Cheltenham Festival 2022: Who to bet on Cheltenham races, five tips including Honeysuckle, Tiger Roll and more

Some of the biggest names in Horse Racing will make their way to the famous old course and there are a number of intriguing battles set to take place over the next four days.

NationalWorld picks out five horses that are tipped to shine during the festival and assesses their chances of securing memorable wins.

Tuesday

Honeysuckle 8/13 (3.30pm - Champion Hurdle)

Rachael Blackmore will be on board once again as Honeysuckle looks to replicate the comfortable win claimed in last year’s Champion Hurdle.

Threat from elsewhere looks minimal - with Appreciate It and Teahupoo leading the market away from the short-price favourite.

But with Blackmore guiding the way on one of horse racing’s superstars, we can only see Honeysuckle writing another chapter into an increasingly glorious career in day one’s big race.

Wednesday

Tiger Roll 13/8 (4.10pm - Cross Country Chase)

The veteran returns as he targets a third win in Cross Country Chase on Wednesday afternoon and few would doubt he has the ability and staying power to be first past the post once again.

Although he has just one run to his name this year - which came with a 14th place finish at Navan in January - the 12-year-old loves the limelight of Cheltenham and will feel right at home.

This is likely to be the swansong of a glorious career - and what better way to go out than racking up another win at the festival.

Shishkin 10/11 (3.30pm - Queen Mother Champion Chase)

The battle between Shishkin and the dangerous Energumene will be the highlight of day two and one of the key moments of the festival as a whole.

Nico de Boinville will be confident Shishkin can replicate the thrilling win claimed against their closest rival at Ascot in January - but Energumene showed enough to suggest he will be a considerable threat on Wednesday.

A break following wind surgery last year has not disrupted the considerable momentum Shishkin has built up and it would not be a surprise to see another win racked up in the Champion Chase.

Thursday

Conflated 11/2 (2.50pm - Ryanair Chase)

Allaho is the short price favourite to claim this year’s Ryanair Chase and that is probably not a shock given the wins he claimed at Thurles in January and Punchestown a month earlier.

The big threat - and our tip - will come from Gordon Elliott’s Conflated, who comes into the festival on the back of a stunning win in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month.

Davy Russell was on board as 18/1 outsider saw off Minella Indo and Frodon to be first past the post and defy the pre-race predictions.

Currently priced at 11/2, there is value in backing a follow-up to that win.

Friday

Protektorat 7/1 (3.30pm - Gold Cup Chase)

The highlight of the festival comes on Friday when the Gold Cup returns. The heavily-backed trio of Minella Indo, Al Boum Photo and A Plus Tard will go head-to-head in one of the most eagerly-anticipated contests of the race calendar.

Gordon Elliott’s Galvin will also fancy its chances of claiming a win after a fine run of form - but we are looking beyond that quartet and tipping Dan Skelton’s Protektorat.

The seven-year old will race for the first time this year and claimed a Grade 1 success with Bridget Andrews on board at Aintree in December - seeing off former Gold Cup winner Native River by 25 lengths in the process.

There is plenty of promise from Protektorat and we believe he will have a say come race day.