Our weekly Road to Cheltenham ante-post series continues and we’ve got an exciting young stayer for you to consider. The novice hurdles are some of the best races of the entire week and are often good betting races. This candidate could be aimed towards the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Currently available at 33-1, the horse in question is an intriguing proposition. You can check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Wrappedupinmay (33-1, William Hill) absolutely bolted up in his sole Irish point at Dromahane in April 2022. The form has been boosted as the third and fourth have both won under rules since. He was then purchased privately by Paul Nicholls and would have been an expensive buy.
Paul Nicholls’ five-year-old made his rules debut in a bumper at Exeter on New Year’s Day and demolished the field by 24 lengths. On that evidence, he was a tad disappointing when third at Sandown next time but he would prefer slower ground.
This son of Ocovango made his hurdling debut at Ffos Las earlier this month and finished second. Looking very tired in the latter stages, you can expect plenty of improvement next time. It’s also worth noting that the front two were clear of the rest and the good to soft ground may not have been suitable.
We’re used to a deluge of rain at some point during Festival week and this lad would certainly benefit from that. If the ground was soft or heavy on the Friday, there probably wouldn’t be many horses with an engine as big as his.
Wrappedupinmay @ 33-1 (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) 1pt win
Ballyburn (Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) @ 7-1 (2pts win)
Blazing Khal (Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase) @ 20-1 (1pt win)
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.