Cheltenham Festival Naps of the Day - Friday's best free horse racing bets from the UK's top tipsters

Here we go then, Gold Cup Friday at Cheltenham to close a bruising week for the punters. Can these naps help recoup some of the damage?

Don't forget to check out the full racecard, results and live odds in Planet Sport's racing live centre.

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(Please be aware selections could become non-runners after the article's first publication)

 

13:20 (Cheltenham) Lulamba

Bet on race: Triumph Hurdle

Tipped by: The Sun (nap), picksfromthepaddock.co.uk (nap)

Nicky Henderson's French recruit Lulamba created a huge impression winning at Ascot on British debut and must be treated with the utmost respect for leading connections.

 

14:00 (Cheltenham) Kargese

Bet on race: William Hill County Handicap Hurdle

Tipped by: Irish Daily Star (nap), Sunday Mail (nap), Yorkshire Evening Post (nap),Daily Record, Telegraph, The Guardian, The Star

Runner-up in the JCB Triumph Hurdle last year Kargese could prove too smart for her rivals on handicap debut.

The Willie Mullins-trained mare won the G1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last season and may take a step forward from her second-place finish in the G2 Warfield Mares Hurdle at Ascot during January.

 

14:40 (Cheltenham) Brides Hill

Bet on race: Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase

Tipped by: East Anglian Daily Times (nap), The Racing App (nap), Daily Express, Daily Mail, Telegraph, The Sun, The Times

Brides Hill makes for each-way appeal following two wins from the last four outings. Finished second in latest trip at Huntingdon in early February, despite being a short-priced favourite.

 

15:20 (Cheltenham) Wendigo

Bet on race: Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

Tipped by: Racing Post (nap), Sunday Express (nap), The Guardian

Form of a WENDIGO (17) runner-up effort behind The New Lion took a boost when he won the G1 Turners Novices Hurdle here on Wednesday and he cannot be ignored.

 

 

16:00 (Cheltenham) Galopin Des Champs

Bet on race: Cheltenham Gold Cup

Tipped by: bettinggods.com (nap), Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, POSTDATA, RP Ratings, SPOTLIGHT, Telegraph, The Guardian, The Star, The Sun, The Times

All eyes will be on Galopin Des Champs as he bids to complete a famous hat-trick in this race and join racing greats. The Willie Mullins trained superstar looked as good as ever winning the G1 Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month and he may prove a class apart here.

 

16:40 (Cheltenham) Angels Dawn

Bet on race: St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase

Tipped by: Racing Post (nap), Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Record, RP Ratings, TOPSPEED, The Guardian, The Star, The Sun, The Times

Angels Dawn won the Kim Muir here two years ago and was going well in the same event last season when falling at the second last. Two from two in the point-to-point sphere since and is considered revisiting this venue.

 

17:20 (Cheltenham) Wodhooh

Bet on race: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle 

Tipped by: Daily Mail (nap), The Scotsman (nap), The Star (nap), Daily Record, 

Gordon Elliott won this twelve months ago and might do so once more with Wodhooh who managed to take her hurdling record to six from six with a smooth course and distance success on her sole start this term.

Form of that event has worked out well with the next three home winning notable prizes and she remains open to further progress. 

 

******

NAP OF THE DAY FAQs

What does Nap mean?

Nap shows the tipster’s main selection for that day.

What does NB mean?

After the nap, NB is the tipster’s next best bet of the day.

 

What is a Nap of the Day?

Not to be confused with a short refreshing sleep after a large meal, in horse racing the term ‘nap’ means the tipster’s best racing tip of the whole day.

The horse the tipster thinks has the best chance of winning from every race going off that day, which in the UK can be anything from 30 to 60 contests.

If a tipster has selected multiple tips during the day, their nap will stand out as their best bet for the day.

 

Why is it called a Nap?

The term is believed to come from the French card game Napoleon. The nap indicates the player’s best hand.

 

Why are Naps different?

All online publications have their own tipsters and each one draws on their own experience, knowledge and different methods to select their Nap of the Day.

Naps are usually smaller-priced runners, but they won’t always be a favourite and the tipster could be drawn to runners at a slightly bigger price that they consider to have a stronger chance of success.

 

How do tipsters choose their naps?

Tipsters make their selections based on several factors, all in an attempt to solve the puzzle that is racing.

They could consider the horse’s official rating, his or her form, weight, the class of the race, the going, the trainer and jockey and their form, previous races over the same course and distance, the draw, market price and the weather. The list goes on.

 

Do naps always win?

The short answer is no. However, it’s a great starting point for bettors to consider their selections for the day.

You should always look at the tipster's experience and decide whether you can trust their Nap, and consider if you should follow their suggestion.

Over time bettors will naturally gravitate to their favourite tipsters, publications and pundits, but it is always worth checking their success rate. Tipsters, like horses, can be in and out of form.

Importantly the nap should always be used as guidance and the bettor should always be in total control of their decision-making process when placing a bet.

The Nap is not a guaranteed win.

 

What are horse racing NBs?

Simply put, 'Nb' means 'next best' in horse racing. So, when you see Nb next to a horse's name that's the tipster's next best tip of the day.

Some tipsters will provide both a nap and an NB, so you get their best bet of the day and then their second-best bet of the day.

As with a nap, the tipster will usually set out their reasons for their NB selection in their article, notes or social media post.

NB is also helpful if the tipster's nap of the day becomes a non-runner, then you can move on to the next selection they are most comfortable securing a result with.

Once again Nbs are not a guarantee of success and should be used as another useful tool in your betting strategy.

 

What is an IWAC?

Not as common as nap or nb, 'IWAC' next to a horse's name stands for 'In with a chance'. IWAC is usually a long shot or a runner that represents a good-way value bet.

 

******

How do we create our tips?

Planet Sport has a rich history of providing quality, engaging and creative user-friendly content across a wide range of sports.

The Planet Sport team has more than twenty years’ experience working in the sports industry and use their knowledge, experience and statistical analysis to bring you the very best tips possible.

We specialise in clear, informative, data-driven tips, predictions and guides that will steer you in the right direction, whether you are a part-time bettor or consider yourself a bit of a pro.

Our experts have worked across some of the biggest and much-loved sites across the Planet Sport network, including Football365, TEAMtalk, PlanetF1.com, Planet Rugby, Planet Football, Tennis 365 and Love Rugby League.