Cheltenham Festival: Day Two tips and analysis by Racing Post experts

Of course, those backing Defi Du Seuil ante-post will not be too disturbed by the news as his route to victory gets clearer. He’s drifted from a general price of 9/4 to 5/4 favourite.

Altior will have been by far the trickiest opponent that Defi has faced, but the race now appears to be an open goal for the JP McManus-owned chaser. What could pause the champagne being put on ice just yet is Chacun Pour Soi, the leading Irish challenger. He’s off to a flying start under Willie Mullins and it’s worth noting he beat Defi Du Seuil by over four lengths at Punchestown at the end of last season.

Dynamite Dollars had been something of an outsider but now looks even better value to place after Altior dropped out. He remains a long bet after just one run since a long injury break but could pull off a shock if he significantly builds on his third to Altior last time out.

Elsewhere, Tiger Roll returns to fences and has the chance to claim his fifth triumph at the Festival. While yet another win in the Cotsworld is likely to be mighty high on Tiger Roll’s plan for this season, he hasn’t yet qualified for the Grand National and must safely complete the run to be in with a chance of matching Red Rum’s record three wins in the National. With this in mind, there is a case to steer away from the evens favourite.

After an uncontested trot to first here last year, Tiger Roll faces stiff competition from French challenger Easyland, who was recently purchased by JP McManus. Easysland won comfortably at Cheltenham in December on the cross-country course and followed it up with another commanding win in France. He’s been specifically bred for these races and will pose a serious question to the dual winner of this race. 2018 Gold Cup favourite Mite Bite is worth keeping an eye on purely from an interest point of view to see how he gets on in this experimental change in trip. Josie’s Orders, second last year, could offer some value, but a poor season suggests otherwise.

In the first race of the day, Envoi Allen, one of the biggest backed horses at the Festival, is in action after his storming win here last year. However, competition from Sporting John, The Big Breakaway and The Big Getaway could pose a serious issue for those backing him.

The Big Breakaway looks the pick of the bunch at a big price and is on an upward curve but has much less experience than some of his rivals, so serious interest should be limited.

In the spirit of betting against the favourite, there is no better race than to avoid the shortest price entry than the RSA Chase. If Champ was not named after AP McCoy and racing in the JP colours there is no chance he’d be the long-time ante-post favourite.

Minella Indo, Allaho and Copperhead are well-worth your time with the Henry De Bromhead-entry looking like the best bet. Minella Indo is a solid stayer in challenging races and a very good chaser in the making. He won the Albert Bartlett here last year and followed up with a Grade One victory over Allaho at Punchestown.

1.30 - The Big Breakaway - 8/1

2.10 - Minella Indo - 10/3

2.50 - Alfa Mix - 9/1

3.30 - Defi Du Seuil - 11/10

4.10 - Easysland - 10/3

4.50 - Mick Pastor - 8/1

5.30 - Queens Brook - 15/2

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