Cheltenham betting tips: Day 3 Placepot picks for £1m Tote Placepot Pool

The Placepot Pool is a guaranteed £1 million minimum on each day of the Cheltenham Festival. 

The Placepot, which the Tote operates, is open for betting from 4pm the day before the meeting. 

Most of The Independent’s recommended horse racing betting sites accept Placepot bets, which must be struck before the first race of the meeting has started.

The Placepot is one of the most popular bets at the Cheltenham Festival. It is a challenge and an entertaining way to keep an interest throughout each festival day. 

Finding a winning line can be frustratingly elusive but satisfyingly rewarding when the results go the right way.

For the latest developments at Prestbury Park, follow The Independent's Cheltenham live blog

The Independent’s Placepot Perm is a guide to which horses are expected to make the frame in the six Placepot legs. 

For the uninitiated, you may find our Placepot explainer article helpful for a complete understanding of how it works. 

Thursday’s Cheltenham Festival Tote Placepot Perm

Race one – Numbers 4 and 5 (2 selections)

Race two – Numbers 11, 12, and 16 (3 selections)

Race three – Numbers 3 and 11 (2 selections)

Race four – Number 13 (1 selection)

Race five – Numbers 10 and 14 (2 selections)

Race Six – Numbers 3 and 5 (2 selections)

Total Placepot lines = 48 (25p per line = £12.00, 50p per line = £24.00, £1 per line = £48.00)

Tote New Customer Offer – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

For those wishing to bet on the Cheltenham Placepot directly with the Tote, there is a simple sign-up process for new customers, which includes £30 in free bets when making an initial wager of £10.

• Register and deposit on the Tote website or app
• Place a £10 win or £10 each-way wager
• Your account will be credited with £30 in free Cheltenham Festival bets

1.30 – Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

Selections – Numbers 4 and 5

For some inexplicable reason, the Thursday meeting at Cheltenham has seen many favourites make the frame in recent years. Of course, that may not be the case this time around, and there are some very tricky races to negotiate here.

The day's first race sees four horses dominating the market on horse racing betting apps, with the rest of the field well into double figures. A couple stand out from the pack, though, and while there is nothing original in choosing runners so prominent in the betting for Cheltenham tips, they look pretty superior.

The first on the Placepot shopping list is Grey Dawning (no.5). He raced at a reasonable level when hurdling last season, winning three of his five races and has improved on each of his outings over the bigger obstacles this term.

Horses coming into their Cheltenham races on an upward form curve are always worth considering, and Grey Dawning fits the bill perfectly. His rating has been creeping up with every run, and he produced his best performance to date when easily winning a valuable three-mile race at Warwick in January.

The drop back down to two and a half miles is unlikely to prove a problem as he has run well over similar trips this season.

He finished second at Cheltenham in December over a slightly longer trip than here and would have won but for a blunder a couple of fences out.

Ginny’s Destiny (no.4) beat him on that occasion, and there was no hesitation in making the eight-year-old our second selection. He has only run at Cheltenham this season and has an impressive three wins from four to his name.

He is another who keeps getting better. This bold front-runner likes to dominate from the start in his races, so he can be expected to be up there from the off. A relentless galloper who usually jumps well, he will probably be the one they all have to catch. They may not.

2.10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

Selections – Numbers 11, 12, and 16

This could be an absolute graveyard for Placepot players. Finding three against the field is the best policy here. Younger horses have a good record, so three six-year-olds could fit the bill for Placepot purposes.

Gordon Elliot has a good record in this race, and the first choice on the list is his rapidly improving Irish raider, Cleatus Poolaw (no.11). He will probably go off as one of the favourites on gambling sites after looking like a decent hurdler in the making in four races over the sticks.

This will be the furthest he has been so far, but he is very much the type who will thrive over a more testing trip. He likes to race prominently, so he can be expected to be up with the leaders from the off and should stay on strongly enough to have a say in the finish.

