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Cheltenham Festival: Grand Annual Chase Betting Tips

The penultimate race of the card on Cheltenham Festival Day 2 is the Grand Annual Challenge Cup, a fast and furious handicap chase over two miles on the old course.

Recent history suggests it tends to go to the British, with seven of the last 10 winning trainers representing the home team. One mistake can end a horse’s chances of winning so they have to be foot-perfect in the jumping department.

A maximum field of 20 has been declared, as well as one reserve, and they go to post at 16:40.

Here, we pick out a couple of strong fancies and one outsider that could spring a surprise at the Cheltenham Festival.

NAP: Jazzy Matty @ 15/2

Previous Cheltenham Festival winner Jazzy Matty claimed the juvenile handicap hurdle for Gordon Elliott two seasons ago and he has since joined the Cian Collins yard.

Collins is a well respected up-and-coming name in Ireland and he already has four winners on British shores this season.

Jazzy Matty won a chase over 2m 5f at Sligo in October and followed that up with a very solid second behind a fellow Irish raider in a course and distance novice chase in October.

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Only just failing to hold off Path d’Oroux after making all the running, he stuck to his task well and his profile suggests handicaps are always going to suit more.

Connections decided to run him over hurdles in preparation for this race, in an attempt to look after his handicap mark over fences, and that could prove to be a shrewd move if he runs well here.

NB: The King Of Prs @ 7/1

The King Of Prs returned to winning ways over fences for the first time since his novice days when he got the better of a useful yardstick in a valuable race at Fairyhouse in January.

He did plenty wrong that day but still managed to come out on top by a comfortable margin of just shy of three lengths.

Gavin Cromwell’s seven-year-old was too keen in the early stages, and not fluent at the first fence, but had everything under control at the business end of the race when hitting the front after the second last.

Keenness is unlikely to be an issue here as this race is almost always run at a ferocious gallop and that should suit him down to the ground.

Cromwell is an excellent target trainer and he tends to do well at the Cheltenham Festival, so it could be worth adding this progressive chaser to your shortlists.

Long shot: Martator @ 28/1

Venetia Williams has had an excellent season so far with plenty of big Saturday winners – one at the Cheltenham Festival would top it all off.

Martator is one of her best chances and the eight-year-old progressed nicely in the early stages of the season, winning two valuable prizes at Ascot.

It was an uncharacteristically subpar display at Sandown when last seen but you can put a line through that effort and the handicapper has dropped him 3lbs since.

A return to winning ways could well be on the agenda now just 7lbs higher than when winning a competitive race by 11 lengths back in November.

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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation

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