My racing tips and previews, including my previews and tips for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, are available for Free (currently no sign-up required) on my SubStack page at kelmansfield.substack.com
Cheltenham Festival 2021
Friday, March 19th
Selections
1.20 pm Adagio each-way 2nd 10-1
1.55 pm Le Patriote each-way non-runner
2.30 pm Streets Of Doyen each-way 3rd 10-1
3.05 pm Minella Indo won 9-1
3.40 pm Latenightpass each way 4th 12-1
4.15 pm Magic Of Light unplaced
4.50 pm Langer Dan 2nd 13-2
Always remember the GOLDEN RULE – never bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
———–
Thursday, March 18th
Selections
1.20 pm Blackbow each-way 6th SP 40-1
1.55 pm Come On Teddy each-way 3rd SP 10-1
2.30 pm Imperial Aura pulled up SP 8-1
3.05 pm Flooring Porter won SP 12-1
3.40 pm Oldgrangewood each way unplaced SP 25-1
4.15 pm Magic Daze each-way 2nd SP 22-1
4.50 pm Sizing At Midnight each-way unplaced SP 33-1
Always remember the GOLDEN RULE – never bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
———
Wednesday, March 17th
Selections
1.20 pm Bob Olinger won SP 6-4
1.55 pm Monkfish won SP 1-4
2.30 pm Guard Your Dreams each-way 7th SP 7-1
3.05 pm Put The Kettle On won SP 17-2
3.40 pm Some Neck 3rd SP 17-2
4.15 pm Sizing Pottsie each-way PU SP 28-1
4.50 pm Cool Jet each-way unplaced 50-1
Always remember the GOLDEN RULE – never bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
—-
Tuesday, March 16th
Selections
1.20 pm Grumpy Charlie each-way 6th SP 28-1
1.55 pm Captain Guinness 3rd SP 10-1
2.30 pm Discordantly each-way 6th SP 10-1
3.05 pm James Du Berlais each-way Last SP 14-1
3.40 pm Concertista 2nd SP 10-11
4.15 pm Longclaw each-way Unplaced SP 100-1
4.50 pm Galvin won SP 7-2
Always remember the GOLDEN RULE – never bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
Cheltenham Festival 2020
* Over the 4 days the selections finished with a very small loss at SP. Many backers will have made a small profit if the had best-odds available guarantees.
Friday, March 13th
Selections
13:30 Burning Victory – won 12-1
14:00 Rathill Each-Way
14:50 Cat Tiger Each-Way
15:30 Lostintranslation Nap
16:10 Shantou Flyer
16:50 Jan Maat
17:30 Front View Next Best
Good Luck
Thursday, March 12th
Selections
13:30 No tip due to IT problems
14:00 Relegate Next Best
14:50 A Plus Tard Nap
15:30 City Island Each-Way
16:10 Simply The Betts – won 100-30
16:50 Dolcita
17:30 Go Another One Each-Way
Good Luck
Tuesday, March 10th
Selections
13:30 Abracadabras Nap
14:00 Notebook
14:50 The Conditional – won 15-2
15:30 Pentland Hills Next Best
16:10 Benie Des Dieux
16:50 Espoir De Guye
17:30 Carefully Selected
Good Luck
Wednesday, March 11th
Selections
13:30 Envoi Allen Nap – won 4-7
14:00 Easy Game
14:50 Traffic Fluide EW
15:30 Defi Du Seuil Next Best
16:10 Tiger Roll
16:50 Palladium
17:30 Panic Attack
Good Luck
Cheltenham Festival 2019
Friday, March 14th
Selections
13:30 Pentland Hills * each-way won 20-1
14:00 Crooks Peak * each-way unplaced
14:50 Dinons – pulled up
15:30 Presenting Percy –unplaced
16:10 Ucello Conti – 5th 4-1
16:50 Whatswrongwithyou – 7th 8-1
17:30 Coolanly * each-way – 5th 20-1
Presenting Percy is the Nap and Whatswrongwithyou is the next best.
