The countdown is over. The Cheltenham Festival is finally here, and The Wine Tipster is excited to make this year’s At Home Festival unforgettable for all the right reasons. Read on for top tipples to accompany you through the four days of unbeatable racing and how you can recreate the electric Roar of Cheltenham at home.

Cheltenham is synonymous with superb racing, and The Festival is the pinnacle of the Jump season. The Festival has been held at Cheltenham since 1911, and The Stayers’ Hurdle is the oldest championship race having first been run in 1912. Over its many successful years, the Festival has expanded from three days to four, and now boasts four days of seven-race cards, 14 Grade One races and some of the best horses, trainers and jockeys in the world. It really is Horseracing’s Olympics!

This year, The Festival is supporting the charity WellChild. WellChild is a national charity that gives sick children the best chance to thrive through support at home and for their families.

Celebrate in Style

To match the atmosphere and excitement of each day of racing, The Wine Tipster has chosen some Grade 1 wines and spirits to give you that wonderful Cheltenham experience at home:

Day One Tues 16 March

Kicking off The Festival is an incredible card of four Grade One races including the top class Unibet Champion Hurdle. Start your At Home Festival off with a bang with a Cheltenham Sponsor, Nyetimber. Their world-renowned English Sparkling Wine is meticulously crafted in West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent, Their Classic Cuvée MV is a wonderfully elegant option for the start of The Festival. Pair it with smoked salmon blinis for a great aperitif.

For a touch of Pink at the start of Cheltenham, Château Léoube’s artisan organic wines are just the thing. Their award-winning Rosé de Léoube is a rosé for all seasons, full of mineral notes and fruit on the palate. Pair with a light lunch and you have yourself a winner.

Day Two Wed 17 March

As the going gets underway, there are seven classic races to really spoil punters. The Grade One Queen Mother Champion Chase is set to be an unmissable watch, as is the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. Watch it with a Glenfarclas 15 year old Single Malt on the rocks. The rich history of this family owned business make for award-winning Sherry cask aged malts in the traditional Speyside way.

Day Three 18 March

Not one but three Grade 1 races make Thursday a truly magnificent day. Hold on to your Racing Gin & Tonic throughout the Marsh Novices’ Chase. Ryanair Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle ! Racing Gin is a recent addition to the gin scene, but is perfect for race lovers. Featuring beautiful silks on the label, and with a herbaceous and floral taste, this gin is great with a classic tonic water or in any cocktail.

Gold Cup Day Fri 19 March

Saviour the outstanding Gold Cup Day – the pinnacle of the Cheltenham Festival. With the coveted Grade One WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup featured as the Blue Riband of Jump racing, you’ll surely be wanting a bottle to match the magnificence of The Festival’s finale. Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 from Houghton Wines in the Swan Valley in Western Australia, pays homage to the great winemaker Jack Mann MBE, who shared a birthday with Gold Cup Day! It’s a rich and concentrated red with a pure Cabernet Sauvignon dark fruits, spicy, oaky notes and a wonderful long finish. Decant for a couple of hours beforehand, this is delicious with a Roast.

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For more food pairing ideas, get inspired with world class hospitality recipes from The Jockey Club’s top chefs. All the dishes work well with the bottles here, and are a great way to get the Cheltenham Hospitality experience at home.

If you really want to bring Cheltenham home, get yourself an At Home Hamper! Brought to you by British Fine Foods, these luxury hampers come in three options, full of award-winning food from artisan producers across the UK. Each hamper comes with a different bottle to really make your At Home experience special. Order here in time for The Festival! 10% of each hamper sale will go to WellChild.

Be Raceday Ready

• Check out how to watch The Festival from home. ITV Racing and Racing TV will be showing The Festival, and if you miss any of the action, The Jockey Club’s Racing Replays are available 20 minutes after the winner crosses the line.
• The official racecard is available here with details of horses and jockeys available here.
• Find out more about each of the top quality races here.
• Put your racing knowledge to the test with The Ultimate Racing Quiz featuring Double Grand National-winning jockey Ruby Walsh and Gold Cup-winning Jockey and Festival legend Barry Geraghty
• The Race Results and Winners page will help in your revision for the quiz!
• Download The Jockey Club App with a digital racecard, live updates, competitions and the latest odds at your fingertips.
• Check out the latest editions of Kalendar Magazine between races
• Why not impress your friends and family with some top facts and stats!
• Got kids? Find some fun raceday activities for them to enjoy here – host a mini best dressed competition, make hats or turn your garden into a track!
• You can still dress the part from your home! Browse out The Jockey Club website for At Home Style inspiration.

