Three best bets for day two of the Cheltenham Festival

It is an afternoon that many racing fans look forward to the most in the Jumps calendar.

Here is a look at the best bets for the Wednesday of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.

Jonbon to Win Queen Mother Champion Chase – 4/1

There are 13 runners entered in this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, but the final field is likely to be much shorter.

El Fabiolo and Jonbon should scare off a lot of competition for the 2m Championship race. The former is the odds-on favourite at 2/5 in the Cheltenham Festival 2024 betting.

After the season he has had, Jonbon looks set to be one of the popular Cheltenham betting tips for the day two feature. The British horse has won two of his three assignments, including a success in the Grade One Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

Nicky Henderson’s runner finished second behind El Fabiolo in last season’s Arkle Trophy Challenge. However, he is a much stronger horse now, as he has shown in his second campaign over fences.

At 4/1 in the betting, the Tingle Creek winner is worth siding with to reverse his form with the unbeaten Irish chaser.

 

Slade Steel to Win Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle – 7/2

Ballyburn is the leading novice hurdler in Ireland this season, but the good news for connections of Slade Steel is that he looks set to run in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Should that prove to be the case, their horse will avoid Willie Mullins’ runner in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle.

Slade Steel finished second behind Ballyburn in the Grade One Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival. He was just over seven lengths clear of the third-placed horse in that race.

Henry De Bromhead’s hurdler has shown he is a very smart hurdler on more than one occasion this season. He broke his maiden in a 22-runner contest at Naas back in November, while a month later, he landed the Grade Two Navan Novice Hurdle.

The Irish horse is the best bet at 7/2 to win the opening race on day two of the meeting.

Fact To File to Win Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – 6/5

Last season’s Champion Bumper runner-up Fact To File has always looked like a chaser in the making, so it was no surprise that Mullins opted to bypass his hurdles campaign. That has proven to be a smart move so far, as he is already a Grade One winner over fences.

The seven-year-old won the Novice Chase at Leopardstown on his final run before the Cheltenham Festival. He was a long way clear of his stablemate Gaelic Warrior when the latter unseated his rider at the final fence in that contest.

It looks as though connections of Fact To File are leaning towards the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase with their talented horse. It will take a big performance to beat the 6/5 favourite in that race.

Day Two of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival takes place on Wednesday, 13th of March. The card at Prestbury Park runs from 1.30 pm to 5.30 pm.