Cheltenham Festival Preview 2012

The build up to Cheltenham this year has consisted mainly of the favourites for many of the big races enhamcing their positions at the top of their respective markets. Thus, there are a lot of short prices about and it's too late to get some of the ante-post value I hope I secured, now being the holder of one or two pretty trebles and accumulators. In fact, with other interests in the Grand National and Swindon Town FC on long term bets, if my bookie goes bust in the next few months I might go down with them.

Sizing Europe, Grand Crus (in the RSA Chase rather than the Gold Cup), Sprinter Sacre, Hurricane Fly, Big Bucks and Quevega surely can't all win. And yet they all look cast iron. They are preferred in roughly that order largely for value but even stringing the top three together in our annual attempt at a Cheltenham treble won't pay more than 10/1 and we still risk Grand Crus being sent to the Gold Cup because Kauto Star is a miracle but elderly, Long Run hasn't impressed in three runs this year and the rest don't look out of the ordinary in a top class chase.

But Sizing Europe (pictured landing the Saturday nap for us at Sandown) is the nap again, with Grand Crus having Join Together to beat having proved too good for Bobs Worth already and Sprinter Sacre is talked up so much by his jockey, Barry Geraghty, that one can't leave him out, especially as Geraghty rode Moscow Flyer and so should know.

The question would thus be if there's anywhere else to look for a more 'sporting' bet, or if any of these hotpots could get beat. Simonsig in the Supreme Novice Hurdle is 7/1 favourite at present and might be worth a couple of quid, although he's also 7/2 for the Albert Bartlett; Violin Davis is 12/1 for the Mares Hurdle to turn over Quevega, who turns up to collect year on year but can't do so forever; Get Me Out of Here, 10/1 for the Coral Cup, will be an honest and capable vehicle for an interest. I might even break the rule of not betting on races with Kauto Star in by backing Kauto Star, probably as a fond farewell, in the Gold Cup, because there's apparently so little else in it.

After eye-catching performances in recent weeks, my two interests in the Grand National are Calgary Bay and Giles Cross but I read that there is a doubt over the first's chances of lasting the extreme distance and the second is a way down the handicap and so might not get in. So hold fire on that.

Meanwhile, the gambling motto is STPMM, Swindon Town pay my mortgage.