Day One of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival is over, and our expert Cheltenham tips for the second day of the meeting are now live on site.
Yesterdays Tote Placepot paid a slightly disappointing £32 to a £1 stake, but Day Two of the Festival can pay handsomely at times, with the 2017 dividend an eye-catching £3,255.40.
Looking closer at Wednesday’s card, Joe Eccles has produced his advised Cheltenham Festival Day Two Placepot below – with a brief summary of his reasoning for each selection.
1.30 – (12) The Big Getaway
(10) Sporting John
2.10 – (8) Minella Indo
2.50 – (21) Dame De Compagnie
(13) Protektorat
3.30 – (4) Defi Du Seuil
4.10 – (13) Tiger Roll
4.40 – (3) Palladium
(21) Tronador
8 Lines
An absolute humdinger of a race to open the card, with Gordon Elliott’s Envoi Allen sure to be a warm order to get favourite-backers off to a flying start.
This is Cheltenham though, where anything can happen, and should Elliott’s charge fail to fire there are more than a few of these rivals capable of picking up the pieces.
Impressive last time out winners The Big Getaway and Sporting John look viable options for those wishing to take on the favourite.
Second in the Ballymore on this card last year, Champ bids to go one better in the RSA this time around.
He does look quite a quirky individual, however, and his jumping can leave a bit to be desired, so the percentage call is to oppose him with the seven-year-old Minella Indo – who has seen the form of his latest Navan success boosted by the runner-up since.
A real cavalry charge in prospect here with no fewer than twenty-six rivals set to tackle the 2m5f trip.
Dame De Compagnie scored impressively here last time out and looks capable of defying an eight-pound rise.
She appears to hold the strongest claims, and back handicapping having run well in defeat in Grade 2 company at this venue last time out, Dan Skelton’s Protektorat rates as the main danger.
The news that Altior is out of the Festival has unfortunately robbed us of what was potentially one of the best Champion Chases for a long time.
As such, this looks a match between the front two in the market – Chacun Pour Soi and Defi Du Seuil. With Festival form to his name and a string of fine two-mile performances under his belt this season, Defi Du Seuil gets the vote.
Bidding for a remarkable fifth Festival success, it’s difficult to oppose the admirable Tiger Roll.
Winner of the last two renewals of this race – last year by an impressive twenty-two-length margin – a recent spin over hurdles should have brought him along nicely for this contest.
A tricky end to the Placepot with many arriving here looking open to improvement.
Palladium was rated in the mid-70s on the flat and has looked progressive since sent hurdling.
He gets the vote alongside Gordon Elliott’s Tronador, who represents the same connections that won this with Veneer Of Charm back in 2018.