It’s another day of incredibly competitive racing and once again the advice is to keep stakes modest and bet each-way when the odds allow.
A couple of other each-way bets worthy of consideration on the final day of the festival are Leoncavallo (unplaced) in the 14:10 and Top Wood (finished 3rd 33-1) in the 16:10
*atop = at time of posting
Many bookmakers were offering special each-way terms and paying out on horses finished 5th, 6th & 7th in selected races at the Festival.
Thursday, March 14th
Selections
13.30 Kildsart – 4th 9-1
14.10 Not Many Left * each-way – 3rd 16-1
14:50 Monalee – 4th 5-1
15:30 Paisley Park – won 11-8
16:10 Azzerti * each-way – 7th 20-1
16:50 Queenohearts * each-way – unplaced
17:30 Speaker Connolly * each-way – unseated rider
Paisley Park is the Nap and Monalee is the next best.
Day 3 of the Festival looks very tricky and, as you can see from the selections, we will striking each-way wagers in a number of races. Others worth considering for each-way bets are Winter Hero Terrefort (pulled up) in 14:50 & Top Notch (unplaced) in the 15:30.
Wednesday, March 13th
Selections
13.30 City Island – won 8-1
14.10 Santini – 2nd 3-1
14.50 Uradel – 7th 13-2
15.30 Altior – won 4-11
16.10 Tiger Roll – won 5-4
16.50 Ciel De Neige – 3rd 17-2
17.30 Meticulous – unplaced
City Island is the Nap and Meticulous is the next best.
Outsiders worthy of consideration for each-way bets are Ballyandy (20-1 atop – finished 3rd 14-1) & Joke Dancer (33-1 atop – non-runner) in the 14.50 and Kingswell Theatre (50-1 atop – finished 6th 33-1) in the 16.10.
Followers of this blog will know we are big fans of Tiger Roll and we will be cheering him on the X-country chase. However, the Gordon Elliott stable has had several horses run below expectations recently, so X-country specialist Enda Bolger’s Auvergnat (8-1 atop (was pulled up) is put forward as an each-way alternative to those who don’t want to support the short-priced favourite.
Tuesday, March 12th
Selections
13.30 Klassical Dream – won 6-1
14.10 Glen Forsa – fell
14.50 Give Me A Copper – fell
15.30 Laurina – 4th 5-2
16.10 Benie Des Dieux – fell
16.50 A Plus Tard – won 5-1
17.30 Whisperinthebreeze * each-way – fell
Laurina is the Nap and Glen Forsa is the next best.
A couple of outsiders worthy of consideration for each-way bets are Big River (33-1 atop – finished 4th 28-1) 14.50 & Quamino (atop 16-1 – was pulled up) 16.50
Good luck everyone. Don’t forget to check out the special offers bookmakers are offering during the festival such as Skybet’s money back on first race losing single bets and Betfair Sports Book’s 5 & 6 places for each-way betting on selected races.
Finally and most importantly, remember the GOLDEN RULE – never bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
*******
THE NEW WINTER HEROES annual for 2018-2019 is available in paperback (£4.99) and Kindle (£3.49p) from Amazon.
Click HERE or the image below to get your copy.
WINTER HEROES
Hurdlers & Chasers to follow 2018-2019
For the 2018-2019 jumps reason. A brand new list of exciting young horses to follow over the jumps selected by racing journalist and broadcaster Kel Mansfield.
Pen portraits for each horse with descriptions of past performances and trainer & jockey quotes etc..
The book also contains betting strategies and advice for following the horses in the list.
Winter Heroes is designed to help readers enjoy the jump-racing season as much as possible.
There is no better way to enjoy the thrilling sport of jump racing than to follow a select group of horses throughout the winter months.
You will feel far more involved as the season builds towards the Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand National in the spring if you are following a group of horses with the potential to play starring roles at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals.
Support your horses, cheer them on at the track or when you’re watching them on TV.
You will become their virtual owner, without having to pay the expensive training bills. So remember to celebrate any victories and, granted a little luck, you could have many special memories by the end of the season.