Cuthbert Dibble (no.12) has improved significantly since last season, and there is little fault to be found in his two winning runs this year. There is almost certainly more to come from him, and he is another who should be in the shake-up on the run for the line.

Our third pick is Gaoth Chuil (no.16). This likeable mare has shown an excellent battling mentality in her races this season, and her level of form is up with anything in the race.

2.50 – Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)

Selections – Numbers 3 and 11

This looks like a particularly tricky Ryanair Chase. The younger horses have a good recent record, with 14 of the last 15 winners between seven and nine. Most of the field falls within that category, which does not narrow it down much.

Willie Mullins, who has won the Ryanair in five of the last eight years, has just one runner in the race and is represented by Capodanno (no.3). He produced his best performance yet when beating some very smart rivals in the Cotswold Chase at this track at the end of January.

This is a shorter trip, but that should not inconvenience him. He gives the impression that there is plenty more to come, and that being the case, he has a bright chance of reaching the frame.

Stage Star (no.11) has proven very effective at Cheltenham and ran his best race yet, winning over this distance in the £90k Paddy Power Gold Cup on his seasonal debut in November. However, he was never going well and was pulled up on New Year’s Day in his only race since.

Despite that, last year’s Turners Novices’ Chase winner goes well on the back of a break and is difficult to leave out of the equation. He can put in the odd iffy jump, but presuming that trainer Paul Nicholls has him spot on again, he will likely be hard to beat and should undoubtedly make the frame.

Last year’s Ryanair winner, Envio Allen, retains plenty of ability and, judging by a couple of runs this season, is at around the same level of form as the last. However, he has not been out since early November, so there may have been some issues and is best avoided on betting apps.

It is a tough race, and many a Placepot perm will fall here, but hopefully not this one.

3.30 – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

Selection – Number 13

There has to be a banker somewhere along the line to keep the Placepot outlay to a reasonable amount, and the hope is that Teahupoo (no.13) can keep the flag flying in the fourth leg.

He was third in this race last year and has been trained solely for this. He has not been seen out since early December when he beat the useful Impaire Et Passe in good style in a Grade 1 race at Fairyhouse.

He goes exceptionally well when fresh. The ground will be very much in his favour, and there is little reason to suppose he cannot go one better than last year. It would be a massive surprise if he did not make the places, at the very least. 

4.10 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase

Selections – Numbers 10 and 14

There is another vast field to negotiate on betting sites, and big-priced winners are far from a rarity in this contest. A couple we like should be capable of making the frame. The progressive Theatre Man (no.14), who looks reasonably well treated in the weights, has never been out of the frame in any of his races and can keep that record intact. 

He was a decent class Hurdler last season but is proving even more effective over the bigger obstacles. He handled the track reasonably well when finishing an excellent second to Ginny’s Destiny at the end of January and will come into this race fresh and hopefully ready.

Il Ridoto (no.10) is another with strong claims of making the frame, and it would not be the biggest surprise if he were to win at a handy price. He has done most of his racing at Cheltenham the last two seasons and rarely puts a foot wrong at the track.

His form has been rock solid in three races here this term, and he went well for 5lb claimer Freddie Gingell in the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap in November. His form stacks up well against some of the shorter-priced runners, and a top-four finish should be within his capabilities. 

4.50 – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)

Selections – Numbers 3 and 5

Two horses dominate the betting in the last leg of the Placepot and are unbeaten in eight races between them under rules. Strictly on form, Brighterdaysahead (no.2) and Jade De Grugy (no.3) should have the race between them. 

Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos would have been a likely challenger to the pair and featured amongst our original Placpot selections for this race, only to be declared a non-runner on Thursday morning 

If you have already selected Dysart Enos in your Placepot then your selection will automatically switch to the SP favourite, which looks set to be Brighterdaysahead.

If you are still to make your placepot picks then going with both Brighterdaysahead and Jade De Grugy looks the calls on the presumption that there's much more to come from the latter.