Tread Carefully Fellow Punters.......Cheltenham Really IS The Be All And End All

Does The Lead Up To The Cheltenham Festival Mean February Is A No-Punting Zone?

Thoughts Please! 

The list below are some of the major National Hunt races that I can tip and bet on in February ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, should I ignore them, would you ignore them?

Do I need to follow them to understand the form for the Festival?

Should I stop my normal winner finding process in February?

• Adonis Juvenile Novices Hurdle
• Arkle Novice Chase
• Ascot Chase
• BobbyJo Chase
• Boylesports.com Hurdle
• Boyne Hurdle
• Deloitte Novice Hurdle
• Denman Chase
• Dovecote Novices Hurdle
• Game Spirit Chase
• Haydock Grand National Trial
• Irish Champion Hurdle
• Kingmaker Novices Chase
• Kingwell Hurdle
• Leopardstown  Novice Chase
• Leopardstown, Irish Gold Cup
• National Spirit Hurdle
• Newbury, Betfair Hurdle 
• Premier Kelso Novices Hurdle
• Punchestown Grand National Trial
• Rendlesham Hurdle
• Reynoldstown Novices Chase
• Scilly Isles Novice Chase
• Tied Cottage Chase
• Towton Novices Chase

February Punting

Today was one of those days at Kempton, my first strong each-way fancy Comeonginger was an eyecatching fourth.

Just outside the places and my next strong fancy Kie was beaten by a horse old enough to be his dad!

I then fancied State Benefit strongly, due to his Henderson trained, Geraghty ridden & Buckley owned combo to go close, 

This horse was beaten out of the places, and even more, galling it was his stablemate Prince Of Pirates who took the race. 

He was JP McManus owned and AP McCoy ridden, which led onto to my really strong fancy in the concluding bumper.

The JP/AP combo up Master Malt was surely a shoo-in based on his sole run to the Cheltenham bound River Maigue, a Henderson trained & Buckley owned horse who looks sure to go well in the Supreme or Neptune.

However Malt Master was readily hammered by yes you guessed it, Tradewinds, a Henderson owned, Geraghty ridden & Buckley owned gelding who hadn't the best form in the world!

Definitely filed under a lesson learned day, it got me thinking, with exactly one month to go until the much anticipated Cheltenham Big Bash is it really worth having a punt when quite clearly all roads lead to those four fabulous days in Gloucestershire?

Cheltenham Festival Thoughts

Every thought when looking for a punt is how will it impact on Cheltenham? 

Some will surely be better after their outing and others have been hidden away from prying eyes, so it's definitely a bit of detective work to see if you can winkle out a coup.

The form is turned on its head and in this long old winter on rotten ground, cancellations, snow-gripped gallops, and hold-ups mean who knows who is ready to run.

The all-encompassing Cheltenham Festival IS detrimental to the rest of the season, but frankly, I don't care, actually, it's a challenge.

You have to really put your thinking cap on, read between the lines, and become an amateur psychic in second-guessing trainers & owners alike.

That though is part of the fun.

Most of the really fancied runners go to the festival with hardly a run between them and how are we supposed to take it every time they miss an engagement due to a runny nose or something?

Don't worry I say, they will all be okay on the day that matters, because sadly for the rest of the season is all that matters is Cheltenham Festival glory. 

Mind you today wasn't all bad, as Alasi was a surprise winner today beating the well-fancied Champion Court and the old adage "back the outsider of three" is baloney but maybe it's the stance to take throughout February. 

Mind you it gave Une Artiste, my Olbg Mares Hurdle fancy a timely form boost and again Cheltenham thoughts are brought to the fore no matter if you had an investment or not.

Take this weekend at Leopardstown and at Newbury there is some unbelievable and top-class racing, but again a watching brief is advised. 

Who knows who out of Flemenstar or Sir Des Champs is primed to win, but wherever they end up in March it will be long, long odds on they will be fit and ready.

Silviniaco Conti is another one, should hose up tomorrow but I for one wouldn't be surprised if he got turned over as there's only one race in mind for this one and that's the Gold Cup. 

In fact if he gets beat the likes of Bob's Worth & Long Run may even shorten.

The ultra-competitive Betfair Hurdle is another top-notch race and any decent performance will see major waves in the Cheltenham ante-post market. But how can you back My Tent Or Yours at skinny prices, when he has five stablemates in the race and has targets at the Festival?

It's definitely a minefield and for what it's worth my fancy is VILLAGE VIC.

He has just managed to sneak in at the foot of the weights, Dickie Johnson is riding at his bare minimum, looks a well-treated novice and has any amounts of improvement to come in a strongly run race.

Snaffled a bit of 20s with Hills but he's shortening all the time.

He bustled up my Neptune fancy The New One back in the Autumn and has top lines of form with Grade 1 winner Melodic Rendezvous so must go well. 

Any number can be fancied but we'll know more about Cotton Mills' Champion Hurdle aspirations, My Tent Or Yours' festival aim, whether Pearl Swan is back and so on, and so on. It's a stand-alone big pot prize, but it is a festival trial.

There lies the magic words, we are all on trial. 

Keep stakes small, keep plenty of notes, keep enough in the bank to unleash your full fury at the four days that matter most.

Just like nearly every owner, trainer & jockey a punter must focus too and keep his discipline, you don't want to be going into the greatest four days punting with empty pockets!

Enjoy the battles, but be prepared for the war!

Roll on March and the best Festival in the world!

Enjoy