Rory Delargy

CHELTENHAM SATURDAY

1:50 BetVictor.com HANDICAP CHASE (Grade 3) 3M 3F 71Y

It often pays to race close to the pace over fences at Cheltenham, and the lightly-raced Three Faces West, who is open to further improvement despite his age, should be able to lead with only the veteran Shotgun Paddy likely to challenge for that role. He’s not been seen since beating Coologue at Newbury last December, but that was a very impressive performance, for all it would have been close had the challenging Camping Ground not fallen five from home.

The selection has gone up in the weights for a pair of front-running wins last year, but he is still on a very fair mark, and his trainer has an excellent record when it comes to bringing established performers back from an absence.

2:25 BETVICTOR GOLD CUP HANDICAP CHASE (Grade 3) 2M 4F 78Y

It’s hard to remember a more competitive renewal of this contest and I found it hard to rule out any of the runners at the confirmation stage. It strikes me that a lot of the runners are notably high in the weights, with very few genuinely unexposed or well-treated horses jumping out, as is often the case.

As a result, I’ve found myself looking at the bottom of the race up, and there are a few here who would not have figured at all in the ante-post market due to their position in the ballot, but now appear to have genuine claims with the defection of so many, in particular Top Gamble, whose non-declaration means that all the runners are in the handicap proper.

The two which appeal to me in terms of price are Plaisir d’Amour and Lake Takapuna, and I’m happy to play the pair against the field with each-way terms very much in our favour. Plaisir d’Amour makes obvious appeal on profile, being a young second season chaser with a course and distance win to her name.

Such types usually hog the market for this, with Tully East an obvious example this time, but Venetia Williams’s mare is just as interesting. The listed race she won here in April was not especially strong for the grade, but she showed her liking for the venue and the predicted ground by winning well, and did so in a very good time. She wasn’t helped by the modest early pace when fifth in the Josh Gifford Chase at Sandown on the final day of the season, but did enough to suggest her mark was very fair, and she’s actually been eased slightly in the weights since.

Her trainer has a patchy record at this particular fixture, but backing her handicap chasers blind in November, especially those returning from a break, has proved a profitable strategy in recent seasons.

On the subject of profitable strategies at Cheltenham, backing Jim Culloty chasers blind has been a much better policy than doing the same thing in Ireland, and in Lake Takapuna, he has another intriguing runner for Dr Ronan Lambe. The six-year-old is lightly raced over fences, put up a good effort when winning in a big field at Leopardstown last December, and was far from disgraced (beaten under four lengths after blundering at the last) in the Leopardstown Chase in January.

He again got practice in a big field when mid-division in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase in the summer, where he appeared in need of the run, and those runs will have brought him on mentally as well as physically. He’s just the type to take his form up a notch this season, and it must be a pleasant surprise for connections that he has sneaked into the weights. His price is partly predicated on his position in the long handicap, and he was set to race from 5lb higher until Top Gamble came out. That defection has greatly enhanced his chances, and yet his price has remained the same.

3:00 REGULATORY FINANCE SOLUTIONS HANDICAP HURDLE (Listed) 3M 1F 67Y

Thomas Campbell was impressive when winning a Pertemps Qualifier here at the Showcase meeting, and while he’s been hiked up in the weights, the decision to book the brilliant James Bowen offsets a large part of that punishment, and he shouldn’t be troubled to follow up.

Nicky Henderson’s charge was a promising novice last season when he finished an excellent fifth in the Martin Pipe at the festival in March, but he’s bred to stay well, and unlocked more latent talent when tried over three miles last time. His new mark is fully justified, and with a nice break between runs, he will be very hard to beat.

His main rivals in the betting have similar rises to overcome for recent wins, and perhaps the most interesting runner against him is KK Lexion. Tom George put up his son Noel for a two-mile-five handicap hurdle here last month, and it’s fair to say that the teenager’s inexperience showed, trying to pass rivals on the inside between hurdles and then kicking for home much too soon. KK Lexion isn’t a certain stayer at this trip, but is clearly handicapped to win again, and should show his true colours under Adrian Heskin here.

CHELTENHAM SUNDAY

3:00 UNIBET GREATWOOD HANDICAP HURDLE (Grade 3) 2M 87Y

London Prize was a friend to this column last year, winning the Imperial Cup, and he’s shown further significant improvement since. A second in the Cesarewitch prefaced a career-best effort over obstacles in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton last weekend, and it looks significant that Ian Williams’s initial reluctance to run again so quickly has been overtaken by enthusiasm to run based on the way the horse came out of the Wincanton contest.

For one who stays well beyond two miles on the flat, it was impressive how well London Prize won at Wincanton’s speed-favouring circuit, and he will be better suited to the stiffer test set by the Prestbury Park hill. Whether he wants such an undulating track is a slight concern, but he is undeniably thrown in under a penalty and is very hard to ignore.

Jenkins could be well treated on both his bumper form and the way his hurdles debut has worked out, but this represents a pretty stiff task for one with no experience in similar races, so he is less appealing at the prices. The New One would prefer even softer ground and is obviously giving lots of weight to several smart prospects, but it would be no surprise to see him hit the frame, with class always a telling factor in races like this.

RECOMMENDED

Saturday:

LAKE TAKAPUNA 2.25 Cheltenham – 1pt e/w @ 40/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral, Stan James)

PLAISIR D’AMOUR 2.25 Cheltenham – 1pt e/w @ 25/1 (Bet365 – paying 5 places)

Sunday:

LONDON PRIZE 3.00 Cheltenham – 1pt win @ 9/1 (Bet365)