Previous Winter Heroes and Turf Stars annuals are available from Amazon
………………………………………..
RUBY WALSH PREVIEWS SEASON
Ruby Walsh commented on some of the Willie Mullins-trained jumpers he’s expecting big things of this winter (2018-2019 season).
Walsh said, “We think Next Destination could be a really smart novice chaser.
“He has the potential to be top-class and he’s got a great attitude. Of our novice chasers, he’s the one I’m most looking forward to riding this season.”
Walsh also has high hopes for Getabird and said, “What his trip will be over fences, I don’t know.
“He’s an ex-bumper horse, so he could be open to go up in trip, but he has pace, so he’s not pigeon-holed into going one department.
“He has a lot of ability and is an exciting one to have.”
Draconien and Cilaos Emery are two others Walsh is keen on.
The master jockey said, “Draconien is a stronger horse this year and more mature.
“He’s got a lot of speed and he could be an exciting two-mile novice chaser. Long term, he could be an Arkle horse.
“There wasn’t much between Cilaos Emery and Melon and we saw the progress Melon made last year.
“Hopefully Cilaos Emery can do the same this year.”As usual, Willie Mullins has a phenomenally strong group of novice hurdlers for the new season and his number-one stable jockey Ruby Walsh has been speaking about their prospects.
Walsh, who is a Paddy Power’s racing ambassador and a columnist with Paddy Power News, said: “Blackbow was a big, lean individual last year, but he looks a stronger horse this year.
“He’s got a lot of natural ability; he’s a great jumper and he was one of many very good bumper horses we had last season.
“Like Carefully Selected and Tornado Flyer, his connections are entitled to be looking forward to the year ahead.
“Carefully Selected is not the most flamboyant at home, so we can’t wait to go jumping with him. He ran a blinder at both Cheltenham and Punchestown last season, and he was always going to be a better jumper than he was a bumper horse. He’s a horse with a huge season ahead of him.
“The three of those all look Ballymore or Albert Bartlett type horses – but I didn’t think Champagne Fever would be a Supreme Novices’ Hurdle horse, so who knows?
“Those three horses are the ones I’m most looking forward to riding on the novice hurdle front. I hope there’s a superstar among those three.”
“Relegate is a highly-talented filly – and before she won at Cheltenham, she beat Colreevy at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.
“She’s an exciting horse, and anybody would be delighted to go jumping with the Cheltenham Bumper winner.
“We think Annamix is a good horse and hope he retains all of his ability. He did do some nice bits of work 12 to 14 months ago, but we haven’t done anything serious with him so far this season.
“I’d imagine Quick Grabim will be heading the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse. He’s an improving horse with plenty of experience, and he’d definitely be in the top bracket of our better novice hurdlers.
“Stay Humble has started to mature and now looks a good bit stronger. He came with a big reputation – and while he didn’t quite live up to it last season, he’s starting to show us what he was supposed to have at home lately.
“He’s a galloper and he stays really well, so he might be an Albert Bartlett type horse.
“Of the bumper horses we ran during the summer, Mt Leinster is probably the horse which sticks out the most.
“He’s put his name as first on the team sheet as a Cheltenham Bumper horse – but looking through the yard, we’ll have plenty to challenge him for that position come March.”
The Mullins-trained Bellshill is expected to mount a Cheltenham Gold Cup challenge this season.
Writing about the Punchestown Gold Cup winner in his Racing UK blog, Ruby Walsh said, “I don’t know whether Bellshill is as good as Might Bite or Native River. He wasn’t quite as good as Might Bite as a novice as he was beaten quite emphatically by him in the RSA Chase. However, I think Bellshill has improved since then. I rode him this morning and he’s in good order. He won at Fairyhouse last season and was unlucky in the Irish Grand National before winning the Punchestown Gold Cup.
“He ended last season as probably our top chaser and Patrick Mullins pointed out to me recently that Bellshill’s results are much better going right-handed. I’m not sure where he will make his seasonal debut, but the John Durkan at Punchestown on December 9th is an option. You would hope he turns into a Gold Cup contender.”