Owen jumps into action with 203-1 Cheltenham ITV double

There’s plenty of action to get excited about on Wednesday. Newmarket and Cheltenham are live on ITV Racing, with Beverley, Leopardstown and Kempton making up the supporting cast.

We’ll have horse racing tips for all the action, including ITV Racing tips for all the terrestrial action. As always, I’m looking for some value and I’ve gone to my favourite place to do just that, Cheltenham. It might not be the Festival, but a pair of competitive handicaps are on ITV4 and I’ve found a pair of overpriced horses. Find out all the details below!

2.05 Cheltenham – Pym

He’s become unreliable but if the best version of Pym shows up, this mark won’t stop him. Nicky Henderson’s charge defeated Imperial Aura over 3m 1f back in December 2019, pulling-up in two subsequent starts that season in disappointing fashion.

Returning this campaign, he made a pleasing start with a Listed victory at Sandown and he was far from disgraced at Newcastle subsequently back in a handicap. That was in a similar race to this, weakening late on after looking the likely winner over the third-last. Emptying out in the Ultima in similar fashion last time, perhaps today’s drop in distance is just what the doctor ordered.

Cheltenham is a stiff course and although on paper, this trip won’t be enough of a test, the cheekpieces should help him travel with some of his past verve. If he gets into a prominent position and jumps well early, his extra stamina late on could prove all the difference late on.

2.40 Cheltenham – Back On The Lash

Another horse who will enjoy a return to Cheltenham is Back On The Lash. Trained by the local Martin Keighley, he scored over 2m 1f at Cheltenham back in January 2020, running just once since. That effort came at Carlisle over fences in October, where he was beaten just a handful of lengths.

That was a promising effort, though despite that, he returns to hurdling today. That isn’t a bad thing, however, and the break is another positive, as he’s run well fresh in the past. He’s eleven pounds above his last winning mark, but at this stage of his career, stepping back up to 2m 4f should suit. A strong-travelling sort, he loves good ground and is still lightly-raced overall.

There could be a strong gallop posted early in this race and sitting off it early may be the key, which James Best is more than likely to do. In a wide-open contest, he doesn’t deserve to be a 14-1 shot.

If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.