Saturday Cheltenham tips: Destiny calling to Ginny at November meeting

The return of the Paddy Power Gold Cup headlines an action-packed day of racing on day two of the November Meeting at Cheltenham.

The three-day event gives punters an indicator of which horses they’ll need to keep an eye on over the course of the jumps campaign as trainers test their yard out at Prestbury Park.

The feature race of the whole meeting is the Paddy Power Gold Cup and a field of 14 have assembled o contest this year’s renewal, which gets off at 2.20pm on Saturday.

Last year’s race was won in dramatic fashion. Trainer Paul Nicholls watched on as Stage Star recovered from a heavy stumble at the last fence to see home the win.

This time around, Nicholls is saddling Ginny’s Destiny and Il Ridoto in his attempts to claim back-to-back winners of the two-and-a-half mile jaunt around the Old Course.

An improving Ginny’s Destiny continues to gain traction on betting sites and is a best-price of 3/1 following the declarations for Saturday’s feature race.

Nicholls’ stable answered any critics with a brilliant 125/1 five-timer at Wincanton last week and will be hoping a little water on the Cheltenham track will be enough to see Ginny’s Destiny capitalise on a stretch of good form.

The eight-year-old knows her way around Prestbury Park, winning on her last three appearances, although this season’s continued run of dry conditions could impact Nicholls’ chances of retaining the crown.

Il Ridoto, another Nicholls entrant, finished third in this race last year and might well prove to be her stablemate’s closet challenger if she can perform on ground with a little less give than they’d like

Il Ridoto is a 13/2 chance on some betting apps, similar odds to Ga Law (7/1) and Imagine (13/2) towards the top end of a talented field.

Ga Law won this race in 2022 and has proven to be well-suited to this track. Trainer Jamie Snowden should be encouraged by Ga Law’s second-place at Chepstow last month and victory at Cheltenham’s Trials Day in January.

The Sinndar gelding confidently dismissed the threat of any competitor at the start of the year but may find it hard going against Nicholls’ duo.

Protektorat is one of the big characters that could put up a challenge for Sir Alex Ferguson. Winning the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March was a major moment for the nine-year-old that could be an interesting shout for an each-way bet across the best horse racing betting sites at odds of 14/1.

Although slightly inconsistent, should Protektorat decide to put his head down and make a race of it, he has the power to make a push for Ginny’s Destiny and the more obvious frontrunners.

Protektorat and Ginny’s Destiny have something to prove in the conditions, but Ginny’s Destiny looks like the class horse in the field, running for a trainer who has saddled the winner of this race three times in the last 12 years.

Cheltenham tip: Ginny’s Destiny to win Paddy Power Gold Cup - 3/1 bet365

Punters can get money back as a free bet on selected races at Cheltenham’s November Meeting with LiveScore Bet.

Each day of the meeting LiveScore Bet will be applying their money back offer to one race. This means if you place a bet on that race and your selection finishes second or third, bettors will get their stake refunded as free bets.

A maximum refund of £10 is available from LiveScore Bet, while the current LiveScore Bet sign up offer gives punters £30 in free bets, £20 of which can be wagered on racing.

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