Cheltenham Festival Day 4 Preview, Racecard, Runners, Riders and Favourites

Cheltenham Festival Day 4 – Friday 17th March 2017

Welcome to the highlight of the week, Gold Cup Friday at the Cheltenham Festival. Although favourites have proven expensive to follow for punters so far, they will be hoping fan’s favourite Cue Card can stand up and deliver in the big one.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup, scheduled for the off at 3.30pm, is a grade one contest, decided over three-miles two furlongs. With a bumper prize pot set aside for the winner this year, punters have an ultra-competitive 14-runner field on their hands. On paper, Cue Card is the best of the lot, and quite rightly takes his place among the major players of the day with bookies.

Cheltenham Festival 2017 – Top Day 4 Offers

Cheltenham Festival Day Four – Racecard

Colin Tizzard’s star attraction travels to course with a CV reading 16 wins and 10 places from 35 starts. Very impressive, in its own right, but when you learn that nine of those wins have come at grade one level, it’s simply stunning.

The 10-year-old gelding was last seen whipping his rivals into shape in the Betfair Ascot Chase over the shorter trip, and he did it in some style too, trailing home a chasing pack, led by Shantou Flyer, by a considerable winning distance.

Most notably a winner of the King George on Boxing Day at Kempton, he has also enjoyed a share of success at the festival, winning the Ryanair Chase in 2013, and the team have unfinished business with the Gold Cup. Cue Card looked to have the race at his mercy last year when shooting for home. He was travelling fantastically well that day, and looked the winner in-running, but he came down three from the finish, and we’ll never know if he would’ve gone on to score.

What we will find out however is if he is good enough to put the record straight with victory this year. A win in the 2017 Gold Cup would surely be the pinnacle of his career, and mean he has probably won every major honour he is ever going too. He proved last time that he has got it in him, and Cue Card more than deserves the benefit of the doubt here at 4/1 with 888Sport. Let’s go for the fairy-tale finish.

By the time Cue Card goes in the Gold Cup, we’ll be hoping to be targeting a double, with our next best of the afternoon getting going nice and early, in the opener. The JCB Triumph Hurdle brings the curtain up, and Charli Parcs is the champ for me here.

I have kept Nicky Henderson’s three-year-old close in the run-up, and although he was last seen a faller at Kempton in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle, going off 8/15 fav, I am happy to forgive him that blunder. He did look on-course for a hard-fought win that day, before coming crashing down two out.

That remains the only blot on his copybook, as he won his two starts previous, including a decent Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton during the festive period. Connections are said to be in high spirits about getting Charli Parcs firing again here, and I have heard nothing but good about his chances. He’s 7/2 with Ladbrokes, and that merits a play.

Cheltenham Festival – Friday 17th March 2017 Predictions

We’ve got a pick in every race, you can add them to your Cheltenham daily acca, or take each one on its own. As most seasoned punters know it’s very difficult to pick out a long list of winners, so something like a Lucky 15, Lucky 63 or even a super heinz should ensure you get something back for your stake.

Cheltenham Day Four Tips

1.30 – Charli Parcs
2.10 – Winter Escape
2.50 – The World’s End
3.30 – Cue Card
4.10 – Ask The Weatherman
4.50 – No Comment
5.30 – Le Prezien