With the 2024 Cheltenham Festival on the horizon there are many ante-post best bets flying around, including from popular ITV Racing pundit and former jockey Megan Nicholls, who has FIVE horses on her Festival radar.
Megan Nicholls Ante-Post Tips For Cheltenham Festival 2024: Including Gold Cup Fancy and Meeting Banker
The 2024 Cheltenham Festival gets going on Tuesday 12th March and as always will run through till Friday with four days of unmissable jumping action.
Things ahead of the 28 Cheltenham races are slowly starting to take shape with the big trial meetings coming and going, so with that it’s no surprise we are also beginning to see many Cheltenham ante-post tips being posted from the TV pundits.
ITV Racing’s Megan Nicholls has proved herself to be a shrewd judge in front of the camera most weekends.
Plus – she, of course, still has a big link into the Paul Nicholls Ditcheat stables and also still rides out at Harry Derham’s yard, who is Megan’s cousin – so her views are becoming more and more respected.
With that in mind, we take a look at the latest Megan Nicholls ITV racing tips, that see her highlight FIVE Cheltenham ante-post tips to get stuck into.
Megan Nicholls ITV Racing Tips For Cheltenham Ante-Post Betting
Tuesday 12th March 2024
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1.30: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle: JERIKO DU REPONET
Megan’s first Cheltenham ante-post tip comes in the traditional curtain-raiser – the Supreme – as she’ll be looking to get off to a flyer with this Nicky Henderson-trained 4 year-old. Caught the eye of many after two facile wins at Newbury earlier in the season after winning his Point last March.
Nicholls feels he beat some nice horses at Newbury in Secret Squirrel and Paradias, plus looked to have more left in the tank. That win also came on softer than ideal ground and with better conditions expected at the Festival this will further add to the chances of this JP McManus-owned runner.
He’s since added to that with a hard-fought win at Doncaster in the Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle, with jockey Mark Walsh coming over for the ride.
Jeriko Du Reponet is taken to give Henderson his fourth Supreme win since 2016.
Wednesday 13th March 2024
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2.10: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase: STAY AWAY FAY
Trained by a certain Paul Nicholls so family loyalty is kicking in here. That aside, Nicholls (Megan that is) could be onto something here with this improving 7 year-old.
Festival fans will remember him winning the Albert Bartlett last season and since then has made the switch to fences with ease – winning both starts.
The last was a gutsy 1 1/2 win at Sandown Park, when he saw off the useful Giovinco and with age on his side and proven Festival form he looks a nice option in the Brown Advisory.
Stay Away Fay has since run with credit in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Trials Day (3rd), but was only beaten just over 3 lengths and is still learning his trade over fences with only three runs over the bigger obstacles. There should be a lot more to come.
Megan adds that this horse is simple – he stays, he’s tough and he’s classy – three big ‘must-haves’ for any Cheltenham Festival winner.
- 3.30: Queen Mother Champion Chase: EL FABIOLO (BANKER)
Willie Mullins sent out El Fabiolo to win the Arkle Novices’ Chase at the Festival last season and with winners of that race having a good record progressing to the Champion Chase, then it’s easy to see why Megan is siding with El Fabiolo here.
This 7 year-old is yet to lose a race over fences and despite his intended Clarence House target scraped with that race called off and moved to Cheltenham Trials Day, he’s expected to be all the rage for the Dublin Chase at the DRF in early February.
We know the track suits at Prestbury Park and Megan Nicholls actually makes him her Cheltenham Festival banker for 2024. Especially with one of his main rivals, Jonbon fluffing his lines in the Clarence House Chase on Trials Day (2nd), after making a bad mistake and looking to have a very hard race as a result.
Thursday 14th March 2024
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4.50: Mares Novices’ Hurdle: QUEENS GAMBLE (e/w)
Housed at Harry Derham’s yard, who is Megan’s cousin and were she often rides out most weeks. Therefore, not many will know Queen’s Gamble better than Nicholls and she feels the filly is a decent each-way option in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle on the third day.
She impressed in a Listed race at Taunton this season, with the form looking solid. While Nicholls also goes onto say that two past NH Flat wins at Cheltenham tell us the track is fine and being lightly-raced over the sticks looks the sort to have more to come.
Nicholls feels the horse could go off a lot shorter come the day.
Friday 15th March 2024
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3.30: Cheltenham Gold Cup: GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (Nassalam e/w)
Megan thinks last year’s Gold Cup winner looked right back to his best last time in the Savills Chase over Christmas and is the worthy favourite for the final day Festival feature.
Fastorslow will provide a threat, according to Nicholls and has already lowered the Gold Cup winner’s colours in the past. However, she feels that Galopin Des Champs is still the best horse in the Gold Cup field and at just 8 has age firmly in his corner too.
Of the rest, an e/w saver is also advised on the Welsh Grand National winner Nassalam. Nicholls suggests the Gary Moore runner is one with ability and that that Chepstow race has thrown-up a few Gold Cup winners in recent times.
He’s a horse going in the right direction and stamina, which is certainly needed in the GC, won’t be a problem.
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