup selection to put up.
Furthermore, this piece will provide fancies for this weekend’s selections across Ascot and Haydock.
For the benefit of clarity, the last month or so has been on the rougher side for the column, and even though the P&L is at a loss for January and the start of February, it’s not too bad.
Trials Day was a case of damage limitation to put the column at -5.8 for January and last week helped plug the DRF-shaped hole. The column is currently at -1.29 for the month, leaving the overall P&L (since March 2024) at +52.31.
Anyway, let’s kick on.
Free Cheltenham Festival 2025 Ante-post Tips
Coral Cup – Be Aware @ 9/1 with Betfred – 1pt Win
This week, I’m putting forward my first handicap selection for the Cheltenham Festival, and the weight of my money will be placed on Be Aware at 9/1 for the Coral Cup.
He’s one of the market leaders, granted, but he has plenty of upsides, not just in the form book but also as an ante-post play.
Firstly, he’s qualified. This will be a big thing for this season’s handicap hurdles as some trainers simply haven’t been able to get five runs over obstacles into them.
The likes of Wingmen and James’s Gate are not qualified, and while Kitzbuhel also isn’t, he’s entered at Gowran Park tomorrow to complete his fifth run over hurdles.
Kitzbuhel would be a worry, but beating Colonel Mustard last time out might just give him a rather lofty mark. He ran to an RPR of 146 at Punchestown in December, and he’s trained by Willie Mullins.
Anyway, back to Be Aware as he’s qualified and he’s still unexposed. He beat Navajo Indy on hurdles debut last season, form that looks nice as the runner-up has won the Gerry Feilden since. He also chased home Joyeuse and Lump Sum in the William Hill Hurdle last weekend.
He finished last season with an admirable run in the novices’ championship final at Sandown when second to Helnwein. The third, Steel Ally, chased home Lump Sum in the Welsh Champion Hurdle before winning a valuable handicap hurdle at Haydock in November.
Secret Squirrel, the fifth, won a valuable Windsor handicap hurdle in January and the seventh, Fiercely Proud, beat Kabral Du Mathan in a valuable Ascot handicap hurdle in December.
As for this season, Be Aware finished a good second in the Greatwood Hurdle behind Burdett Road who went on to finish third to Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle.
He’s set to run in the Kingwell Hurdle this weekend, so hopefully he can frank the form.
All in all, Be Aware looks to be well-handicapped off 137 and he looks like the type to improve for 2m4f.
Weekend selections
2:25 Ascot – Into The Park @ 18/1 with William Hill – 1pt EW
Taking a chance here, but I’ve always liked Into The Park, and I’m hoping he can reward my faith at some stage.
He didn’t win at Exeter in December, and that made me wonder if my eyes have deceived me, but he’s only six, so he probably is still working out the game.
So, why is this horse in my good books? He’s not an old-timer dropping through the weights and he’s not a horse who has a blatant piece of recent form.
However, the case to make comes from the stopwatch based on his win at Newbury in January 2024. I know, dangerous stuff.
They went a crawl early on that day, so much so that Into The Park had to make the running forcibly. With some rudimentary timing, his effort from the third-last hurdle to the line was exactly the same as Be Aware who won the first division of the same maiden hurdle.
Navajo Indy, the subsequent Gerry Feilden winner, was second to Be Aware that day, so the collateral form on the clock looks promising.
Before that Newbury run, he finished an easy third at Taunton behind Joyeuse, the impressive William Hill Hurdle winner, and the now 125-rated Tutti Quanti. Into The Park gave seven and 13 pounds away respectively that day, so he looks nicely handicapped off 125 here.
With two runs under his belt this season, the last of which was promising, he can land a surprise here.
2:40 Haydock – Nemean Lion @ 4/1 with William Hill – 1pt Win
I’m surprised to see Nemean Lion declared for the Rendlesham over the Kingwell Hurdle, but my surprise is positive as I think he can win this.
Will he stay? Well, that isn’t a certainty, clearly, but he won over 1m4f on the Flat in France in 2020 and he placed in a Group 2 over 1m7f, so there’s hope that he can.
Furthermore, looking at his win at Windsor last month, he travelled nicely and stayed on to beat Salver over 2m4f on soft ground.
That was a step in the right direction, though there is still some uncertainty about whether he will see out the trip. In fairness, he won snugly over 2m3½f at Hereford in December, so he’s showing the right signs.
Apart from that, his form is nice. That Windsor success last month was no walkover, and it’s easy to forget that he forced the pace in last season’s Champion Hurdle. He was there for much of the contest but was passed by faster, and better, rivals that day.
He gave three pounds away to beat Colonel Mustard in last season’s Kingwell Hurdle, and his run in the 2023 Greatwood Hurdle with Lookaway and Luccia is nice.
He gets the nod in what looks like a winnable race.
3:15 Haydock – Galia Des Liteaux @ 10/1 with William Hill (3 places) – 1pt EW
Galia Des Liteaux looks well-handicapped this weekend, and the addition of Tristan Durrell’s three-pound claim gives her a proper chance in the Grand National Trial.
A few horses are running out of the handicap thanks to Royale Pagaille, notably Jubilee Express, Val Dancer, Git Maker, Famous Bridge, and Where It All Began.
Galia Des Liteaux is rated 140 and carries 10-4, so she has that to her advantage.
She hasn’t won a race in handicap company yet, but she finished second in the Classic Chase last season off 142 before finishing a fine eighth in the Grand National off 146.
So, off 140 with Durrell’s three-pound claim, she looks well-treated.
Furthermore, on her seasonal reappearance, she finished a nice second to Terresita over 2m4f when giving four pounds away. The winner is rated 15 pounds higher having won a nice Ascot handicap since.
There’s potentially a small question mark over whether she truly stays a marathon trip having not won one of these long-distance races yet, but she was staying on behind My Silver Lining in the Classic Chase over 3m5f on soft ground when carrying 11-10.
Good to soft Haydock ground over 3m4½f seems like similar conditions, but this time she has a racing weight of 10-4 (10-1 with Durrell’s claim) which is a stark difference.
She gets my vote in the National Trial.
3:37 Ascot – Pic d’Orhy @ 7/4 with William Hill – 2pt Win
In the big Grade 1 contest of the weekend, Pic d’Orhy is the play.
Emmet Mullins has warned that Corbetts Cross might not run, but even if he does, good ground around 2m5f surely won’t suit him.
Similar ground/distance worries can be placed upon L’Homme Presse, Le Patron probably prefers softer conditions, and Flegmatik shouldn’t win this.
Blue Lord is a small worry, but his recent form is really unencouraging, so using the power of deduction, the favourite looks solid here, and his price isn’t bad.
Of course, there will be a Rule 4 is Corbetts Cross is a non-runner, but he should still pay above evens which is fine for last year’s winner.
He smashed them in last year’s race having finished second to Banbridge, the subsequent King George winner, at Kempton on his previous run. He nearly won that day and his jump at the last probably didn’t help.
Paul Nicholls has already said this in his Betfair preview, but this weekend is a bit of a home game for him, and I hope he can oblige.
