RACING POST 2024 FESTIVAL TIPPING REVIEW.
Tom Segal and Paul Kealy remain amongst the most influential tipsters in the UK and Ireland because their views change prices. Even at Cheltenham. Their influence has been maintained with the introduction of the RP Youtube tipping programme 'In The Know.' with the lovable Ross Brierley.
Other pundits complain that Tom does not suggest at what prices to back his selections. It's a fair point. Personally, I don't think that the Pricewise prices are as important as are made out. We are all well aware that Segal's tips will be shortened and we are all big enough to make our own decisions on 'value'. His tips shorten when they come online at 6pm, they will also shorten again in the morning before racing. Sometimes it's better to wait until just before the race, when his tips may drift. It can depend on his strike rate that day. I think Tom is very good. Some other tipsters show Profit and Loss columns based on prices no ordinary mortal is ever going to get. Only anecdotal from me, but I think the higher the standard of race, the better he is.
Johnny Dineen and Rory Delargy would also be amongst the most influential tipsters. They get plenty of airtime with podcasts and youtube channels and both talk a lot of sense. Johnny is different than the rest, he mostly bets favourites, absolutely nothing wrong with that. That's the value as he sees it. A nice man to chat to, what you see is what you get. Bets in bundles of money which need to have elastic bands on. You can find all 2026 antepost views on Upping The Ante. It's a pity he's leaving. Believe he's standing as a rep for a rails bokmaking firm at the Festival.
Both Messrs Segal and Kealy do a lot of Cheltenham Antepost Tipping in the RP and the Weekender. I know the Festival is only a snapshot of their tipping year but it is the week when the Racing Post will sell most papers. They usually put the price of the on Cheltenham Monday. So, it's showtime, boys.
So, how was the 2025 Festival for Tom, Paul and Johnny? Tom first. Antepost, not much luck with only The Wallpark 16s Hot Fuss 25s and Feet Of A Dancer 16s placed from 20 selections. 'On the day', gave 16 more selections over the four days, found success with Jazzy Matty, Bambino Fever and Inothewayurthinkin. Taking on Galopin Des Champs. An ok return. Mr Kealy kicked off with Myretown, Jazzt Matty and Jimmy Du Seuil. 27 tips over the 4 days,a little less selective than Tom. Johnny Dineen did well. Three out of his four naps went in, The New Lion, Fact To File and Dinoblue. A touch unlucky with Majborough. Also very bulish about Inothewaturthinkin at 5/2 w/o Galopin. Some price in hindsight.
So how was the 2024 Festival for Tom, Paul and Johnny? Tom first, highlight of the week was Captain Guinness 25s antepost. Hard to whack, though even he found it hard to believe. Followed it up with Chianti Classico, Sateman 4s and Limerick Lace 5s, both Antepost. Although he said win only, you'd have to give him Home By The Lee @ 33s. 34 tips in total. In front, but not by a lot. Johnny likes to give one a race. Some shorties beaten but his highlights were Chianti Classico, Montys Star w/o, Shanbally Kid and Stellar Story at 33s. Not bad at all.
2023 - I counted Tom with 31 tips including the Antepost. Two antepost winners Corach Rambler 12s, A Dream To Share 11/2. Nothing on any of the day of race fields.
JD's column sometimes gives very sage advice. Tuesday 2023, 'been at Cheltenham since 2004, first as a bookie and then as a punter. One thing I've learned in 18 years is that the best two days for punters are Tues/Wed. If you're in dire straits Thursday morning, the chances of you coming out of the week in front are slim. Thurs/Fri are a bookies bonanza.' This might change since Tuesday now has the four handicaps. Races 3,4,6 and 7.
2022 For Tom, hmm. Tipped 19 horses antepost. One winner Flooring Porter at 6s. Tipped him the year before at 16s. On the week itself, it wasn't a classic. 16 tips over the four days. Brazil on Tuesday covered his loses, L'Homme Presse was only 9/4f due to the late defection of Bravemansgame, then nothing til Banbridge at 12s in the Martin Pipe helps him out of a hole. If he backed nothing else, he's just in front. 2021 his only two winners all week were Mount Ida and Porlock Bay. The latter, live, he gave a lot of credit for listening to Jane Mangan. Good man.
2020 was similar for him. 18 antepost selections, Sharjah, Discorama 20s and Pileon 12s (none of which he advised ew) might have provided a return for you, if I'm generous. On the days themselves, he headlined with Imperial Aura (6s when tipped) and Dame de Compagnie (8s). Then Concertista (8s) Bob Mahler placed (25s) and Chosen Mate (7s available) on GC day. He's had better Festivals.
Like 2019. Probably his best ever year in the history of Gaultstats. There's a history to Gaultstats? Again, including antepost, he tipped 41 horses over the 4 days. Glory days with antepost 25/1 Espoir D'Allen, City Island 33s, Topofthegame 8s, Aso ew Ryanair 33s, Ch'tibello 12/1, Anibale Fly 50s ew GC and Early Doors. Made at a profit of over 60pts level stakes on the week. Good luck to him. It's never easy.
