Lucky 15 Tips: Superb Cheltenham card to savour on Friday

Glorious pre-Christmas treat time. Cheltenham is staging a high-quality two-day gathering on Friday and Saturday, so it's to Prestbury Park we'll be journeying for our Lucky 15 tips. Two nice winners at Warwick yesterday so fingers crossed we can continue in that vein!

ITV are covering five from Friday's card which is fantastic - our gateway to the weekend. Eyes are trained upon March throughout the National Hunt season and as far as the Festival itself goes I feel it's tangibly closer when we've got December, and the Christmas period, nicely out of the way - and we've a feast of festive racing to enjoy of course during that period too.

Horse Racing Odds

Fast Racing Results

13:15 - Leloopa @ 4/1

Our Lucky 15 kicks off with a Class 3 handicap hurdle over 2m 1f.

The selection is trainer Fergal O'Brien's Leloopa, a five-year-old daughter of Derby winner Wings Of Eagles. She's four-from-13 all told, and arrives here after winning at virtually this trip 49 days ago on this course.

That was a cosy 4.75l success in this grade, and she's been put up 6lb. Claimer Tom Broughton was on board then, but as it was a conditional jockey's heat he couldn't claim his 5lb. Today, importantly, he can - helping to offset all but a pound of that rise.

She had a wind procedure ahead of that last run and though she's in career-high territory handicap-wise, she's also in the form of her life and we know the mare goes well around here too.

13:50 - L'Homme Presse @ 4/1

The mighty Venetia Williams is starting to go through the gears, and there are few trainers more deadly as the winter progresses and the terrain becomes more testing.

She saddles high-class stayer L'Homme Presse in this Premier handicap chase over the Gold Cup trip, a race in which he finished fourth last March. The ten-year-old gelding carries 12st and is conceding over a stone to everything in this field, but goes very well fresh and is undoubtedly the class of the race.

He runs off a mark of 162 this afternoon, and won a G2 here back in January at just short of this trip off 163. He's rubbed shoulders with some of the very best in recent seasons and this could be right up his street.

Has shown a tendency to jump slightly left on occasion which won't be an issue going this way around at HQ. Smashing contest.

14:25 - Eldorado Allen @ 3/1

Another 'old' hero, in a race specifically for such warriors.

Eldorado Allen lines up in this veterans' heat fresh from a resounding win in a similar course contest four weeks ago. He's been raised 5lb for that and while he's 'only' conceding 4lb and more to his field the 11-year-old gelding again has the steadier of 12st to carry.

Trainer Joe Tizzard has been consistently having winners in recent weeks and similar remarks apply to jockey Brendan Powell, the horse's regular partner. Surely he's the one they've all got to beat.

15:35 - Tranquil Sea @ 7/2

Would hardly seem right to go through a Cheltenham card without tipping up a Team Skelton conveyance.

This is a 3m stayers' handicap hurdle and the brothers team up with a five-year-old gelding by the great champion two-year-old Teofilo (himself by Galileo), and out of a Dubawi mare.

Beautifully-bred then, Tranquil Sea moved to Dan's in August from Paul Nolan's County Wexford yard. Four runs for new connections have followed, including a win off 117 at Chepstow. He's up to 123 this afternoon.

The horse had a wind procedure in November and ran very creditably afterwards when last seen, some 16 days ago at Market Rasen. He was a staying-on second, beaten 8.5l in this grade (the winner was completing a hat-trick) in what was just about a career-best effort.

This stiffer test up that punishing hill to the winning post could suit admirably and 11st looks a very reasonable racing weight in the context of this field. A little belter with which to close proceedings.

If all four of our selections won, today's notional 50p win Lucky 15, at the prices indicated (they can of course fluctuate), would return around £490 for a £7.50 total stake.

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Lucky 15 tips from Betfred Insights.