Rory Delargy

CHELTENHAM SATURDAY

1:15 TIMEFORM NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE 2M 4F 166Y

It’s been suggested that Sizing Tennessee was flattered to get so close to Yanworth in the Dipper here last time, but while the winner was idling in front, the runner-up had lost ground when getting in tight to the last two, and had gone through the race like the high-class chaser he no doubt is.

There is, to my eye, no element of fluke at all about his latest performance, and he has shaped exceptionally well on every time he’s run at Cheltenham this season, looking sure to beat Black Corton when falling late in October, and making handsome amends over further in December.

Despite a mixed completion record over fences, he’s essentially a fast and fluent ‘lepper’, and he largely outjumped his rivals in the Dipper, suggesting that he will take the world of beating despite conceding weight all round in this handicap.

Ballyandy is likely to be closer than he was in that aforementioned contest, but the bottom line is that he was better fancied than Sizing Tennessee last time, and had no obvious excuse in finishing over 11 lengths behind him there.

It’s true that he’d been off since September, but it’s not the Twiston-Davies way to bring his horses undercooked for graded races, and while he has the talent to go close off his allotted mark, he clearly has his work cut out to turn the tables with the top-weight. I’m far from convinced Mister Whitaker will prove as well suited to Cheltenham as he was Kempton last time, even if handling this ground, which is far from a given.

1:50 CREST NICHOLSON HANDICAP CHASE (GRADE 3) 2M 4F 166Y

This is an absolute corker of a contest, and I was initially drawn to Ballyhill, who was a winning nap on New Year’s Day and has not been at all harshly treated with a 5lb rise for that win, the feature of which was an improved display of jumping.

My main reason for being with him last time, however, was that he was the beneficiary of new handicapping rules which meant that he could not be raised for an excellent third behind Sceaux Royal and North Hill Harvey in a Class 2 novice at the track in October. That argument still stands with a mark of 138 still lenient based on that effort, but the new rules also point to one other horse being well handicapped here, and Coo Star Sivola is undeniably of interest off 135 having run with huge promise in a couple of novice chases here in recent weeks, most recently when second to Kalondra over course and distance last month.

Coo Star Sivola has looked a natural over fences, jumping better than most of his rivals on both course outings, and he briefly looked like springing a shock against Finian’s Oscar in November, jumping much better than three officially superior rivals before being done for tactical speed from the last. He was again undone by a modest pace last time, but that is a blessing in disguise as he now goes handicapping off a 3lb lower mark than when placed in the Martin Pipe here last March.

That was his second placing in handicaps at the Festival having gone down by less than a length in the 2016 Fred Winter, and he’s clearly at his best in big-field scenarios around here. Given how well he jumps, he can be expected to make into a better chaser, and with his stable in flying form, he looks sure to make a big noise in this contest.

Of the outsiders, there is quite a lot to like about Bally Longford, who has solid placed form, and looked set to win at Ascot on his latest start but for a late blunder to cost him his chance. He’s inexplicably been dropped for that effort, and value hunters would do worse than latch onto him at the current prices.

2:25 BETBRIGHT TRIAL COTSWOLD CHASE (GRADE 2) 3M 1F 56Y

It’s intriguing how American has gone from the most talked about young chaser in training to the season’s forgotten horse after an easy-to-excuse flop in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury in early December. He is taken to get his season firmly back on track at the expense of Bristol De Mai, not that I’m in a hurry to oppose the favourite, who is clearly better on a flat left-handed track, but is still capable of top-class form at Cheltenham, and could end up drifting to a fair price given how many wise guys are keen to see his demise.

It would please me to see the grey prove his mettle and bounce back from a poor effort in the King George, but value is the name of the game, and Harry Fry’s second-season chaser represents that at the early prices.

American has only 6lb to find with Bristol De Mai according to official ratings, and his Newbury run came on unexpectedly good ground which is alien to him.

Back on a soft surface, and with only four chase starts to his name, there is a big chance he can bridge the gap. Bristol De Mai was said to be suffering from ulcers when scoped thoroughly after Kempton, and has been treated accordingly, although the number of horses who have ulcers is huge, and the number who are actually affected adversely by them considerably less, so their existence is not necessarily a reason to write off the King George run. A punishing effort in the Betfair Chase and an overly-strong pace set at Kempton are more likely factors.

3:35 GALLIARDHOMES.COM CLEEVE HURDLE (GRADE 2) 2M 7F 213Y

The tragic events in the week will make a win for the front-running Beer Goggles a hugely popular result, but events on the track rarely go to such scripts, and while Beer Goggles must be taken seriously after he beat Unowhatimeanharry and co at Newbury, he’s passed over in favour of Colin’s Sister here.

Fergal O’Brien’s mare was no match for Wholestone in the Relkeel Hurdle here last time, but she had earlier beaten that rival over three miles at Wetherby, and the return to this trip will suite her better than some of her rivals, accepting that Wholestone doesn’t lack for stamina. If the Twiston-Davies runner has a weakness, it is that his jumping can put him on the back foot, as it did when he trailed Beer Goggles at Newbury, and the fact that Colin’s Sister always brings her best to the table means that she makes each-way appeal in conditions she can handle.

There are plenty of holes in the opposition, with Agrapart only getting past the selection when the race was over in the Relkeel, and while that might suggest that he needs this trip, he ran poorly over course and distance in the Stayers Hurdle and is another who can make mistakes. He seems best in a real mudbath rather than at a trip, and is opposable unless the heavens open. I can’t quite get my head around Finian’s Oscar heading the market, and while it makes sense that he should switch back to hurdles after making mistakes on all starts over fences, that doesn’t make him Big Buck’s and he is another who has stamina to prove under rules.

The World’s End will do better at some stage, but that will probably when he gets a bit of sun on his back, and Thomas Campbell had no real excuses for finishing behind that rival in the Long Walk at Ascot, for all he will be better suited by conditions here.

RECOMMENDED

SIZING TENNESSEE 1.15 Cheltenham – 2pts win @ 3/1 Stan James/William Hill

COO STAR SIVOLA 1.50 Cheltenham - 2pts win 9/2 (general)

AMERICAN 2.25 Cheltenham - 1pt e/w @ 11/2 (general)

COLIN’S SISTER 3.35 Cheltenham - 1pt e/w 12/1 (general)