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THE days are getting shorter and there’s a nip in the air but that means that it’s jumps racing time and we can really get stuck in over the next three days at Cheltenham.
This meeting has been known as the Paddy Power Gold Cup meeting for the past few years but sponsorship has now been picked up by BetVictor so the main race is now the BetVictor Gold Cup which takes a bit of getting used to.
There are loads of horses that I’m really looking forward to seeing and I’m slowly building up a bank of recent form that allows me to have a crack at some of the handicaps. The novice races are more of a puzzle but let’s see what we can do.
12.40 Cheltenham
An amateur riders handicap chase over 3 miles to get us started and there are plenty in with a shout. The form of the race that What Happens Now won here 4 weeks ago is quite important I think. Indian Castle was 2nd that day and What Happens Now absolutely hosed up.
I am keen on Indian Castle for at least a place again and wouldn’t put anyone off backing him each way at the current prices. He is getting an extra 7lb in weight from What Happens Now which should put him there or therabouts and Sam Waley Cohen takes the ride again. I’ve said it before but the benefit of a very good amateur jockey can’t be underestimated in a race like this.
Sam Waley-Cohen is good but Jamie Codd is something else entirely. He is an amateur rider who could have opted to go pro and be at the very top of the tree in my opinion so we need to take serious note of the fact that he is booked to ride DUELLING BANJOS. The horse had a very positive start to the season last time out at Exeter and as a fairly lightly raced 7 year old I can see him progressing this season. I can see him winning this and going on to bigger things later in the season.
1.15 Cheltenham
This novices handicap hurdle over 2 miles is another lovely looking race. Banditry, Arty Campbell and War On The Rocks all appeal to me at the prices but the standout bet for me is MAGIC DANCER.
He skooshed up just a few days ago at Kempton for a career-best victory beating a quietly-fancied Chris Gordon horse called Jumping Jack that I had backed. Those two were a good bit clear of the rest and because of the quick turnaround he is allowed to race here off the same mark. Provided this race doesn’t come too soon for him he could be very well in and is a cracking bet at the prices.
1.50 Cheltenham
I love Exitas who went on a run in 2014 when he won three races in a row and I backed him each time at nice prices much to my delight. He seems to have had a renaissance recently winning 3 of his last 4 races and although I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him go in again the current prices (11/4) are a bit short for me.
The one that looks the value for me is UN BEAU ROMAN who won this race last year. He has been poor both runs this season but has now been dropped 6lb as a result and is 2lb lower in the handicap than last year’s win. If he can bounce back then the big prices available just now will look a bit silly.
2.25 Cheltenham
Finians Oscar would be a popular winner in a week where his owner sadly passed away and I think he is clearly the best of these. His odds are prohibitively short but I would be surprised if he didn’t win. He is a big powerful looking horse who will surely improve as a chaser and I look forward to watching him.
Movewiththetimes was a horse I had high hopes for going chasing this season but he wasn’t particularly impressive first time out. I’ll keep an eye on him but I can’t recommend a bet until I see him putting a good run in over fences.
3.00 Cheltenham
I bloody love cross country chases. Some people knock them at times but they are up there as some of my favourite races of the season. Cause of Causes is the class act here (2nd in the Grand National, painfully for those of us who backed him) but he often takes time to get going each season and tends to peak in the spring time.
CANTLOW is an old campaigner who rarely runs a bad race over cross country courses and I’m tempted to back him although his price is short enough. There are several that can be discounted altogether as far as I’m concerned and Cantlow is the solid choice.
3.35 Cheltenham
This is a tight looking novice hurdle that I don’t have a strong opinion on. Vision De Flos looks interesting for Colin Tizzard and Nicky Henderson’s On The Blind Side could be anything but Aye Aye Charlie is the only one of the 6 runners that I could confidently rule out. I look forward to watching the race but it’s not a betting proposition for me at this stage.
Good luck to everyone for day one of this meeting and stay tuned for Saturday and Sunday’s tips to follow!
Recommendations:
- 12.40 – Duelling Banjos – 3pt win at 6/1 with Ladbrokes, Coral and Betway
- 1.15 – Magic Dancer – 3pt e/w at 13/2 with Paddy Power (paying 5 places)
- 1.50 – Un Beau Roman – 1pt e/w at 14/1 with Betfair, Bet365 and others
- 2.25 – No bet
- 3.00 – Cantlow – 3 pt win at 4/1 with William Hill, Betfred and others
- 3.55 – No bet
In December 2020 we sadly 
