With the Cheltenham Festival nearly upon us trainers are in the process of making some tough decisions with regard to race entries.

Those studying the cheltenham free bets note how Most of these decisions will be made with the thoughts of connections fully considered but many more will be based on the form shown by the horses in the run-up to the annual renewal.

Certainly in the case of The Minack, recent form has had a bearing on the entry decisions made today. The horse held an entry for both the Jewson Novices’ Chase and the RSA Chase but trainer Paul Nicholls has decided against a tilt at the former and withdrawn the horse. 

A poor run by The Minack in the Sodexo Prestige Reynoldstown at Ascot must have influenced the decision with the horse eventually beaten into third place following some poor jumps, despite a late rally.

The Minack is holding a place in the RSA and is best priced at 33/1 in the ante-post market.

Another Paul Nicholls horse that had attracted some attention for the Festival is Definity. The horse held an entry in the RSA and was priced at 25/1 in the markets but has now been withdrawn fro the event. Instead, the runner is likely to go in the Jewson with some interest at 33/1.

These will not be the only horses that will be taken out of races in the next few weeks and ante-post backers are reminded that the big prices available in the markets do come with some potential hazards.