The Tom Segal antepost portfolio for 2026 includes Golden Ace 16s CH Hurdle, L'Eau De Sud 10/1 QM, Jango Baie 8s GC, Bob Olinger 8s Stayers, Sixmilebridge 14s Brown Advisory Novice, Skylight Hustle 10s, Shuttle Diplomacy 33s Turners Hurdle, Idaho Sun 16s Supreme, Kargese 8/1, Kappa Jy Pyke 25s Arkle, Romeo Coolio 20s Ryanair, Triumph, Diva Luna 10s Mares Chasee, Thedeviluno 8s, I'll Sort That 12s Albert Bartlett, Plate, Kim Muir, Boodles, Pertemps, Novice H'cap, Bumper
Paul Kealy, the lead Racing post tipster, Paul's antepost portfolio for 2026 is be found in the Weekender. Defensive stuff. It includes Banbridge 10s, Matata 33s Ryanair, Wendigo 7/1 Brown Advisory, Turners Hurdle, Ma Shantou 7/1 Stayers. Really? 7s ew antepost? How much shorter on the day? Spinningayarn 20s Albert Bartlett, Selmade De Vary 6/1 Triumph Sober Glory 14s, Leader D'Allier 10/1 Supreme, Plate, Kim Muir, Pertemps, County, Martin Pipe, Ultima, NH Chase, Coral Cup.
BIG RACE TRENDS - My nemesis, Kevin Morley, Had an ok week. Six winners over the four days and didn't shy away from the shorties. His highlights would have been, Jango Baie, Rock My Way and Bambino Fever. Three winners on Tuesday. Not easy when you are restricted to one in bold type.
The rules don't change. Click on oddschecker.com at 6pm the instant after the Pricewise selections are released online and you can watch the prices shrink. All bookies shrink prices if they think they are about to be knocked over. Segal selections tend to be well punted Day 1. The longer he goes without a winner, the less frantic it becomes. Also, they will be cut in the morning but both Kealy and Segal selections sometimes drift in the afternoon, especially on the exchanges.
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL BETTING GUIDES - Matt Tombs on the Matchbook Youtube is just amazing. The angles he thinks of. Weatherbys employ Paul Ferguson to produce their own trends bible. He took up the baton from Matt and Paul Jones (in front of whom we all kneel). Going back to the year 2000 I have every one of the Weatherbys Guide looking at me as I write this. Still enjoy the reads. Each version has many points of which I would never have thought. In his 2019 Racing TV version Matt kindly gave Gstats a full page advert for Marie Curie UK.
Paul Ferguson has not scrimped with detail in the Weatherby's Festival Guide which is 'The Original.' There are some cracking stats from a very professional production. Also very supportive of Gstats, Rory Delargy provides excellent thoughts with his Bankers and Bust section. He's a busy man now, is our Rory. With the Weatherbys Guide you also get Aintree cover and plenty of Grand National detail. Well worth the £16. As is the Jumpers To Follow produced by Paul at the start of each NH season. Half a book of stats in there covering a lot of the major NH Handicaps before Cheltenham. Pointed me in the early direction of Tutti Quanti in the big WH Hurdle Newbury
The Racing Post and their staff have also been good to me over the years. Every year Robin Gibson seemed to have the space in the surfnturf Sunday Supplement to give a Gstats a very decent write up. 'More nuggets than a KFC in a chicken glut' remains my personal favourite. They do produce their own Cheltenham Festival Guide every year. Every year I buy it, flick through it when it arrives and then never read it. I even carry it in my luggage wherever I may be spending Festival week and still would never turn to it. Why? Well, for one, Kevin Morley's excellent trends will be in the paper each Festival day so I don't need to read them when the guide arrives. A lot of space still seems to go on the RPRs. Not for me. Obviously half of the guide will concentrate on the races. But essays on each potential runner can quickly become a bit boring. And by the time it's delivered to me, some info is well out of date, with injuries and changes to planned targets. There are tips in it from everyone, bookmakers, writers, trainers, again some NRs. Sometimes they sprinkle the pages with unknown info. For example in 2020, The New One is the only Festival Hurdle winner for Nigel Twiston Davies since 2008. I like that, it's a bit different. For £16.99, it's just ok for me. (Ballyfitz in the Pertemps was the previous one). I find the paper they bring out the week before 'The Racing Post Ultimate Guide.' at £4.50, a more useful tool, All entries are there and nice titbits.
IN THE KNOW - Ross Brierley loves a stat and will sprinkle some of mine of their preview shows, He's a good guy. Mr Segal is not a fan of stats. Never mind, it's just fun.
At € 6.99 I must mention the Irish Field Cheltenham Festival Guide. Out about a fortnight before the Weatherbys one, it concentrates on great interviews. Contributions from Matt Tombs, Kevin Blake, Simon Rowlands and even me in the past! Support it, it's value.
KEVIN BLAKE is employed by Attheraces, ITV and Betfair and has become a extremely well known and very influential voice in GB and Irish Racing. He is a noted breeder and Joseph O'Brien's race planner. Shrewd and worth listening to, if only as a gauge to the response of irish trained handicap marks in the Festival. When Kevin talks, people listen. In the 2021 Festival Kevin hit a nice jackpot with tipping a Thursday treble on ITV's Morning Show. Mrs Milner/The Shunter/Mount Ida. Paid well. Some say he has hardly tipped a winner since. Kevin also makes very imformed comment on ATR.
Man who knows what he is talking about meets a nerd in Belfast, 2nd March 2020.