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Cheltenham Festival Tips - 9/4 NAP Of The Meeting

jon-vine
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Last updated: 12 Mar 2022
Jon Vine 12 Mar 2022
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  • We've picked out our best bet of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival
  • The Cheltenham Festival kicks off on Tuesday
  • We've selected Dinoblue as our NAP of the meeting
  • Dinoblue runs in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle on day three of the Cheltenham Festival
willie mullins cheltenham
Willie Mullins trains my best bet at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. (Getty)

The 2022 Cheltenham Festival begins in just a few days. All of my previews have now been published and I'm eagerly awaiting 11am on Sunday, when the final declarations for day one will be revealed.

I've looked through all of my tips at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival and highlighted a fancied runner on St Patrick's Day as my NAP of the meeting.

2022 Cheltenham Festival Tips - NAP Of The Meeting



I considered several horses for my NAP of the Cheltenham Festival, all of them Irish-trained. I really like The Tide Turns and Run Wild Fred on day one. American Mike is my big fancy in the Champion Bumper and the more I look at the Kim Muir, the more I think Frontal Assault will take the world of beating. 

In the end, I decided to look past that Gordon Elliott quartet and side with Willie Mullins's DINOBLUE, who will run in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

Prior to last year, Ireland's Champion Trainer had won every renewal of this race. Incredibly, none of Willies' runners even hit the frame 12 months ago, so Mullins will be itching to get his hands back on the trophy.

Dinoblue would be the least experienced of Willies' entrants, having run just once under rules. Mark Walsh's mount faced two more experienced stablemates on her sole start at Clonmel, but was backed off the boards in the build-up and went on to hand La Prima Donna and Mi Lighthouse - who were both entered in this Grade Two - a sound thrashing.

You wouldn't have thought Dinoblue was a debutante that day. Mullins' five-year-old looked calm before the race and set off smoothly with the rest of the field. Walsh's mount travelled powerfully throughout and jumped neatly. Between the final two flights, Dinoblue only needed a few taps on the shoulder to put daylight between herself and the runner-up, cantering over the line a 15-length winner.

When some horses win on heavy ground, you can tell it was the going that brought out the best in them. Rarely does a horse, especially a five-year-old with such little experience, travel so fluently on heavy going and the time Dinoblue set was by far the quickest on the day. 

There's no easy race at the Cheltenham Festival and Dinoblue faces plenty of credible opponents. You can pick faults in most of them, though. 

Brandy Love jumped violently out to her left last time out and looks a fairly complicated ride. Party Central had to dip into handicap company to prove she was worthy of a place in the field and Impervious hasn't been seen since the end of November.

Grangee would be the one I'd fear most if she turned up, but Willie seemed to intimate in his stable tour that she could be saved for Fairyhouse. Mullins' gave a very short answer when asked about Dinoblue, simply stating that they had given her one piece of serious work since Clonmel, she was very good and she'd run on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.

There's no doubt in my mind that Dinoblue will be even better on quicker ground and she'll have no trouble seeing out this slightly longer trip. She could be an absolute superstar and, if Willie Mullins isn't worried about Dinoblue's lack of experience, why should I?

Verdict

Dinoblue is my NAP of the Cheltenham Festival in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

2022 Cheltenham Festival NAP: Dinoblue Straight Win @9/4 at Betgoodwin - 30 Units
Dinoblue
Straight Win
@9/4 - 30 Units
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