13:20 Cheltenham Tips: Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle can go to Joey O

Wednesday - and Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival. The opening contest is the Grade 2 Mares' Novices' Hurdle, 2m 1f, @ 13:20. A maximum field of 24 will make for a sensational cavalry charge to the first, and mid-pack will not be a place for the faint of heart.

It looks wide-open in fairness though I do have one I fancy from a yard in tip-top form right now. I'll be adding a couple of lively each-way shouts too, and it's worth remembering that the registered name of this race is the Dawn Run Mares' Novices', commemorating the great racemare who won both the Champion Hurdle AND the Gold Cup ('84 and '86 respectively). What a lady.

Mares' Novices' Hurdle Odds

Cheltenham Betting Odds

Galileo Dame to win @ 4/1

My idea of the winner is a blue-blooded four-year-old mare with Galileo influences, Galileo Dame. She's trained by Joseph O'Brien in County Kilkenny, and the former top flat-race jockey can certainly do little wrong right now.

He struck on the opening day with JP McManus' Puturhandstogether, hugely impressive winner of the Fred Winter, and further success here would hardly be a surprise given how her two hurdle spins have worked out so far.

She's 96-rated on the level, and on debut over timber in December at Leopardstown got to within 2l of Wendrock (who ran very well in the Puturhandstogether heat on Tuesday, beaten just 7.5l).

She again finished runner-up on the same track in February, this time to Hello Neighbour, but in a Grade 1 no less. Her conqueror is a single-figure price for Friday's Triumph Hurdle, and it's worth remembering that both heats included the boys as well as one or two of her own sex.

She gets an age allowance in this so carries just 10st 8lb, and should stay the trip well enough after running through the line well the last day. It represented a big step up on debut form (she's now rated 137), and I'm sure there's bags more to come. Regular pilot JJ Slevin takes the mount.

Karoline Banbou each-way @ 7/1

Of the many likely dangers, Willie Mullins/JP McManus and Mark Walsh combine to provide one in the shape of the five-year-old Karoline Banbou.

She joined Willie from France in December with some decent bumper form to her name, and in two progressive hurdle spins for new connections has finished second, and then first. It was 'only' a Leopardstown maiden, but she did score with a discernible degree of comfort and from this quarter certainly has to be treated with the utmost respect.

We're paying four places, and I'm hoping she's got the scope to fill one of them.

Air Of Entitlement each-way @ 16/1

I'm hoping a much bigger performance lies within this six-year-old daughter of Westerner, because though her Boxing Day maiden win at Down Royal was pretty easy on the eye, more will certainly be required to trouble the judge on Thursday afternoon.

She could hardly be with a better yard to do just that - the County Waterford base of Henry de Bromhead, and benefitting from the assistance in the saddle of the brilliant Rachael Blackmore.

Air Of Entitlement runs in the famous Robcour colours (the likes of Teahupoo and many others), and no-one would be shocked to see her take the necessary steps form-wise to put herself bang in the mix for this. Decent price at time of writing, and we're paying those each-way four places.

What a cracking race we have in prospect.

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Cheltenham Tips from Betfred Insights.