Free racing tips: Best bets for Cheltenham Festival day four

• Simon Holt has tipped several big-priced winners this year and was +33.5pts from January 1-March 1

Racing betting tips: Friday March 18

1pt win Suprise Package in 2.10 Cheltenham at 12/1 (General)

1pt win Hillcrest in 2.50 Cheltenham at 4/1 (Boylesports)

1pt win Protektorat in 3.30 Cheltenham at 8/1 (General)

0.5pts e.w. Santini in 3.30 Cheltenham at 50/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)

1pt win Cobblers Dream in 5.30 Cheltenham at 18/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Friday's Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, which features last year's first three Minella Indo, A Plus Tard and dual winner Al Boum Photo, provides a head scratcher for punters with that trio - and the progressive Galvin - very closely matched on form.

The latter's defeat of A Plus Tard in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas could prove a strong clue even though there was only a short head between them while Minella Indo, a Festival specialist, warmed up with a fair-enough second to Conflated in the Irish Gold Cup.

Al Boum Photo wasn't pleasing trainer Willie Mullins a month ago but has gone better at home since and now wears cheek pieces for the first time while British hopes rest mainly, according to the market, with Protektorat (impressive at Aintree), the Cotswold Chase winner Chantry House and Royale Pagaille, who was well beaten by A Plus Tard in the Betfair Chase at Haydock first time out.

The surprise King George winner Tornado Flyer, who may well prove to be a much better performer now at three miles and beyond, is a further complicating player but, overall, the one runner who could be improving quicker than any of the others is PROTEKTORAT.

A Grade One winner at Aintree last spring, the seven-year-old won a listed hurdle at Cheltenham as a novice, bolted up in a novice chase here and made an eye catching reappearance under 11st12lb in the Paddy Power Gold Cup over two-and-a-half miles in which he flew home and just failed to reel in Midnight Shadow.

A step up in distance seemed to be the way to go after that effort and, on a day when many horses were finishing out on their feet, Protektorat produced a relentless display of galloping in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree (3m1f) to come home completely unchallenged and leave several onlookers in the press room open-mouthed with astonishment.

In slamming the former Gold Cup winner Native River, who was retired after pulling up in the Welsh National next time, it is easy to argue that the selection didn't beat much that day but, sometimes, you have to trust your eyes and it looked some performance.

Trainer Dan Skelton has laid out Protektorat for the Gold Cup since then and, in a recent interview, was bullish enough to suggest this was his best chance of the whole week.

In addition, I am tempted to go out on a limb by taking a bit of each-way about SANTINI.

Trained by Nicky Henderson when a strong-finishing neck second to Al Boum Photo in 2020 - and he would probably have won in another stride or two - this strapping stayer then suffered a period in the doldrums and pulled up here last year after which he was switched to Polly Gundry's small yard near Ottery St Mary in Devon.

So far, it looks like the change of scene has been beneficial and Santini bounced back to form in the Cotswold Chase here last time, staying on well up the hill again behind Chantry House, and given that the 10-year-old is reportedly very hard to get fit, further improvement can be expected from that run.

If so, Nick Scholfield's mount could out-run his big odds and, if back to his best, he would have a winning chance.

A less radical selection is Henry Daly's likeable stable-star HILLCREST in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

This enormous son of Stowaway is a knockout individual and has the form to match his looks, most significantly his striking dismissal of the promising Crystal Glory on his first try at this distance of three miles at Haydock last time.

An earlier defeat of I Am Maximus on this course was equally promising and, providing conditions don't dry out too much, Hillcrest will give Gordon Elliott's unbeaten hurdler Ginto, favourite on each of his three hurdling starts so far, plenty to think about.

Earlier, SUPRISE PACKAGE can follow up last Saturday's incredibly convincing nine-length Imperial Cup success under just a 5lb penalty in the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle.

This represents a quick turnaround but the double has been done before and, providing Peter Fahey's gelding has recovered sufficiently, he ought to be well ahead of the handicapper.

In hindsight, Suprise Package shouldn't have been allowed to go off a 20/1 chance at Sandown given that he has been running well against tough opposition this season, and the suspicion remains that Irish hurdlers in particular are still leniently treated by the official assessors in Britain.

Finally, in the closing Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, COBBLERS DREAM can continue his progress after running out a comfortable winner of the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at Kempton in January.

This really likeable type has taken a step forward with every run over hurdles so far and, given the manner of his victory last time, an 8lb rise is understandable.

Cobblers Dream should be well enough suited by this two-and-a-half mile trip and the conditions - it was two-miles-and-five-furlongs on soft ground at Kempton - and the booking of the excellent Jack Andrews takes the eye.

And, for coincidence backers, trainer Ben Case won on the final day of the 2019 Festival when his great standard-bearer Croco Bay landed the Grand Annual Chase.

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Posted at 1510 GMT on 17/03/22

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