However you choose to celebrate this superb meeting, share pictures and comments with The Wine Tipster on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and make sure to follow him for daily updates and Unibet Racing Blogs.

Tweets by TheWineTipster

Rock On Ruby was my nap of the day in my On The Box column in Racing Plus last Saturday and I was delighted to see this likeable nine-year-old take control at the top of the hill, scoring his first success over the smaller obstacles at two and a half miles.

Cheltenham is a home game for Ruby On Ruby and Harry Fry his trainer was delighted with his performance, whilst the youngest family member, Ruby, born November 25th, was there in the unsaddling enclosure to cheer in the winner.

At the Cheltenham Festival in March Rock On Ruby could appear in the three mile Ladbrokes World Hurdle, however I’m not convinced that the extra half mile will really suit him and the two and a half mile Aintree Hurdle looks the right card to play.

The celebrity racehorse Mad Moose was returning from his racecourse ban at the same meeting, once again deciding to down tools at the start despite the genuine jump racing crowd willing him on.

Mad Moose’s owners Middleham Park Racing have decided that is enough and his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies said “We love him dearly but he really is a complete sod! “.

Have a lovely retirement Mad Moose.

 

 

 

More buzz, more anticipation and more hype were on the menu for the first day of The Cheltenham Festival at Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire. There was also a beautiful spring day to bring out the crowds for four days of competitive championship racing.

Willie Mullins was rightly tipped to be the trainer of the week and kicked off the start of The Festival with Vautour winning the Sky Bet Supreme Hurdle, whilst his Champagne Fever in the Racing Post Arkle and my hot tip in to get the champagne corks popping

was just pipped on the post by the 33/1 outsider Western Warhorse. In the feature race of the day and the main race of meeting in my book Mullins had Hurricane Fly bidding to achieve his third Stan James Champion Hurdle, with my other hotpot for the day, My Tent or Yours the winner for me. In a race marred by the fatal fall of Our Conor My Tent or Yours just failed to beat Jezki, with Hurricane Fly back in fourth. Whilst Mullins was obviously downcast after Hurricane Fly’s fourth place, his incredible little mare Quevega then became the first horse to win six races at The Cheltenham Festival when battling in determined fashion to win the OLBG Mares’ Final for the six consecutive year. Incredible mare, incredible training performance.

My day of previewing and tipping for JPFEstival.com in The Gold Cup Restaurant featured one winner and three frustrating seconds! A frustrating day had a sweetener with The Wine Tipster’s day saved by winning the placepot!

Another great day ahead.

Each year we leave our drinks shopping later and later so here are my Ten to Follow win bets for Christmas and the New Year.

Champagne Fever is top of many tipsters lists for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham in March and this horse’s name sums up the Yuletide period for fizz sales so here is my combination exacta with the Tote (first three in any order) for bubbles: Pommery Brut Royal NV £29.99, down from £38.99, Sainsbury’s  is dry, delicious and creamy, whilst the award winning Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV has made its mark as a consistently high quality performer, Majestic £42.00 buy two bottles save 1/3 to £27.98.  If you are looking for a well-bred, Group 1 quality champagne  from a great vintage year then Dom Pérignon 2004 Gift Box, £120.00- £135.00 Majestic, Selfridges has class and elegance in abundance with a memorable finish.

There have been some famous New Zealand racehorses including Playschool, ridden by Paul Nicholls,  then jockey and now seven times champion jumps trainer, who won the Hennessy and Welsh Grand National in 1987. It was around that time that many people were discovering that a chilled  New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was the wine for them and the fan club has only carried on increasing over the years so if you are a member or haven’t yet  signed up the try this delicious, zingy, fresh, peppery, spicy, Peter Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £10.85, Co-op with your smoked salmon  – some NZ Sauvignon Blanc is just too full on for this kind of matching – but this is spot on.  You may also want to snap up the  ante-post 11/4 on the Nicholls’ trained Big Buck’s for the World Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival.

