Racing tipster Sam Turner delivers his latest thoughts on the Cheltenham Festival, including a tip for the National Hunt Novices’ Chase. With the 2025 Cheltenham Festival nearly upon us, now is a good time to utilise the non-runner, no-bet concessions and sift through some of the Cheltenham odds on offer at our favourite betting sites. Last weekend’s action at Newbury didn’t have a huge impact on the Festival ante-post markets, especially as one-time Arkle Chase market leader Sir Gino sadly missed his intended engagement through a setback which has disappointingly ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
One horse, however, which did enjoy a tune up for the 2025 Festival was Haiti Couleurs who tackled the staying handicap hurdle won by Santos Blue, thus preserving his handicap mark over fences. Trained by Rebecca Curtis, the eight-year-old stuck to his task manfully in the hands of Sean Bowen to take third behind the winner who embraced the step up to three miles for the time and looks booked for better things, possibly at Aintree during the Grand National meeting in April.
That outing should have put Haiti Couleurs spot on for his preferred Cheltenham engagement; thought to be the National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Tuesday, 5.20pm) on the opening day of the 2025 Festival. Most of our preferred horse racing betting sites are offering 5-1 about the selection - although Unibet are standing firm on 6-1 - and, with several of our trusted bookmakers embracing the non-runner, no bet concession, he looks worth supporting as he already possesses Cheltenham form courtesy of his impressive victory there before Christmas.
The joys of the NRNB concession mean we get our money back if anything happens to prevent Haiti Couleurs from running in the day one finale. Cheltenham Festival pointers were at a premium at the weekend, but a couple of horses which caught the eye in Ireland in the past week and should pay to follow given their attractive handicap marks were Spellacys Cross and Low Style. The former ran at Fairyhouse on February 5 and posted a highly creditable first run over fences in a 2m5f handicap chase won by Quornofamonday.
Rated just 82, the six-year-old raced wide throughout under conditional rider Kieran Callaghan and finished off his race extremely strongly to post the fastest closing sectional of the race. He also jumped particularly well with the RaceIQ jumping data highlighting his proficiency at his obstacles and, although the overall time of his race was around 20 lengths slower than Zenta earlier on the card, she is a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and is rated a staggering 60lb superior to Spellacys Cross.
Low Style is another lowly-rated chaser that is worth putting in the tracker on your preferred betting apps. Like Spellacys Cross, Low Style clocked the fastest closing sectional in his handicap chase (Navan, February 9), charging home from an uncompromising position to snatch second and record a career-best performance. It goes without saying, neither of the eyecatchers are likely to trouble dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs – they’d struggle to lay a glove on Haiti Couleurs – but they should win soon if connections find the right opportunity and place them well.
Bettors should always follow responsible gambling practices. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you’re using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.
It’s particularly important not to get carried away if you receive a casino bonus or any free bets you might receive, which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:.
