ITV Racing Tips: Best Bets for the Live Action from Cheltenham and Doncaster</h1>

The home of the jumping game takes centre stage on the ITV Racing schedule on Saturday as Cheltenham plays host to its final fixture of 2024. It wouldn’t be a Cheltenham meeting without a Gold Cup of some description, and the December Gold Cup duly serves as the headline act. Elsewhere on the menu, we have an informative trial for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, whilst the trio of races from Doncaster include the Listed bet365 Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle.

Here, using analysis presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out our best bets in all seven races.

Horse Racing Betting Sites 2024

Cheltenham 1:50 – Nyetimber December Gold Cup Handicap Chase

Paddy Power Gold Cup champ Il Ridoto makes a swift return to Cheltenham as he bids to add this £125,000 contest to his haul. A career-high mark makes life tough, but he can’t be dismissed, given his excellent course record.

Il Ridoto’s stablemate Stage Star is another to note, alongside 2023 winner Fugitif and course and distance winner Ga Law, but we prefer an each-way punt on one at a bigger price.

Nigel Twiston-Davies won this for the only time with Double Ross in 2013, but we fancy he may go close to doubling his tally with the eight-year-old Guard Your Dreams in 2024. This one reached a rating of 147 over hurdles but can race off just 136 for this test. Making only his fourth start over fences, he may be open to more improvement than most and can hit the frame.

• Best Bet - Guard Your Dreams each way @ 18/1 with BetGoodwin

Doncaster 2:05 – bet365 Handicap Chase

We have another defending champ in race 2 in the shape of Anthony Honeyball-trained Forward Plan. Fit and well following a comeback outing in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase, he must defy a 9lb higher mark than for his 2023 success but likely has this as his major early-season target.

We expect Forward Plan to be popular in the market as several of his rivals arrive following poor outings. However, the Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero runner Gaboriot is the one to carry our cash. This eight-year-old made rapid strides at the back end of last season to pick up Hunter Chase wins at Cheltenham and Cartmel. This is a different test, but his comeback third in the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase suggested this mark of 127 may not be beyond him. Doing all his best work at the end of that 2m5f event, this step back up to 3m can see him go close.

• Best Bet - Gaboriot to win @ 5/1 with Quinnbet

Cheltenham 2:25 – BetMGM Handicap Chase

The Nigel Twiston-Davies runner Master Chewy is an eye-catching entry in this 2m affair, having taken his place in the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase field last weekend. He made it no further than the sixth that day and steps down in class for this. On the form of his Grade 2 win in the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase, he’s the most talented runner in the field but must shoulder 12st and is fully 33lb higher than for his most recent handicap success.

Having finished first and second in his two previous outings at Cheltenham, it is no surprise to see the Evan Williams-trained Libberty Hunter at the head of the market. This likeably consistent sort is only 5lb higher than when finishing an excellent second in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival and can make the most of his 10lb weight concession from Master Chewy.

• Best Bet - Libberty Hunter to win @ 5/2 with BetGoodwin

Doncaster 2:40 – bet365 Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle

Dan Skelton’s West Balboa is odds on across the board for this Listed staying contest and will be tough to beat if at her best. However, having been beaten by a combined 33½l in her two starts so far this season, that looks to be a significant if.

Gale Mahler is next best but has similarly been blown away in her two runs this season – albeit in hotter company. In a tricky contest, we will take a small each-way chance on Simon Crawford’s Ottizzini. Beaten by just ½l in a similar event over this course and distance in March, she returned with a 9l romp at Ayr in November. Nothing went right at Haydock last time out, but she has previously won following a pulled-up effort and may go close to doing so again.

• Best Bet - Ottizzini each way @ 13/2 with LiveScoreBet

Cheltenham 3:00 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

What may well be the most improved staying hurdler in training heads the betting for this 3m hurdle. Skyjack Hijack made his handicap hurdle debut off a mark of 96 in July of this year. Only second that day, he promptly embarked on a six-race winning streak to shoot up to a rating of 138. 9½l too good at Newcastle last time, he may not have finished climbing the ladder just yet.

However, all runs must end eventually (unless you are Frankel), and the one we like in this field is Kim Bailey’s Irish Point-to-Point winner Clondaw General. 3½l too good for the field in that Cragmore P2P, two of those who finished behind him have since won under rules. Clondaw General then franked the form himself when seeing off Big John Wayne on his rules debut at Worcester. We liked what we saw from this Milan gelding that day, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him stay on best of all.

• Best Bet - Clondaw General to win @ 3/1 with BetGoodwin

Doncaster 3:15 – bet365 Handicap Hurdle

No shortage of intriguing contenders in this handicap contest, including Dan Skelton’s Pembroke, who hasn’t shown much this season but twice hit the frame in Grade 2 company earlier in his career. He’s talented but risky on those recent efforts.

The last-time-out winners Deploy To Spy and Norman Fletcher make the shortlist, with the former, in particular, arriving on a sharp upward curve. However, we fancy the one to be on here is Harry Fry’s Altobelli. Ignoring a failure to handle the heavy ground at Newbury, this one ran a couple of cracking races in defeat last season. The best of those outings saw him finish just 1½l adrift of Luccia in the Betfair Exchange Trophy. With that mare going on to finish third in the Champion Hurdle, Altobelli could be hard to beat off this 2lb lower mark.

• Best Bet - Altobelli to win @ 7/2 with PricedUp

Cheltenham 3:35 – BetMGM Mares’ Handicap Hurdle

The Nicky Henderson-trained Joyeuse makes obvious appeal in the concluding event for the mares. A winner in France in 2022, she scored on her only subsequent start for Henderson in 2024 but managed only third when sent off favourite for a Class 2 event at Ascot last time. However, that was her first outing in 319 days and came in a weight-for-age event against the boys. Back in against her fellow mares and making her handicap debut, she should go close.

We wouldn’t put anyone off the market leader, but, at the prices, we prefer an each-way bet on Gordon Elliott’s Wodhooh. Zero from four on the flat when based with Sir Michael Stoute, this daughter of Le Havre has fared a little better over hurdles – six starts yielding six wins, including Listed successes at Newbury and Doncaster. Those efforts mean she must carry 11st7lb here, but Danny Gilligan takes off a handy 3lb, and she looks overpriced to hit the frame.

• Best Bet - Wodhooh each way @ 12/1 with BetGoodwin

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