From the list of runners with drink related names at The 2013 Cheltenham Festival I tried to include Vino Griego (successfully backed at 25-1 to win at their January meeting)  in my group for this year’s Cheltenham Festival Racecourse Radio piece, however I was given a yellow card for this one as Vino Griego didn’t quite match up to Champagne Fever, John’s Spirit and The Liquidator! (hugely impressive on his last run). Despite my reprimand, I’m a big fan of Vino Griego and I’ll be backing him for his next run, which will hopefully be the Argento Chase. In vino terms, Oldenburg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2012,  Stellenbosch, South Africa, £16.99 – £17.95, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.sawinesonline.co.uk is a classy, premium, subtlety-oaked and complex white which is ideal with fish dishes in a creamy sauce. Alternatively if you are having the full roast turkey with all the trimmings then mark your card with Château Cissac 2009 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France, £17.95. Stockists: Tanners www.tanners-wines.co.uk, The Sampler. 2009 is one of the great well-bred Bordeaux vintages with winners at all grades and this intensely fruity, well structured red will most definitely bring some Christmas cheer.

As a punter I’m always on the look out for a bit of value and with Yuletide it is no different with Torres Vina Sol 2012, Catalunya, Spain, £6.69, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, down to £5 in Asda and Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2011,  Viña  Concha y Toro, Valle Central, Chile £7.99-£5.99, Sainsbury’s, a couple of runners I would definitely back. These are perfect wines to enjoy whilst taking in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 28th December.

We invariably don’t spend enough time on the cheese course or the wines to match, however make it different this year. Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2007, Alsace, France, £33.00, The Wine Society, vintagemarque.com is a brilliant, top class, off dry wine with complex flavours of citrus, honey and pear, with a truly memorable finish. This is a great match with blue cheese and worth every penny of your pre-Christmas winnings. Alternatively, your tipple might be port, so check out Sandeman’s Late-Bottled Vintage Port 2008, £15.99, Waitrose, which is definitely well-handicapped.

Cheers!

The Blue Riband race of The Cheltenham Festival is The Betfred Gold Cup at 3.20 on Friday. The 2013 build up appears to have been focussed on taking sides with Sir Des Champs, Bobs Worth, First Lieutenant and Silviniaco Conti v Long Run and Captain Chris. Only Silviniaco Conti from the first team makes real appeal because he is clearly an improving type, who beat Long Run and The Giant Bolster by 2½ lengths and 4½ lengths respectively at level weights in November, then with The Giant Bolster in receipt of 4 pounds, Silviniaco Conti put seven lengths between them at Newbury in February. His jumping is accurate and he definitely has the progressive appeal to win a Gold Cup .

The current favourite Bobs Worth beat Tidal Bay by 3¼ lengths in receipt of 6 pounds in the Hennessy Gold Cup, with First Lieutenant five lengths third in receipt of 1 pound from Bobs Worth. Tidal Bay then stole the Lexus Chase in one of the finishes of the season at level weights with Sir Des Champs and First Lieutenant, which leaves me with the view that Bobs Worth, Sir Des Champs and First Lieutenant are pretty closely matched but not winners of the Gold Cup.

For the second team, Long Run and Captain Chris are seen as having fought out a titanic finish in a sub-standard King George run on heavy ground.  This is all wrong, as Long Run has won a King George twice, a Gold Cup once and he has never finished out the first three in any of his races. Although Silviniaco Conti did beat Long Run in the Betfair Chase, Long Run’s trainer Nicky Henderson said that he would need the run on his seasonal appearance.  Supporting the King George form is Captain Chris, who is a very different horse this season, with Richard Johnson riding him brilliantly and whilst 2.5 miles was too short for him at Ascot last time against a nimble Cue Card he will be patiently ridden at Cheltenham, gradually working his way in to a place at the finish.

Silviniaco Conti makes the most appeal as a potential winner, however my preferred bets are Long Run each way at 6/1 (taken 7/1), which looks one of the safest bets of the week to The Wine Tipster, with  a small each way wager on Captain Chris at 16/1 too.

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