Five years ago, Kevin O’Malley posted “Our Life Changing Accumulator” on the old GG.COM site, resulting in a 100/1 (around 85/1 average odds) five-horse multiple being landed when Bob’s Worth won the Gold Cup in 2013! Five years on, Kevin follows up with another quintet of Festival Fancies he thinks should give us a fair cut at a repeat of the 2013 win…
Champion Hurdle
Buveur D’Air – 8/15
This slick hurdling 7yo gelding is all class and has enjoyed a low key but ultimately perfect tune up season for his repeat Champion Hurdle bid on Day 1. Unbeaten in his last nine starts, it will be some feat of talent to complete his tenth victory in a row whilst defending his Champion Hurdle crown and Buveur D’Air is rightly odds-on to do just that. Yesterday, the Champ was reported to be “Primed” for the big day and he makes sense to include as the Day 1 Banker.
Ballymore Hurdle
Samcro – 8/11
For all the early whispers about this young horse, I always side with caution with any hype horse, but in truth Samcro has looked to be – visually and highly likely on form too – the most imposing and best novice hurdler around. I stand to have egg on my face if I’ve caught the hype train a station or so too early, but I daresay Samcro could develop into one of the most exciting jumps horses we’ve seen for years. I can’t wait to see what he produces in a Championship race, when ridden with a little more patience, to keep as much juice as possible firmly under that bonnet of his until he is faced with the hill….then we’ll see what he can really do.
Stayers’ Hurdle
Supasundae – 9/2
The 2017 Coral Cup winner has developed into a top class young hurdler. People waffle on about this horse’s stamina and potential lack thereof in regard to fully seeing out a 3m trip at Cheltenham, but for now I’m calling “Nonsense”. For a start, he went down fighting at Aintree over the trip when outgunned by a then more grown up Yanworth. Supasundae stayed on strongly over 2m5f around here last year and I’m struggling to see another three furlongs being an issue. He won the Irish Champion Hurdle over 2m last time out, but at no point were connections entertaining the option of the Cheltenham version. It’s always been about the Stayers’ Championship for him. What’s more, in regard to stamina for this race, there is a fair recent history of speedy horses winning it. Solwhit (2010 Irish Champion Hurdler) and Nichols Canyon (2015 Ryanair Hurdle winner) both won two mile Grade 1s at Leopardstown on route to victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2013 and 2017 respectively, so while stamina is important, class is too, and Supasundae has plenty of that.
Triumph Hurdle
Redicean – 4/1
Shortly after his 10 length Kempton Park romp on the 13th of January, I tweeted that I had taken a price of 10/1 on Redicean for the Triumph Hurdle. For all his jumping lacked fluency that day, his turn of foot was undeniable. I wasn’t 100% sure Alan King‘s flat recruit would be able to reproduce it against better horses – more quietly confident – but he really did improve handsomely when landing the Adonis Hurdle late last month. Redicean’s jumping was pretty electric this time. He travelled powerfully and stayed on very well indeed from a decent filly he was giving 5lb to. Apple’s Shakira is yet to be tested by a good horse. Redicean is a good horse.
Gold Cup
Might Bite – 7/2
Speaking of good horses, how about this one then? Since his dramatic RSA Chase win last year, Might Bite has not reproduced anything like the explosive performance and dramatics he did at the Festival in 2017. For that reason, he seems to have gone somewhat under the radar in the affections and attention of the betting public. Which is slightly strange, because for all the 9yo hasn’t lit up the turf with anything magnificent or crazy or a combo of both since last March, he has won all three starts since then, including the King George on Boxing Day. Up until 20 yards after the last in the 2017 RSA Chase, this horse had produced one of the most spellbinding displays of running and jumping you’ll ever see around Prestbury Park. He nearly threw it away with a mid-Hill wobble/brain fart and that is a concern once more, but the fact he had the ability and resolve to re-establish a full gallop to mow down Whisper (a good horse however you cut it) and land the spoils for favourite backers, tells me this horse is every inch a potential Gold Cup winner. They might call him crazy, but I prefer a bit of bite to a bark and he’s looked pretty professional to me lately, so hopefully he can hold it together and run the race of his life here12 months on.
Shop around to get best odds. Odds quoted above are top industry odds at the time of publish, whereby a £1 stake would return £327.75 if all five horse manage to win
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