“He was my best ride of the week” – Jamie Codd’s Cheltenham Festival NAP

This time next week, it’ll be like Christmas Eve. The Cheltenham Festival is just eight days away and the excitement is building as we look forward to four days of top class racing. The stage is well and truly set, with plenty of shrewd judges giving their opinions on the Festival at virtual preview evenings.

One of those judges is Jamie Codd, one of the best amateur riders of his generation. A ten-time Festival winner, he knows what it takes to win on the biggest stage of them all. When Codd speaks, it’s wise to listen, and he had plenty of strong opinions on Sky Sports Racing’s 2021 Cheltenham Preview Show last week. Giving some selections on the show, his NAP of the meeting runs on Day 1 of the meeting. Read on to find out all the details.

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Codd’s NAP

The horse in question is Galvin, who runs in the National Hunt Chase on the Tuesday. Speaking about his chances, Codd said: “He was one I was really looking forward too and he was definitely my ride of the week“.

Given the ammunition that Codd has, as perhaps the best amateur riding on either side of the Irish Sea, that is certainly a bold statement. A general 7/2 chance, it’s not hard to see why Codd was so excited for the ride on him.

He went agonisingly close in last year’s Northern Trust, beaten just two lengths by Imperial Aura, with his inexperience perhaps showing that day. In four runs since, however, he’s been beating small fields for fun. That includes a Grade 3 success at Tipperary, last seen winning impressively at Cheltenham in a novices’ event.

On paper, as a second season novice, he has the perfect profile for the race. The likes of Cause Of Causes, Rathvinden and Ravenhill all won as second season novices and that alone makes him a hugely appealing proposition. Add in his plethora of Cheltenham experience and the fact he’s still unexposed over the larger obstacles, and you have a horse who could take some stopping come next week.

Check out the myracing experts’ Cheltenham Festival tips every day of the festival, and don’t forget to check out the latest Cheltenham free bets and offers to get a headstart on your festival punting.