Road to Cheltenham: 20-1 ante-post tip for the Festival Challenge Cup

The Cheltenham Festival is less than a month away now and the excitement is beginning to ramp up. Our ante-post Cheltenham tipping series continues this week and our focus turns to the race formerly known as the Foxhunters’. Liam Bramall has found a 20-1 tip that has the ability to surprise a few, as long as he gets his ground. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

Festival Challenge Cup

Secret Investor (20-1, Betfair) is a very talented horse on his day and managed to best stablemate Clan Des Obeaux in the 2021 Denman Chase. There aren’t many horses in this field with a career high rating of 162 and that really makes him a standout contender.

Trainer Paul Nicholls has won this four times before which is certainly a positive omen. An unfortunate faller at the first fence in last year’s race, the soft ground would have been problematic but Secret Investor certainly deserves another chance.

The ground will be crucial to Secret Investor’s chances and there will absolutely have to be some good in the going description. Nicholls’ gelding has a record of 11 wins and five seconds in 20 starts on good or good to soft and his only win on soft came in fortuitous circumstances at Fakenham earlier this week.

He now has a record of five wins from five completed starts in hunter chases which will stand him in good stead. It would be no surprise if he was to go close in next month’s big event.

Secret Investor @ 20-1 (Festival Challenge Cup) 1pt win

Previously advised bets

Ballyburn (Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) @ 7-1 (2pts win)

Blazing Khal (Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase) @ 20-1 (1pt win)

Wrappedupinmay (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) @ 33-1 (1pt win)

Captain Bellamy (Champion Bumper) @ 25-1 (1pt win)

Jeriko Du Reponet (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) @ 25-1 (1pt win)

Corach Rambler (Cheltenham Gold Cup) @ 33-1 (1/2pt each-way)

Ashroe Diamond (Mares’ Hurdle) @ 7-1 (2pts win)

Appreciate It (Ryanair Chase) @ 16-1 (1pt win)

Apple Away (Mares’ Chase) @ 20-1 (1pt win)

Highwind (Triumph Hurdle) @ 20-1 (1pt win)

Fact To File (Turners Novices’ Chase) @ 5-1 (2pts win NRNB)

Embassy Gardens (National Hunt Chase) @ 5-2  (2pts win NRNB)

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.