Lucky 15 Tips: Cheltenham’s New Year party!

A very Happy New Year to all our customers, friends, colleagues; everyone! We're unashamedly going to Cheltenham for our Lucky 15 tips, a part of which we've looked at in the ITV piece but there are compelling, additional contests too. Can't ignore HQ on NYD. Wouldn't be OK.

Hope you're in the mood for a cracking afternoon of sport and whatever you're up to have fun, as always; and take care. A wonderful card kicks in at 12:15.

Horse Racing Odds

Fast Racing Results

12:15 - Just Golden @ 2/1

Plenty of my New Year eggs are being judiciously (I hope) placed in the Team Skelton basket!

Their runner here in this opening maiden hurdle is the six-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Just Golden, sporting the famous silks of the Hales family. Four runs to date, one bumper success, and two promising spins over hurdles.

It's interesting that connections come to this National Hunt cathedral so soon in his fledgling career, and I'm hoping it's because they see it potentially looming large in his future at some point.

Some good yards oppose, and I'm sure we'll learn a great deal about several promising types, but it's hard to ignore the Skeltons when they've surely got a decent squeak.

12:50 - Califet En Vol @ 5/2

I'm rowing in with Nicky Henderson and his main man Nico de Boinville here and their seven-year-old gelding Califet En Vol, again in the care of a prominent racing clan, the McNeills, in tandem with the Stone family.

The selection was a useful hurdler (Listed Huntingdon winner) and made his chasing debut here 20 days ago, fading against a good one of Fergal O'Brien's (Sixmilebridge; now rated 149).

These are slightly calmer waters and he's sure to have learned plenty from the outing. He ran The New Lion to 3l at Newbury just over 12 months go and the trainer has few peers when it comes to novice chasers.

As fascinating a 'little' race as there is all day for me - fabulous.

15:10 - Ace Of Spades @ 9/4

We're back worshipping at the altar of Dan and Harry Skelton, and their seven-year-old gelding Ace Of Spades (and every time I type the horse's name I can hear Lemmy and Motorhead - what a tune by the way).

This looks a pretty tight handicap hurdle but it's hard to resist the charms of the brothers on such occasions, and the horse certainly has the ability to take a big hand in this.

Runs today off 130, after a win in October at Aintree off a mark of 127. In between, last time out in fact 40 days ago, he didn't really get to grips with the principals at Haydock and might appreciate this much stiffer finish today, at a track where he's already been successful in the past.

Last word(s) with the rock god and his anthem; 'you win some, lose some; it's all the same to me.' Very sensible. A bit of fun is where we like to keep it.

15:40 - Solly's Gold @ 5/2

A closing bumper and a big field going to post, with any number of possibilities.

My pin has landed firmly in the area of Newmarket, trainer James Owen, and his four-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding Solly's Gold.

Just the one spin so far; a Wetherby bumper success achieved in taking fashion by 5.5l some 26 days ago. Jack Andrews, claiming 3lb, was doing the pushing in Michael Dickinson country but a certain Sean Bowen has been booked this afternoon and if that's not a ringing endorsement and all that then I don't know what is.

Impossible to be too bullish as there are any number of lightly-raced horses from fancy addresses who could improve a ton but then so could this fella - and especially with the peerless Bowen on top.

Great way to finish off the card and our first tussle with 2026 - let's hope it's good one.

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 £170 for a £7.50 total stake.

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Lucky 15 tips with Betfred Insights.