Cheltenham Festival Day Four Tips

The fourth and final day of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival promises to be a cracker, with the feature race of the entire week, along with plenty of other fantastic races to look forward to. The Racing Club Insider guides us through their tips for all seven races on day four of the festival.

1.30pm – JCB Triumph Hurdle

Willie Mullins has won three of the last four renewals of this race, and it’s a race he often targets some of his talented fillies at. Burning Victory won it in 2020 and Lossiemouth won it last year, with the runner-up and third also being fillies from the Mullins yard. I think he can win it again with another filly in KARGESE. 

She should have a huge chance if she can replicate her winning effort in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, where managed to beat plenty of these rivals in here. Danny Mullins has been on board for both her runs since joining the Mullins yard so I’m not bothered that Paul Townend has chosen Storm Heart. There are plenty in with a chance, but I think Kargese is the pick of the bunch and hopefully can get us off to a winning start.

TIP –  KARGESE

2.10pm – County Handicap Hurdle

In the last nine years, both Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton have won four renewals each, so it certainly pays to side with their runners in here. Out of their runners, I think the best chances are L’Eau Du Sud for Dan Skelton and BIALYSTOK for Willie Mullins, and at the prices, I’d sooner side with the latter. 

Effective on soft ground, the six-year-old has put in some excellent performances this season and was even tested in Grade 1 company back in December. He was hardly disgraced either, finishing fourth and only beaten three lengths. The market leader for this race, King Of Kingsfield, finished a length and a half ahead of him that day, but Willie Mullins’s runner is 1lbs better off with that rival and I expect him to go close in what looks a wide-open race. 

TIP – BIALYSTOK

2.50pm – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Now then, this is my most confident bet of the entire festival! Willie Mullins has won two of the last four renewals and I’m confident he’ll be adding to that on Friday with READING TOMMY WRONG, who should relish this step up in trip and should take some stopping. 

After winning both bumper races last season, he’s gone from strength to strength over fences and put in a huge performance to win the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle in January. The manner in which he finished that race suggests the extra distance here will be a positive, and his pedigree further supports that. The form of that race has worked out well already this week, with the fourth (Firefox) finishing third in the Supreme, and the runner-up (Ile Atlantique) finished third in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle. I just can’t see him losing here, and although he’s been heavily supported all week I still think he looks excellent value.

TIP – READIN TOMMY WRONG

3.30pm – Cheltenham Gold Cup

Onto the biggest race of the festival, and I’m struggling to see anything in here that can beat GALOPIN DES CHAMPS. Shishkin would’ve had a chance if he was in here, but there is clearly something amiss in the Henderson yard at the moment and you can see why Nicky has pulled him out. 

Galopin Des Champs won the race by seven lengths last season, and although he was beaten by Fastorslow at the end of last season and the start of this season, Willie Mullins superstar proved how he’s still the top dog when cruising to victory in the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup. He tends to save his best efforts for Cheltenham and I would be shocked if Fastorslow (or any of his rivals for that matter) will be able to lay a glove on him. 

For those looking for one at a bigger price, I wouldn’t put anyone off an each-way bet on last year’s runner-up Bravemansgame. He might not have won yet this season, but he has still put in excellent efforts in defeat and I expect his trainer to have him fully primed for a big run in here. However, for win purposes, I simply cannot see past Galopin Des Champs and I think he’s going to run out a relatively comfortable winner.

TIP – GALOPIN DES CHAMPS

4.10pm – Festival Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase

This is a tough race to call, but I do think FERNS LOCK should be able to reverse form with Its On The Line and he gets my vote. He was just outstayed by Emmet Mullins runner at Down Royal on Boxing Day, but he was giving that runner 7lbs that day and they meet on level terms here. That should be enough to reverse the form, and he’s proved he’s in good nick with an easy win at Thurles in January, so he should come here full of confidence. 

If you’d sooner side with one at a slightly bigger price, I wouldn’t put anyone off of 2022 winner Billaway, who providing he doesn’t fall will undoubtedly be staying on strongly at the finish. But if it’s a win bet you’re looking for, it has to be Ferns Lock for me.

TIP – FERNS LOCK

4.50pm – Mares’ Chase

Yet another race that has been dominated by Willie Mullins, who has won two of the three runnings of this race, and although there’s only been a trio of renewals of this, there are some trends to narrow the field. One of the key ones is ratings, with all three winners being rated 150+, which leaves us with just three runners: Dinoblue, Allegorie De Vassy and Brides Hill. Of those, the one I feel has the strongest chance is DINOBLUE. 

She does have to prove her stamina, but as Fact To File showed earlier in the week, Willie Mullins knows his horses can handle the step up in trip, so I wouldn’t let that concern you. She’s been racing against the boys this season, and it was a phenomenal effort to win the Paddy Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown over the Christmas period. She only found El Fabiolo too good last time out in the Dublin Chase, but did finish ahead of Captain Guinness, who won the Champion Chase on Wednesday to boost that form. Dinoblue will be tough to beat in here, and she can give Willie Mullins a third success in the race.

TIP – DINOBLUE

5.30pm – Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

The final race of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival tends to follow a similar path to the majority of the races at the festival, and go the way of the Irish! They’ve won seven of the last ten renewals, and I’m siding with them to win it again, this time with BETTER DAYS AHEAD. Gordon Elliott has won this race twice in recent years (2017 + 2017) and the selection looks to be his best chance this year. 

He has run well in all four races on his debut season over hurdles, with a notable performance coming in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle, when finishing just over five lengths behind Slade Steel, who has since franked the form by winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle earlier this week. He then dropped back in trip and did well to finish runner-up to Asian Master (finished 4th in the Supreme), despite giving the winner over a stone in weight. He will relish the ground and the step back up in trip should suit, plus he fits plenty of the trends of recent winners of this, so he can hopefully help us sign off for the festival with another winner!

TIP – BETTER DAYS AHEAD

DAY FOUR TIPS