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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.
For the latest developments at Prestbury Park, follow The Independent's Cheltenham live blog
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.
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.
Friday’s Cheltenham Festival Tote Placepot Perm
Race one – Numbers 1, 12, and 14 (3 selections)
Race two – Numbers 7, 11, 12, and 16 (4 selections)
Race three – Numbers 10 (1 selection)
Race four – Numbers 3 and 6 (2 selections)
Race five – Numbers 6 (1 selection)
Race Six – Numbers 1 and 11 (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 bets
1.30 – JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
Numbers 1, 12, and 14
Most of these, mainly lightly raced four-year-olds, could have any amount of improvement in them.
Willie Mullins, who has won this race three times in the last four years, fields over half the runners. Without Sir Gino (withdrawn on Thursday), it could easily be a clean sweep for the all-conquering Irishman like last year.
It is not easy to pick the right ones. Perhaps the best guide is the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile at Leopardstown at the beginning of February. The top four in that race seem sure to have a big say in Friday’s opener.
Kargese (no.14) impressed as the winner and could well win here if she runs up to the same form. Storm Heart (no.12) and Majborough chased him home, with Bunting (no.1) in fourth.
Majborough had every chance but may have needed the run after being on the sidelines for ten months. Improvement can be expected, and online betting sites will not take any chances on him. He features prominently in the Cheltenham odds but is passed over on this occasion.
The one who could show the most improvement, though, is the fourth-placed Bunting. He was an easy winner at Limerick on his debut but ran pretty green in that race. He would have gone much closer at Leopardstown if he had found a clear run in the closing stages.
It was a touch of bad luck and a big hint of inexperience. He is a hefty price to win this, but he may be a lot better than the horse racing betting apps give him credit for, and he could surprise.
Paul Townend takes the ride on Storm Heart so that one is probably sensible to include for Placepot players. Others may improve past her, but Kargese may not be done yet and should certainly make her presence felt when turning for home.
2.10 – BetMGM County Handicap Hurdle
Numbers 2, 6, 15 and 21
Friday has always been the most challenging day for winning the Placepot, and with races like this, it is easy to see why.
There is a stack of horses capable of making the frame. We will have to take chances here and go with four picks, hoping to get a couple in the frame.
Unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins has a good record in this race and his Zenta (no.2) is the first on the Placepot list.
She is still lightly raced and was third in last year's Triumph Hurdle before winning a Grade 1 race at Aintree. There's probably better to come and this race looks ideal for her.
King Of Kingswood (no.6) has to be included no matter what. Gordon Elliott's runner finished third behind Ballyburn and Slade Steel last time out. That form is looking very smart indeed now.
Afadil (no.21) did enough last time out to suggest he could make the places at a big price.
L'eau Du Sud (no.15) was second behind Iberico Lord on his latest start, which is decent form. He can still improve and should come into this spot. He completes our Placepot quartet.
2.50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Number 10
Readin Tommy Wrong (no.10) rightly heads the market with gambling sites, and he could be yet another Mullins winner in waiting. We need a Placepot banker, and he is a good option in a race where a good proportion of tickets will go down.
He won two national hunt flat races last spring and made a winning start over hurdles in a two-mile race at Cork at the end of November. The form has worked out well, and the placed horses have all shown good form.
In January, Readin Tommy Wrong found chunks on that run when stepping up to two and a half miles. He beat a Mullins hot pot favourite, Ile Atlantique, who finished third behind Ballyburn on Wednesday.
There is almost certainly more left in the tank, and this longer trip should suit him even better.
3.30 – Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
Numbers 3 and 6
This is yet another Mullins ‘good thing’ in the most significant and most valuable race at the Cheltenham Festival, and last year’s Gold Cup champion, Galopin Des Champs, is the one they probably all have to beat again.
All the same, we will leave him out of the Placepot Perm. Yes, he is a monster of a horse, but he is not always the most fluent jumper and a mistake or two might be his undoing. That scenario is unlikely, but plenty of Placepot lines will fall by the wayside if he runs into trouble.
Fastorslow (no.3) is a hugely improved performer. He has beaten the favourite on a couple of occasions and warrants enormous respect. He is a tidy jumper most of the time, and if he puts in a clear round, he will surely be tough to keep out of the frame.
There are plenty of others worthy of consideration when it comes to the Placepot. Bravemansgame was second in this race last year and is up there with the best. However, the ground might prove too soft for him, and he is passed over for Gordon Elliott’s Gerri Colombe (no.6).
The conditions and a strongly run race will suit him. He has won nine of his eleven starts and has never been out of the first two. This is the furthest he has raced over, but he gives the impression that he will relish every yard.
4.10 – St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
Number 6
Premier Magic (no.6) pulled off a massive shock in this race last year when winning at 66/1. He has bright claims of doing so again, but he will be much shorter this time. He could be banker material for the Placepot.
An accomplished point-to-pointer, the Bradley Gibbs-trained and ridden 11-year-old showed the win was no fluke by going even better on his next visit to Cheltenham in May.
He has already won a couple of points this year without breaking a sweat. He is obviously at the top of his game and should not be pushed to make the frame. He would certainly not be out of place in winning the race again.
4.50 – Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase
Numbers 1 and 11
This is probably a more competitive race than the new betting sites suggest. Dinoblue (no.1) is prohibitively short, but she is another thriving Mullins runner.
She scored a Grade 1 win over Gentleman De Mee (second in the Queen Mother Chase on Wednesday) and was a gallant second to El Fabiolo on her latest start.
She has never been out of the first two over fences, so she cannot sensibly be left out of the Placepot in the day's final leg.
Plenty of the others have the form figures to say they can make the frame, but the best backup to Dinoblue could be Riviere D’etel (no.11). She was going well in this race last year before colliding with another runner and falling three out.
She has been going well again this season, and the softer the ground, the better.
Updated by
Last Updated: 15th March 2024, 10:30 AM
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