Racing Post tipsters pick out their Cheltenham Festival dark horses

History tells us price is no barrier to a Cheltenham Festival winner and Racing Post tipsters pick out six dark horses who could outrun their odds.

Ballyandy
Unibet Champion Hurdle

With 25 starts and five over fences he hardly has the typical profile of a Champion Hurdle horse, but the 2016 Champion Bumper winner has been born again since dropping back to two miles, storming up the Cheltenham hill when beaten a neck in the International Hurdle in December and doing well to finish third behind Epatante at Kempton considering he jumped to his left. He showed an abundance of stamina to reel in Pentland Hills at Haydock last time and with testing conditions on the cards I can easily see him running into a place in an open year.
Pietro Innocenzi

Panic Attack
Weatherbys Champion Bumper

Cue Card was the last four-year-old to win the Champion Bumper but David Pipe's youngster might be able to buck the trend and cash in on a big weight allowance from her older rivals. Panic Attack will be making her debut for Pipe as she was trained by Willie Mullins when she thrashed eight rivals by ten lengths on her debut at Market Rasen in January. That was an impressive performance and the daughter of Canford Cliffs took a keen hold, so will be well suited by a stronger pace and bigger field. Brian Hughes has already been booked for the ride and Panic Attack could upset hot favourite Appreciate It.
Graeme Rodway

Third Wind
Pertemps Network Final

The six-year-old has only been beaten once over hurdles and that was when giving current Pertemps favourite Phoenix Way 6lb at Plumpton last season. Form of his EBF Final win has worked out well and he looked good when striking over hurdles at Wincanton last time. Hughie Morrison has trained him solely for this one day and Third Wind is sure to improve for the step up to three miles.
Tom Segal

Ronald Pump
Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle

We all know Paisley Park is the banker of the meeting but something has to be second to him and Ronald Pump is the value without the favourite. He's been chasing and hurdling this season, and on his last two hurdles starts he has won a 23-runner race and finished second of 25 in the other, giving 29lb to the winner. In that race he was the only horse held up that managed to get anywhere near the front (the next home to earn the comment 'held up' finished 18th) and he could prove the surprise package.
Paul Kealy

Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate

Not the most obscure runner, as he has previously won at the festival, but Mister Whitaker has attacked this year's meeting under cover of darkness. He made his seasonal reappearance on New Year's Day, shaping well from the rear, and was never really placed to challenge in the Cotswolds Chase next time. That ended his flickering Gold Cup claims and his only remaining entry is in the Plate, off a mark 1lb higher than he was when sent off co-favourite for last year's Ultima. He has won twice over this course and distance (old and new courses).
Keith Melrose

Bristol De Mai
Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup

The increasing likelihood of a Gold Cup on soft or heavy ground brings Bristol De Mai firmly into the equation, and odds of around 25-1 seem too big. His best performances have been in bog-like conditions at Haydock, yet he ran a blinder at Cheltenham 12 months ago on ground officially described as good to soft. He lost nothing in defeat when trying to give Santini 2lb last time, and he comes into the race fresher than he has been before on the back of just two runs this season.
Richard Birch

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