Cheltenham Saturday
1.10 Debenhams Amateur
Jockeys’ Handicap Chase 3m 1f
Take All is worthy of an interest having moved to Ben Pauling from point trainer Myles Osborne, a former assistant who trains from Pauling’s old base in Gloucestershire. Take All did well in hunter chases for Osborne, when regularly partnered by today’s rider Sam Scott, whose parents own the gelding.
Take All jumped really well here in a two-and-a-half-mile hunter chase at the May meeting but was given too much to do in a race which didn’t test stamina, and Take All was doing all his best work from the last fence.
The return to three miles will suit the son of Golden Lariat, who might have sneaked into the frame in the St James’s Place Hunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, making a move from the rear and still travelling fine when falling at the third-last fence. He made amends at Ludlow next time and is feasibly treated on his Irish form for Seamus Fahey/Shark Hanlon.
1.45 Paddy Power Arkle Trial Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) 1m 7f 199yd
July Flower is the one to beat here based on her impressive chase debut at Limerick where she was big and bold at the last two fences, but that came over a much longer trip and there has to be a slight concern about dropping back to two miles, even if testing ground will compensate.
Be Aware is also effective over further and drops back in trip after winning the same Stratford handicap that L’Eau Du Sud prepped in 12 months ago for the stable. He’s respected but the value may lie with Stencil, who ran well in the mud here in January in the Triumph Hurdle Trial won by East India Dock.
Quite a big, raw sort to be running in juvenile hurdles, Stencil isn’t bred for chasing being by Derby winner Masar, but he’s a physically imposing gelding who shapes as if he will take to bigger obstacles and he has the benefit of the four-year-old allowance against his elders here.
Almost certainly better in the mud than on good ground, the heavy rain prior to racing will suit him, and he has a fighting chance here.
2.20 Paddy Power Gold Cup (In Memory Of Edward O’Grady) 2m 4f 44yd
The ground will be very testing by the time of the big race and only those certain of seeing out the trip in conditions are of interest. Not many of these have winning form on heavy ground over fences granted such a test, but one who does is Hunter Legend whose form at short of three miles on ground described as heavy by Timeform reads 2F112, improving to 2F11211 on ground described as soft or heavy.
He was very impressive at Bangor on his most recent start in April and returns at a time when his stable tends to hit the mark with remarkable regularity with chasers beginning the new season. In truth, Venetia Williams hasn’t hit top gear just yet, but that is surely just a matter of time, with only a handful of runners representing the yard of late. Hoe Joly Smoke is another who will relish the deep ground and he could prove a danger, albeit with his good prep run here last month coming over considerably further.
2.55 From The Horses Mouth Podcast Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 208yd
Kikijo was a soft-ground winner of his only start in France for Etienne d’Andigne and, although his best form for the Hobbs/White stable has come on a sounder surface, the chances are that he’s simply needed time to bed in and that he will show that deep ground is no problem for him.
He caught the eye on his return at Aintree where the lack of pace counted against him, but he still did some good late work to suggest he was returning in good heart. He finished with a flourish when landing an unlikely chase debut victory at Newbury (two miles and three-quarters, soft) last season, not jumping well early on but staying on much the best and suggesting that a proper test of stamina back over hurdles would unlock further improvement. He has a fine chance to prove that point here and should go close.
3.30 Paddy Power Intermediate Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f
David Pipe’s horses are running with credit, with Walkadina travelling best but undone by lack of stamina in the meeting’s opener, and he has another promising sort here in Jurancon, who has yet to finish out of the first two, and copes admirably with testing ground.
He made a winning handicap debut at Newbury in March and did so with plenty in hand, with a 5lb rise more lenient than I would have expected in the circumstances. He’s not fully exposed and looks the likeliest winner here on balance.
Cheltenham Sunday
3.30 Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle 2m 87yd
The Greatwood is always a tough puzzle to solve, but the potential for heavy ground should help narrow the field, and Knickerbockerglory fits the bill having won on heavy ground at Sandown last December. He also ran very well (for the second time) in the Imperial Cup there in the spring.
He ran in this race two years ago and finished mid-field, but that came just a fortnight after an easy win at Ascot and he does seem best after a break, with five of his six wins for Skelton coming off breaks ranging from 51 to 251 days. Freddie Keighley claims a useful 7lb on the gelding and he can make them all go from the front so his rider can judge the fractions to a nicety.
Recommended
Cheltenham Saturday
Take All 1.10 – 1pt e/w @ 12/1 (general – 5 places)
Stencil 1.45 – 1pt win @ 8/1 (Bet365, 15/2 general)
Hunter Legend 2.20 – 1pt e/w @ 12/1 (Bet365, 11/1 general – 5 places)
Kikijo 2.55 – 1pt win @ 9/2 (general)
Cheltenham Sunday
Knickerbockerglory 3.30 – 1pt e/w @ 14/1 (general – 5 places)