ALSO-RANS: Cheltenham tips from the Celt newsroom

Here are our tips for Thursday at Cheltenham from ace bluffers Linda O'Reilly and Paul Fitzpatrick. Be warned!

LINDA O'REILLY

Having had two winners yesterday – Might Bite at 3/1 (€5 win stake) and SupaSundae at 16/1 (€1 e/w), I am encouraged that blind luck has as much to do with winning on the horses, as probability or form.

For the record, I chose 'Might Bite' because two of my little boys went through a short phase of biting in creche when they were toddlers (they grew out of it, quickly) but it caused me some stress at the time.

SupaSundae was picked simply because my children are always trying to get around me to bring them to McDonald's for a cheeky sundae!

So here's my selection for today and my explanations as to why. So let's just see if this spoofer is on to something!

1:30 Flying Angel at 14/1 - €1 e/w: I have four little angels at home and hopefully plenty more looking out for us all.

2:10 IsleofhopeNdreams at 12/1 - €1 e/w: My eldest two do a lovely job on the song 'Isle of Hope'. Ruby Walsh is riding it; Willie Mullins is the trainer and, after a bad start to their Cheltenham Festival, perhaps this could be their great hope of the day!

2:50 Empire of Dirt at 11/4 (have this as part of an accumulator): I just like the name, can't explain why but I note that this horse is from the Gigginstown Stud and it's the Ryanair sponsored race so there's a double O'Leary connection there (and I just like the name).

3:30 Jezki at 13/2 (also as part of an accumulator) – It's not quite the same but my husband likes jetskis and we have a family sun holiday come up :) (yes it's that simple).

4:10 Champagne at Tara at 28/1 - €1e/w: Jonjo O'Neill is the trainer and my late granddad was Johnny O'Neill and loved horses (though he always told me betting was a mug's game). And who doesn't like champagne?

4:50 Let's Dance at 6/4 (again as part of the accumulator) – Again this is a Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins combo and I LIKE TO DANCE (again, it's that simple).

5:30: Dr Harper at 14/1 and Another Hero at 14/1 - €1e/w on each horse. I couldn't choose between these two as they both remind me of my beloved late grandparents. My grandmother's maiden name was Harper and the horse is being ridden by Lisa O'Neill – my granddad was O'Neill. So O'Neill married Harper :)

My reason for picking the second horse is similar. Another Hero is again another Jonjo O'Neill horse but wait... JJ O'Neill is riding it and... my granddad truly was my hero!

So let's see... will the spoofer come out on top or the expert pundit!

Who's your money on?

PS – as part of that aforementioned accumulor I also have Disko at 1:30 and Jury Duty at 2:10. And while this may all seem like a lot of bets, I have only spent €22 in total (so half of yesterday's winnings).

 

PAUL FITZPATRICK

So far, so bad for me. I went big on Shattered Love yesterday (five big ones, each way, for a total outlay of a tenner) and that left me, well, shattered and my betting kitty attracting interest from the vulture funds. If NAMA asks, you haven't seen me, right?

But like the brave little trooper I am, I'm back for more today (we got paid last night).

So, here are my bets for the day. I have the first four in a 50c Lucky 15 and backed the others at €2 each way.

 

1:30: Top Notch – He's got the black dot in the Indo. Always back the black dot.

2.10: Presenting Percy – Because David Jennings of the Racing Post is tipping him. Although I followed Dave's case yesterday and it was nearly a case of 'hang the DJ'...

2.50: Empire of Dirt – That's a line from Hurt, isn't it? Good song. Cooper for Elliott is a winning combination.

3.30: Jezki – I backed this fellow at Leopardstown before and he lost so I figure he owes me. And he fits the bill anyway – as Ted Walsh would say, he jumps, he stays, he's got four legs...
(Which is as good a reason as my husband liking jet-skis, I'm sure you'll agree. Not that I have a husband, don't get me wrong. I am married but it's to a woman.)

4.10: King's Oddyssey – By this stage, I will be royally screwed if he doesn't win. Sorry.

4.50: Let's Dance – In memory of David Bowie, why not?

5.30: Lessons In Milan - And finally, in the bumper, Nicky Henderson's charge gets the nod.

Remember to gamble responsibly.