Kevin Blake vs. Ben Linfoot: Cheltenham Races Today tips diverge on openers

Two prominent tipsters, Kevin Blake and Ben Linfoot, set out contrasting paths for day two at Cheltenham. Their selections span the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle, the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase. The question: whose approach to cheltenham races today better fits an unusually competitive card and quicker ground?

Kevin Blake’s Zeus Power punt and Kaid D’Authie conviction

Kevin Blake leans into the value created by bigger fields and a notably competitive renewal, pointing to the chance to back talented runners at sizeable prices. He arrived at Wednesday buoyed by a successful Tuesday pick, having tipped Ultima winner Johnnywho. For the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle, Blake targets a long shot: Zeus Power at 66/1, a horse he frames as a major improver since switching to hurdles.

Blake’s case for Zeus Power rests on a pair of tangible steps forward. The Joseph O’Brien-trained runner won a Thurles maiden by a wide margin, showing low, fluent jumping, and then advanced again by seeing off a well-regarded rival, Lazare De Star, in a rated novice at Navan. Structural changes to handicap-eligibility have funneled such profiles into Grade 1 novice events rather than handicaps; Blake views that as an opening for a horse with a mark of 131 and a longer trip that should suit. He argues the race shape could play to Zeus Power’s strengths at a colossal price.

In the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Blake’s “overpriced” view centers on Willie Mullins’ Kaid D’Authie. He rejects the idea that the gelding’s Dublin Racing Festival defeat of Final Demand was a fluke, highlighting strong pressure applied from distance and assured jumping. A big, scopey type, Kaid D’Authie looks to have more to come over fences, and a sounder surface should not trouble him. For the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase, Blake flags how often short-priced runners have come unstuck, framing the feature as a historically tricky race for odds-on favorites.

Ben Linfoot’s Cheltenham Races Today slate led by L’eau Du Sud

Ben Linfoot lays out five Wednesday selections: Shuttle Diplomacy each-way in the Turners’ at 25/1, Kaid d’Authie in the Brown Advisory at 7/1, Jingko Blue in the 14. 40 at 10/1, L’eau Du Sud in the Champion Chase at 5/1, and Inthepocket in the 16. 40 at 8/1. The centerpiece of his argument is the Champion Chase, where he opposes an odds-on scenario for Majborough despite notable market support after the Dublin Racing Festival and the defection of Marine Nationale.

Linfoot cites the recent run of reversals for leading fancies in the two-mile feature: since 2020, Defi Du Seuil (2/5), Chacun Pour Soi (8/13), Shishkin (5/6), El Fabiolo (2/9), and Jonbon (5/6) have all been turned over. He also stresses differences at Cheltenham’s Old Course and references quicker ground this week. He notes Majborough’s three late errors in last year’s Arkle at this track and posits that if the favorite drops below Dublin Racing Festival form, the door opens.

That door, in his view, swings widest for L’eau Du Sud. Freshness is central to the case: the eight-year-old arrives after 95 days off and has a record of delivering off breaks, including a standout Shloer Chase win last November at Cheltenham, where he routed Jonbon by 15 lengths after slick jumping. A subsequent below-par Sandown run is forgiven on the basis of the quick turnaround. With Quilixios potentially applying pressure to Majborough, L’eau Du Sud could track a strong pace and strike late.

Turners’, Brown Advisory, and Champion Chase: where Blake and Linfoot align

The sharpest convergence lands on Kaid D’Authie in the Brown Advisory, with both tipsters arguing the six-year-old’s profile is still unfolding and well suited to the test. Elsewhere, their methods pull apart. In the Turners’, Blake hunts deep value with Zeus Power on a steep class rise shaped by handicap-rule changes; Linfoot stays bold but shorter with Shuttle Diplomacy at 25/1. For the Champion Chase, Blake frames a historical hazard for odds-on runners, while Linfoot channels that backdrop into a clear selection, L’eau Du Sud, built on freshness and an advantageous pace picture.

The ground context tilts the debate. Coverage notes the surface has quickened slightly for the second day, with rain expected ahead of Gold Cup day. Linfoot explicitly leans into quicker-ground implications and course-specific demands in the Champion Chase; Blake’s Brown Advisory view nods to a sounder surface being no hurdle for Kaid D’Authie. Set against big fields and a competitive midweek card, both treat cheltenham races today as a search for value—but they define value through different lenses.

One finding stands out: the shared belief in Kaid D’Authie offers the day’s strongest cross-check between two distinct strategies. Results from the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle, the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase will test that consensus and their divergences. If Kaid D’Authie delivers, the comparison suggests that overlap may be the clearest signal; if L’eau Du Sud capitalizes on pace and poise, Linfoot’s case for the feature hardens on quicker ground.