Punter v Pro: Cheltenham Festival

In our regular(ish) feature we invite an amateur punter to send in his/her selections to have them reviewed by a pro. This week James from Swindon has emailed to take on our National Hunt expert. James describes himself as an avid jumps fan and Festival Nut.

1:30 Noble Prince - 5/1
His form when very close to Realt Dubh was given a big boost by that horse being placed in the Arkle.  He has run well in the past over longer distances on good ground, his run at the festival last year was also a decent effort over hurdles.
Verdict: If you are bringing Arkle form into this then Mr Gardner must be a better contender. He finished 7 lengths behind Medermit and Captain Chris at Sandown and would have been closer if not stumbling at the penultimate fence. On Arkle formlines I’d rather take the 13/2 on Mr Gardner.

2:05 Alfie Spinner – 14/1
A really consistent sort who will handle the quickish ground.  He has lots of experience in big fields, having contested some decent handicaps.
Verdict: You are a brave man taking on this race with so many plot horses. I couldn’t put you off Alfie Spinner, he will run his race and looks a solid proposition. He needed to run well at Sandown last time out to get into this race; so certainly has that ‘plot’ feel to him.

2:40 Rubi Light – 25/1
He has always run on very soft ground, so a bit of a risk taken with quicker ground. His performance against Golden Silver (who ran well in the Queen Mother) was impressive and he beat Roberto Goldback easily. J’Y vole is a third of the price at 8/1 yet she finished behind Roberto Goldback, this form line suggests Rubi Light is overpriced.
Verdict: You are correct to say the ground is a concern with the trainer quoted as saying he’d prefer some cut. However all week we have seen Irish horses improve for the better conditions, this might be the case again. Only six years old he is open to improvement. I think this is the pick of your selections.

Best of luck James and enjoy your day.