The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the jumps campaign with Championship races across every echelon of the sport over a four-day period in mid-March. Easyodds.com will provide you with unrivalled coverage of the meeting with the very best Cheltenham Tips and declarations for each event, all the Cheltenham results and of course the very best odds on every horse from our dedicated Cheltenham Festival Betting Centre.

The easyodds.com team includes the three time Racing Post NAPS Champion Paul Jacobs, betting guru Angus Loughran and Irish correspondent Eamon Hanlon. And to help kick start your ante-post betting profile, PJ gives his initial thoughts on the five major championship races with a long range ante-post tip in each event below. He also has a dedicated pages for the NOVICE HURDLE and NOVICE CHASE events for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips –

Recommended Bet – LONG RUN @ 11/4
(*Price right as of Dec 20th) - Now 7/4

TIPPING PREVIEW - For many people Kauto Star has put a spanner in the works with his success in the Betfair Chase and subsequentely his superb win in the King George, but current title holder LONG RUN remains favourite for the event after being far from tight fit for the Haydock Park contest and then losing out at Kempton with some sloppy if not massive jumping errors.

The Waley-Cohen's Gold Cup hero did just enough to win the Denman Chase at Newbury, jumping the last as though there was plenty left in the tank, and he will surely confirm that form with Burton Port on the best part of a stone's better terms and over a stiffer trip and track. The win of Quel Esprit in the Hennessy didn't cut much ice for me as he was all out to hold a non-stayer and his jumping will be tested to the core inthe Gold Cup at a track where his jumping record is awful.

BET NOW – LONG RUN

Ryanair Chase Tips–

Recommended Tip Captain Chris (e/w) @ 10/1
(*Price right as of Dec 20th)

TIPPING PREVIEW - I have never been a fan of Master Minded on good ground or quicker around Cheltenham and would only support him if the official going is good to soft or slower. Albertas Run obviously loves it around here, but the last two renewals have hardly been outstanding so it may pay to look further down the list in the form of CAPTAIN CHRIS. We know he loves Cheltenham racecourse and I expect him to be a much shorter price come March despite his recent failure in the Argento which I never fancied was his race. I'm hoping Phillip Hobbs sees sense and brings him back down in trip.

It is also worth bearing in my mind that it would be no surprise to see Grand Crus run here or in the Gold Cup (the owner preers the latter), so a saver on him would not be such a fanciful idea. In my book John Durkan winner Rubi Light won’t stay a tough three and a quarter miles at Cheltenham in the Gold Cup so his only chance of festival glory is this race, but only on soft ground and what chance has he got of running on such a surface in March? Little Josh is also now interesting after his run in the Argento knowing that he has been aimed solely at this contest all season.

Riverside Theatre won the Ascot Chase again in great style, but I wonder if he will come out of that race to up his game again after such a long absence. He is certainly entitled to take his chance here and should be placed at the very least if he builds on the Ascot performance, while runner-up Medermit has a good record at Cheltenham and won't be far away granted a clear round, but come on Mr Hobbs make the right decision about young Chris!

BET NOW – CAPTAIN CHRIS (each-way)

World Hurdle Tips –

Recommended Bet – BIG BUCK’S @ evens
(*Price right as of Dec 20th) Now 8/15

TIPPING PREVIEW - It goes without saying that BIG BUCK'S is imperious and arguably the greatest staying hurdler of all time and his stand out price at the moment is probably about right if Paul Nicholls can keep him fit and healthy; he is very hard to oppose. Any chink in his armour is most likely to be exploited by Thousand Stars who arguably has superior speed and would be an interesting each-way player on good ground or faster if running here in preference to the Champion Hurdle.

The other market to weigh up is the one without the champ and the change of tactics at the weekend worked in Mourad's favour. He is still available at 7/1 in that ante-post list and would look an each-way bet to nothing behind the champ.

BET NOW – BIG BUCK’S

Champion Hurdle Tips –

Recommended Bet: SPIRIT SON (e/w) @ 12/1 (non-runner)
(*Price right as of Dec 20th)

TIPPING PREVIEW - After his cosy success at Leopardstown it is hard to get away from the claims of the Champion Hurdler Hurricane Fly, but odds-on is not my game and I shall sit, watch and admire. Binocular was entitled to win at Wincanton and has at least seven pounds to find on my form figures and the Zarkandar is arguably even further behind the Henderson horse with 13lbs to find on my private ratings. He remains the one most capable of closing the gap further, but a top of the form Fly will surely defend his title successfully. Of the remainder, for a place, Rock On Ruby is arguably the best betting value left.

Champion Chase Tips –

Recommended Bet: FLAT OUT (ew) - non-runner

TIPPING PREVIEW - With our original tip Flat Out a non-runner it really is hard to find any holes in the form of the champ Sizing Europe, but I am not prepared to back up the original bet with a saver at a shade of odds-on. I think he will once account for Big Zeb (hated ground last time) and Finian's Rainbow. The last named has a top class motor, but at top speed is still a liability over his fences. Of the biggest priced runners Wishfull Thinking has place claims if he is on his A game, but this looks a Champion Chase with little strength in depth and the champ should retain his crown but is not a betting proposition.

OTHER RACES -

Foxhunters Chase -

Feb 23rd - This is traditionally one of the slowest markets to see some action, but with qualifying time finished recent Leopardstown winner SALSIFY has been all the rage and likely to go off near enough favourite with Newbury winner CHAPOTURGEON. MONKERTY TUNKERTY jumped superbly at Warwick, but an even bigger danger should be Don McCain's runner CLOUDY LANE who had a nice warm-up for this with an exercise canter around Ayr.