New Year's Day tips: Cheltenham and Exeter bets from Dave Nevison

A Happy, and hopefully prosperous, New Year to all readers and I assure you I will be trying as hard as ever to find a few winners again in 2025, kicking off with these three across Cheltenham and Exeter on New Year's Day (weather permitting!). 

Keable has been lightly-raced over the past three seasons and clearly must have had problems, but the signs are that he might be having a clear run at things this term, and he can gain a long overdue success here. 

I tipped him last time out at a big price and I was definitely encouraged by his price contracting beforehand. He finished a good second under this rider and certainly seems to get on well with Callum Pritchard, who will no doubt be looking forward to a productive 2025.

A stiff test over this trip should also suit the selection very well.

Springwell Bay is a very useful, and consistent, performer who will enjoy this step down into handicap company after two good runs in conditions chases recently. 

He is running off the same handicap mark he last ran off over hurdles (145), but it looked very much as though he was set to improve on that rating when he unseated (at Aintree in April) and he is definitely shaping as though he might develop into a better chaser. 

He split two very useful performers last time out over this course and distance and should get a good pace to aim at over what looks his ideal trip.

James Owen has certainly made a big bang in 2025 and this seven-year-old is a very good example of a horse that seems to have been improved by a move to this trainer. 

He won his first two starts after coming over from Ireland in good style and although he didn’t win when I backed him at Haydock last time, he was a good second, and didn’t enjoy the best of runs throughout that event. 

He has been ridden by a claimer on all four of his starts for Owen so far, and Harry Cobden looks a very significant jockey booking here. Even though One Big Bang has gone up significantly in the weights, he will be favourite to defy the handicapper, and is the one to side with.