The feature race of Cheltenham Wednesday 2023, is the Champion Chase. There are three other Grade 1 races taking place on the 2nd day of the 4 day Cheltenham Festival: the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and the Champion Bumper. 7 races are scheduled in total on 15th March 2023. Here’s our Cheltenham Wednesday betting preview and tips for 2023:
Cheltenham Wednesday betting – Grade 1 Races
13:30 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle)
Our Tip: Gaelic Warrior
- (Hurdles, 2 miles 5 furlongs)
- This race features novice hurdlers, aged at least four years.
- Jockey Ruby Walsh has had 4 wins since 2008 in this race (Fiveforthree, Mikael d’Haguenet, Faugheen, and Yorkhill), making him the race’s leading jockey. Willie Mullins was the trainer on all these occasions, as well as in 2022 with Sir Gerhard, making him the race’s leading trainer.
14:10 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
Our Tip: The Real Whacker
- (Fences, 3 miles 1/2 furlong)
- You will see novice chasers in this race, aged at least 5 years old.
- It is not unusual for winners of this race to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year – e.g. Denman, Bobs Worth, and Lord Windermere.
- Trainer Willie Mullins has won this race a record 5 times, including with Monkfish in 2021.
15:30 QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE – CHELTENHAM WEDNESDAY’S FEATURE RACE
Our Tip: Edwardstone
- (Fences, 2 Miles)
- This National Hunt steeplechase which is run on the Old Course, is the most important minimum distance allowed chase in the National Hunt year. It’s for horses at least 5 years old.
- Only one horse has won at least three times – Badsworth Boy in 1983, 1984, and 1985.
- Jockey Nico de Boinville and trainer Nicky Henderson enjoyed back to back wins in 2018 and 2019 with the horse Altior.
- Politologue won in 2020 – a first win for jockey Harry Skelton in this event. Put The Kettle On won in 2021 – a first win for jockey Aidan Coleman in this event. Energumene won in 2022 for jockey Paul Townend and trainer Willie Mullins.
17:30 Champion Bumper
Our Tip: Better Days Ahead
- (National Hunt Flat Race, 2 miles 1/2 furlong)
- For horses aged four to six years old.
- The highest regarded bumper (i.e. flat race) in the National Hunt year.
- Trainer Willie Mullins has had a record 12 wins in this race (including Ferny Hollow in 2020, Sir Gerhard in 2021, and Facile Vega in 2022), whilst jockeys Ruby Walsh and Patrick Mullins both share a joint record of 3 wins in this race.
- The inexperienced horses who do well in this race, unsurprisingly often go on to great success in their future jumping career.
Cheltenham Wednesday betting – Non Grade 1 Races
14:50 Coral Cup
Our Tip: Captain Conby
16:10 Cross Country Chase
Our Tip: Galvin
16:50 Grand Annual (Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase)
Our Tip: Final Orders
All tips above were published prior to the start of the first race in this article (and remain unchanged since then), but anything else in this article may have been updated afterwards.
