'Koktail Divin looks to have a great chance' - Cheltenham Day Two Tips

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival is coming up on Wednesday and it is a jam-packed and competitive card once again, with Group 1 racing, handicaps and the Cross-Country race to look forward to.

The feature race on the day is the CHampion Chase which sees Majborough attempt to better his effort in the Arkle 12 months ago, and return to winning ways at the festival.

The action kicks off at 13:20 and runs through to the finale at 17:20 and our expert has provided selections and analysis for three of the races on Wednesday’s card.

Cheltenham Day Two Tips

14.00 Cheltenham - Koktail Divin

The second contest on the card is the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and with the 2m4f race for this pool of horses no longer an option, there is a hugely competitive field of 16 set to go to post.

It is a race which has been won by some top horses in years gone by, including Fact To File in 2024 - let’s hope this year’s winner can turn out to be as good. As for who is going to win, Koktail Divin looks to have a great chance, despite previously finishing second to Oscars Brother and Romeo Coolio this season. Since those defeats, Henry de Bromhead’s gelding was seen to vastly better effect when winning a competitive Beginners Chase in December by more than 20 lengths. The form of that victory is as strong as any in the race, with the fourth winning twice since, and the second and third both giving good accounts of themselves when finishing in the same places in another good Beginners Chase.

Stable jockey Darragh O’Keeffe has opted to ride him over The Big Westerner which is surely a vote of confidence for the son of Masked Marvel, and he can add to De Bromhead’s Cheltenham Festival wins tally.

15:20 Cheltenham - Favori De Champdou

Our next selection comes in the Cross Country Chase, which will once more be run as a handicap and, in theory, be a hotly-contested race.

Last year’s winner Stumptown looks to hold strong claims once again, but it is the trainer who has won the race five times in the last decade who looks to hold the strongest hand, Gordon Elliott.

Favori De Champdou is favourite, but deserves to be so, he won well at Leopardstown at Christmas with what looks a strong piece of form, with the second going very well on Tuesday before a last-flight unseat. Following that success, Elliott’s charge was a good winner over course and distance in January, which is again good form to follow. He has gone up 8lb in the weights but the manner of his victory suggests there is still much more to come. Throw in the fact he is trained by Elliot and he holds fantastic claims.

16:00 Cheltenham - Majborough

Our final selection comes in the Champion Chase, with the vote going to Majborough, winner of the Triumph Hurdle two years ago and runner-up in the Arkle last year, boasting strong course form. Willie Mullins’ six-year-old was a little unfortunate in the Arkle 12 months ago, with his jumping proving costly, as has been the case on occasion since. However, when last seen at the Dublin Racing Festival, he was flawless from start to finish, and looks the one to beat,

providing he repeats that fantastic jumping rhythm.

The biggest danger could be stable mate Il Etait Temps who had looked like a star around Sandown, but with disappointing form at Cheltenham and a poor run at Ascot culminating in a fall last time, Majborough has the upper hand.