The Irish Edge: Day 4 Cheltenham Festival Tips The final day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is Gold Cup day, featuring the blue ribband race of the meeting. What a superb display of talent we have seen thus far. On Friday we have a seven race card, kicking off at 13.20 with the JCB Triumph Hurdle, the Boodles Gold Cup at 16.00 and closing this year's Festival is the Martin Pipe Conditionals Handicap Hurdle at 17.20. Johnny Ward and Tommy Lyons have provided expert analysis and given their selections on Friday’s card on the latest episode of The Irish Edge. Below are their selections. 13.20 JCB Triumph Hurdle Tommy Lyons' Tips I think the best horse in this race going forward is Selma De Vary. Now whether she’s the best horse on Friday is a different story. The reason I say that is because Willie Mullins is very keen on getting a full season into them under his system and getting them right and getting them to learn how his operation works and get the best out of them. He has immense patience with that sort of thing and it pays off season in, season out. Proactif won the last day and the word before the race was that it was probably slightly the better horse than stable companion Macho Man. Maybe that was the case at the time. But the way they were both ridden that day, if you swapped the riding arrangements I think Macho Man might have won that race. He didn’t jump as well as Proactif. There’s a little bit of improvement in there, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Macho Man reversed the form, or certainly got very close to Proactif. It’s around 10-1 Macho Man, and Proactif is favourite around 3-1. Willie also has interest in a horse called Minella Academy, first run for him after winning for John Nallen. He looked like a lovely type of horse. Everything that comes through the Minilla line seems to be thriving at the moment, and this looked like a horse that could develop quite a bit. They’re all entirely unexposed, basically. Willie has nine runners. I genuinely think Selma De Vary - people talk about how much she cost out of France could be very good. She’s tiny but she has an engine. To finish second to Narcisso Has having been ridden out the back and educated, she ran a huge race. There’s a lot more to come from her, I think. That’s why I’ll be selecting her for this race. If you want an each-way bet, I think Macho Man could reverse the form with the favourite. I’d be against the favourite purely based on price. 14.00 County Hurdle Johnny Ward’s Tips Sixandahalf is a mare that has definitely been disappointing since she was second in the Mares’ Hurdle last year. I'm actually giving her a bit of a chance though. Conor Stone-Walsh and Gavin Cromwell teamed up on the second day with Final Orders in the cross-country race. She would have been prepped for this meeting. I felt the last day at Leopardstown behind Wodhooh, the trip was wrong. She's an out-and-out two-miler in my view. Having said that, she's 14-1. I was hoping for a bit better than that. Sticktotheplan, who was trained by a good friend of mine, Cormac Farrell, not too long ago, now running for Olly Murphy. First-time wind op, first-time tongue tie. He's 40-1. There are so many of these you can make a case for. Tommy Lyons’ Tips A month out from this I thought Karbau when he finished second in January behind Glen Kiln, ran a lovely race. Really lovely run. Smacked of badly needing the run, the way it was ridden, the way it finished the race. Everything about it said improvement. But it's 150-rated with limited experience. It was well beaten as a 40-1 chance in last year's Supreme behind Kopek Des Bordes. With most trainers you'd say it probably didn't have much of a chance but it's Willie Mullins, so it's bound to have come on. Ndaawi has loads of experience in competitive handicaps. He won the Galway Hurdle in the stewards’ room and ran a real eye-catcher in Dundalk finishing third behind Carolina, beaten only three-quarters of a length off a rating of 90. That tells me he's in exceptionally good form. He's still only a six-year-old and has been in plenty of big fights. Running in good Flat races, with a run behind Lossiemouth, obviously not competitive at that level, but back in handicap company with Josh Williamson taking 5lb off, around 20-1 he looks a bet in a really tough race. 14.40 Mares’ Chase Johnny Ward’s Tip One of the “locks” of the day for many people in the 2:40 is Dino Blue. As I’ve said before, she’s not really a horse I’ve ever warmed to, even though she has a brilliant win record. I just feel she has limitations but those limitations might not matter in a race like this. She's rated 159 and J. P. McManus has had a mixed week so far with hot favourites. Dino Blue will definitely be considered one of his bets of the week. I’m still inclined to take her on, I’m going to take her on with July Flower. When July Flower beat Be Aware at Cheltenham I thought the price difference between them was crazy. I backed Be Aware that day, but July Flower jumped brilliantly and still beat him readily. Last time she was third behind Romeo Coolio, who bombed out in the Brown Advisory, but all told that form isn't bad. If you look at her victory over Kala Conti as a hurdler, two and a half miles here on nice ground could be right up her street. She’s trained by Henry de Bromhead. She had options - could have gone for the Arkle as well - but she’ll be primed for this. I think you back the favourite. Dino Blue - this is basically her Gold Cup every year. If she runs her race, she probably wins. 15.20 Albert Bartlett Johnny Ward’s Tip The Passing Wife for Gavin Cromwell is interesting. The run the last day was impressive, came through with a swagger and won doing handstands. Stepping up from two miles three furlongs to three miles is huge, but Cromwell supplemented him for the race and his horses have been flying. At around 12-1 he could be a really good each-way bet. Tommy Lyons’ Tip I think there’s good each-way value in The Passing Wife around about 12/1, that sort of price. King’s Books as well, around 15/2 here. King’s Books for Henry de Bromhead as well. He’s a horse I could easily see being ridden the way they tend to do with him - left alone in the race and asked to deliver his effort late. He’s another one I can see running well. He’s a much bigger price, maybe around 20/1. 16.00 The Gold Cup Tommy Lyons’ Tips Gaelic Warrior, he jumped the first at Leopardstown the last day so well that it probably got him lit up, he felt like he was already in a race and attacking. I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Townend just fiddled him into the first couple of fences on Friday to help him relax and get him thinking rather than launching at them. Talent-wise, he could win a Gold Cup. With the exception of Inothewayurhinkin, it’s a bit of an unknown Gold Cup because you don’t know which horses have the ability to step up and win it. Gaelic Warrior, he’s an exceptionally talented horse. I can see him running a really honest race but maybe not being quite good enough. If he were double the price you’d have to tip him because you know he’ll run well, but 4/1 is short enough. I had gone through the whole year without The Jukebox Man really being on my radar. Then I started warming to him a bit, but apparently he had a small setback that slowed down his preparation. He’s solid in the market, but he’s surely too short. He was four clear in the Albert Bartlett at the last hurdle and still got beaten. That has to be a concern in terms of stamina. Watch the full Irish Edge Show
