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The second race of the day sees the best 3m Novice chasers take their chance in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (Grade 1), which was previously known as the RSA, which is what a lot of people still like to call this race.
In recent years we've had some absolute cracking races take place in the Brown Advisory, with some belting rides as well. One of the most rememberable moments for me was when Might Bite had the race in the palm of his hands for him to then hang badly to the right and practically throw the race away, but he then saw the loose horse and then battled back to get an iconic win.
Back in 2020, Champ was the winner of this race and Barry Geraghty gave him one of the best all-time Cheltenham rides. He jumped like a snooker table that day, was well off the pace jumping the last but found a second wind out of nowhere to go past Minella Indo and Allaho.
Many people believe this race is a prep race for the Gold Cup the following year, so for those Ante Post backers, be ready after this race if the winner tickles your fancy.
Cheltenham 2:10 – Gerri Colombe 5/4 (2pt)
I think that this race isn't a great renewal, but I do think that Gerri Colombe is a potential Gold Cup horse for next year. He's not the most flashy horse, but he gets the job done and this stamina test is surely going to bring out more improvement. He reminds of a younger version of Native River. By that comment I mean he isn't the quickest horse, he doesn't have the sexy profile, but he will stay the trip, jumps well, and will keep plugging on. This horse probably has a bit more speed than Native River, as he has already won two Grade 1s over 2m 4f, but I think he'll be seen to better effect at this trip, and potentially slightly further. He hit a bit of a flat spot in the Scilly Isles at Sandown last time around, but once he hit the rising ground there was only going to be one winner. He dispatched some decent British horses, Thunder Rock tries to reverse the form today, but I can't see that happening. Gordon Elliott has said that this horse has matured a lot over the last year, but is nowhere near the finished article. He is a battler, which is what you want in a horse in this type of race, as it will be tough, but he loves to win.
Sir Gerhard is an interesting runner in this considering he has never run further than 2m 5f, which came at last year's Festival when winning the Ballymore. 12 months ago I was against him, as I thought he was more about speed, and he proved me wrong as he did stay the trip well. The form of that race worked out as the runner-up went on to win a Grade 1 at Aintree. However, he has only raced once over fences, and that's a problem for me. That run was over 2m, in an egg and spoon race, but to go from that to this is a big ask, despite the quality he has. I don't think he will stay, which might bite me in the behind again. People will say he's won a PTP over 3m, which is true, but he beat Minella Drama in that PTP race, and that horse is a 2m 4f horse, so did he beat anything that was that good, or even a true stayer that day I'm not so sure. He might stay 3m, but in a Grade 1 where there are others who will stay, gives me doubts, and his prep doesn't convince me.
If The Real Whacker was to win this, it would be a great story for trainer Patrick Neville. Patrick has moved his base from Ireland to the UK and has been having a good time of things this season, getting quite a few winners. Connections were planning on having a go in the Gold Cup, which would've been a huge ask as a Novice, with only one horse doing that in recent years. They've opted for this race, which is the correct decision, and though he was impressive from the front in the Dipper 73 days ago, I don't think he is good enough to win this.
Many will think Thyme Hill has a chance in this and based on his hurdles form he definitely does. He hasn't always looked a natural over fences though, that is a problem for me. I likened Gerri Colombe to Native River at the start, and I get Champ vibes from Thyme Hill. I think they can be compared to each other as they were/are great hurdlers, but don't look completely natural over a fence. You can win this race even if you don't jump particularly great if you've got the class, as Champ showed, but as a 9yo against some unexposed horses, this would be a big ask.
