Stayers’ Hurdle Tips: Time to make up for last year

Thursday's centrepiece - a timeless highlight. Close your eyes and Big Buck's, Inglis Drever and Baracouda emerge, hurtling from sepia memory up that stamina-sapping hill. Welcome to the Grade 1 Stayers' Hurdle, Thursday 15:30, over 3m.

An open-looking contest in my view, and always a fantastic spectacle. A dozen are due to face the starter and it's hard to rule any out - of a tilt at the places at the very least. Here we go then, our Stayers' Hurdle tips - one to take it, and another to go close or even better, at an each-way price.

15:30 Cheltenham - Teahupoo @ 7/4

It's taken me a couple of hours to come up with the favourite, and what's likely to be the second market choice. Critics - please form an orderly queue.

However, in my defence - I'm firmly of the opinion that Teahupoo should have won last year's renewal, and my e/w fancy is a relative newcomer on the tip-top staying scene, and I just can't resist the promise he brings to the contest.

Teahupoo is still only seven and had an eventful passage last term over the last couple of furlongs, under Davy Russell. He looked and travelled like the best horse for me and drifted left, and right, up the straight as Davy looked for a suitable spot to challenge.

He was three-quarters-of-a-length down at the line, and the stewards were soon in action. Given a smoother, less erratic passage I'm convinced he'd have prevailed, and he then went to the Punchestown Festival for their Stayers' championship event. On good ground, he finished close up behind the smart Klassical Dream.

This is a horse that's won on heavy, so on a quicker surface that Punchestown effort was very creditable, coming about five weeks after Cheltenham.

He's run just once this season, the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse in December, recording a cosy verdict over the classy Impaire Et Passe. Looks to me that he's been stashed away with this title in mind, and he can make up for last year under the brilliant Jack Kennedy this time around and score, on a much more suitable, easy surface.

15:30 Cheltenham - Crambo each-way @ 9/2

A fellow seven-year-old, but has only been keeping this sort of company very recently. Last time at Ascot he made a big statement, short-heading the simply wonderful, evergreen old champ Paisley Park at this trip of 3m, in the Grade 1 Long Walk.

Prior to that, trying this kind of trip for the first time, he hunted up the useful handicapper Slate Lane at Haydock Park. He's scored over 2m 4f in heavy at Sandown, and will surely relish this ground, and the hill.

He's improving at a rate of knots and I want to stay on his right side, hence the each-way support. He needs to step up again, but can he do so? For me, absolutely.

If you're playing, have fun, and good luck.

Cheltenham tips from Betfred Insights.