Cheltenham Tips: Three worth a Look on Saturday

Saturday marks the second and final day of Cheltenham's Christmas Meeting. The seven-race card runs from 12:10-15:35 and features the December Gold Cup.

I've looked elsewhere for my Cheltenham tips, which includes a strong selection in what hopefully proves the lucky last.

12:10 - Total Look @ 2/1

Gavin Cromwell hopes TOTAL LOOK is a contender for the Triumph Hurdle in March, so there'll be some stern faces if he can't win this Trial over course and distance on Saturday.

The three-year-old Cloth Of Stars gelding was a 79-rated Flat recruit who made the perfect start over timber, winning a decent maiden at Navan just under a month ago, beating the race-fit Beyond Your Dreams for Joseph O'Brien and JP McManus.

That's solid form in the context of this race and I think he was better than the official margin. He's reportedly come out of that race well and this has been his target since.

His main rivals according to the betting are the James Owen-trained, Gredley family-owned pair of Lavender Hill Mob and Ambiente Amigo. The former was extremely disappointing relative to expectation at Newcastle a fortnight ago and the fact cheekpieces are already applied is concerning. His stablemate just doesn't jump well enough for me.

Quantrock Hills and Teriferma probably bring the strongest form to the table at this stage, but they carry double penalties and are the most exposed in this eight-strong field, so I think this is a good opportunity for Total Look to prove his credentials for the spring.

15:00 - Western Knight @ 4/1

Another trial for the Cheltenham Festival in three months' time is the G2 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over three miles, which sees the brilliant Skyjack Hijack bid for a seven-timer.

Jennie Candlish's six-year-old has been a joy to follow this season and he must have every chance of doing what he does best and bowling along in front, jumping for fun and continuing this impressive winning run.

However, this is his first time in Graded company and his first visit to Cheltenham - and it comes exactly a fortnight after his ninth run since early June. It'll have to catch up to him eventually, right?

I'm going to take a chance on Joe Tizzard's WESTERN KNIGHT instead.

He did lots wrong when getting off the mark over hurdles at the first attempt at Uttoxeter in November, beating a French recruit for Jamie Snowden who won his subsequent start by a widening five lengths to earn a rating of 123.

The son of Westerner was much straighter when following up off a five-pound penalty at Ascot a few weeks later, beating the 135-rated Excello who had the well-backed Kloth Of Utopia (135) a further eight and a half lengths behind.

It's easy to rubbish the form and suggest the second and third simply didn't show up, but I wouldn't be so sure. The runner-up did little wrong and the fact Western Knight was able to give him five pounds has to be taken seriously.

If the favourite is a little under-par, he's the one to pick up the pieces for me.

15:35 - Joyeuse @ 2/1

The best bet at Cheltenham on Saturday as far as I'm concerned is JOYEUESE in the finale - a mares' handicap hurdle over an extended 2m4f.

Nicky Henderson's five-year-old, a close relation of Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante, ran well in defeat to the 134-rated Celtic Dino in an 'Introductory' Hurdle at Ascot last month on just her third-ever start.

Her previous victory over Tutti Quanti (125) on hurdling debut at Taunton also reads very well as she tries handicapping for the first time against her own sex off a lowly mark of 119. I fancy she's a lot better than that.

She's entitled to plenty of improvement for her age and level of inexperience, and there could be more to come up in trip too. She shaped like this distance would be no bother in Somerset and she wasn't stopping at the line in Berkshire either.

There's some interesting horses in opposition - especially Wodhooh and Take No Chances - but I fancy her to prove very hard to beat under the circumstances.

New Customer Offer: Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets!

Register and place £10 or more on your first Sports bet at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater, and get £50 in Free Bets credited to your account within 10 hours of your first bet being settled.

Opt-in and sign-up to Betfred below. Terms & Conditions Apply.

Click the links to find the latest Horse Racing Odds and Today's Horse Races

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights