Cheltenham Festival naps: Tom Segal and Paul Kealy share their best tips of the week

Cheltenham Festival week is here. On Tuesday the greatest show on turf finally gets under way, with a number of fascinating match-ups to look forward to throughout the week. Top tipsters Paul Kealy and Tom Segal have put forward their naps of the week.

Paul Kealy

Nap: An Tailliur

Pertemps Final (2.10 Cheltenham, Thursday, March 16)

Finished a close third in the qualifier won by Shoot First, who has since been ruled out of the race. Like the winner that day and fourth-placed Salvador Ziggy, he hasn't raced since to protect his mark.

He remains a decent price for the Pertemps Final, largely because he's trained in Britain and not Ireland, but trainer Jonjo O'Neill has won the race four times, which is more than anyone else.

An Tailliur has never been out of the first three when competing in handicap company and should run a big race again.

An Tailliur14:10 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: Jonjo O'Neill

Tom Segal

Nap: Lot Of Joy

Jack de Bromhead Mares' Novices' Hurdle (2.10 Thursday, March 16)

Luccia is going to be a short price for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle and she could easily be a class above the rest. However, she is taking on much better opposition than she ever has before and there is surely more juice in the price of the Willie Mullins-trained Lot Of Joy.

Lot Of Joy is still totally unexposed and did amazingly well to finish third in the Irish Cesarewitch given she was drawn on the wide outside. The form of her two defeats over hurdles looks strong, but she settled and jumped better when winning on her last start and there is an awful lot more to come from her.

Lot Of Joy16:50 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: W P Mullins

Read these next:

Previews and tips for all 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival 

Paul Kealy's guide to the favourites at the Cheltenham Festival 

Introducing our brilliant Cheltenham Festival team - get full access now with 50% off for three months  

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