f you are a horse race fan, you will already be aware that the annual Cheltenham Festival will soon be taking place. One of the biggest events in the British horse racing calendar, this four-day event will see over 200,000 people in attendance at its venue in Prestbury Park, Gloucestershire.
Each of the event days has a different name and featured event. On the opening day the main event is Unibet Champions Hurdle Trophy, on St Patrick’s Day (day three), spectators gather to watch the main Stayers’ Hurdle at 3:30 and on the final Gold Cup day the excitement is all around the most prestigious event of them all, the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase.
However, a firm favourite amongst many Cheltenham Festival goers is the second day, also known as Ladies Day. On this day, women dress to impress with colourful outfits, high heels and high fashion fascinators or hats. It is often the busiest day of the entire festival.
The featured event on this day is the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase.
If you are attending Cheltenham Festival on the second day, you will want to plan ahead which events you are going to watch and who you will be putting your bets on.
Here are Cheltenham Day 2 tips with predictions for who will win some of the top Ladies Day races:
Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (13:30)
The first race of the day is a Grade One hurdle jump race, set across a two-mile course, and is open to horses aged four and over.
In this opening race, the horse tipped to be taking home first place is Envoi Allen. Envoi Allen is a french bred horse trained by Gordon Elliott. The horse is six years old and has previously won three hurdle races.
Other top contenders include Sporting John, trained by Phillip Hobbs, and Asterion Forlonge who is trained by W.P. Mullins.
The RSA Insurance Novices’ Steeple Chase (14:10)
The Steeple Chase is another Grade One jump race and is open to horses aged five and above. The course is around three miles in length.
Minella Indo is the bookies favourite horse for this race. She is a seven-year-old horse trained by Henry De Bromhead and has previously won one Steeple Chase. Minella is closely followed by Nicky Henderson’s Champ and W.P. Mullins trained horse Allaho.
The Coral Cup Hurdle (14:50)
Next up is the Coral Cup Hurdle, this second hurdle event is a Grade Three Handicap event ran on a course just over two miles in length.
For this race, Eglantine Du Seuil is tipped to be taking home the top prize. Eglantine is a six-year-old French horse trained by W.P. Mullins and has previously ran in eight hurdle races and won two.
However, Cracking Smart is also in the running having also previously won two hurdles from eight starts.
The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (15:30)
The day’s most anticipated event is the Queen Mother Steeple Chase. With a prize pot of around £400,000 this Grade One jump race is open to horses aged five and above and is run on a course of just under two miles in length.
This year’s favourite is french horse Defi Du Seuil, who is trained by Phillip Hobbs. Defi is a seven-year-old horse with an impressive background, having won six Steeple Chases and seven Hurdles in their lifetime.
Many bookies have matched Defi Du Seuil’s odds with Altior’s. Even at ten years old, Altior is an impressive horse that should be feared. They have won 15 Steeple Chases and five Hurdles.
The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (17:30)
The final event of Day Two is the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, a Grade One flat course race ran over a distance of two miles. To qualify, horses must be between the ages of four and six years old.
A horse named Appreciate It is expected to win the Ladies Day finale. Appreciate is an Irish horse trained by W.P. Mullins and at six years old sits at the top end of the qualifying limit.
Following Appreciate It, Panic Attack and Ferny Hollow are both good contenders for the top spot. Panic Attack and Ferny Hollow are also both Irish horses trained by W.P. Mullins.
These are just a few of the top-rated horses participating in the races on Ladies Day. Take note of these tips when planning your bets for the festival.
