Cheltenham, Doncaster,Saturday 10/12/2016
12.40 Cheltenham – The Ryman Novices’ Steeple Chase.
There aren’t many novice chases at Cheltenham that don’t attract the big names but this particular contest has a particularly illustrious roll of honour including Don’t Push It, Tidal Bay, Reve de Sivola, Oscar Whisky and More Of That all within the last ten years.
Nicky Henderson has won two of the last five renewals and looks to hold all the aces this time round with a third of the six-strong field. Whisper was by far the best of these over hurdles with back-to-back wins in Aintree’s Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle to his name but he looked well below hitting that level in three runs last term. He was far from convincing on his only chase start to date when turned over at long odds-on at Exeter and although conditions are likely to be in his favour, it would take a very brave man to side with him.
Henderson’s best chance looks to be with the unexposed DIFFERENT GRAVEY who could not have been more impressive when easily accounting for a select but classy field at Ascot on his chasing debut last month. He was highly progressive over hurdles last campaign, hosing up in a competitive handicap at Ascot before paying the price for trying to live with Thistlecrack at Aintree on his final start. He was very few miles on the clock having only raced seven times under Rules (with five wins to his name) and the way he jumped last time out was hugely impressive. That didn’t come as a major surprise given he won his sole start in points but more confirmed the thinking that he is in the top rank of novice chasers this year. His immaturity has been the only thing holding him back in his career as connections believed he had the ability to be an RSA horse last year but he seems to be heading firmly in the right direction and should take a world of beating.
Baron Alco is the one likely to give the selection most to do although he was flattered by the winning margin last time out with his nearest rival Wishing And Hoping crashing out, albeit when looking under pressure. He was steadily progressive over the sticks last campaign and ran a cracker when only narrowly headed by Rock The Kasbah in a Grade 3 handicap at Ascot last January. He made an encouraging start to life over fences when a close-up third in a competitive heat at Cheltenham’s Showcase meeting and looked to benefit from that with a sound round of jumping at Plumpton next time. This is a much sterner test but he has time on his side as an improving five-year-old and should benefit from the step up in trip.
Another to consider is Sizing Tennessee who put in a decent display despite being soundly beaten over course and distance by O O Seven on his chasing debut. The eight-year-old has had his problems but threatened to be a pretty classy bumper horse and hurdler in his time with Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead and clearly has the ability to prove competitive at this sort of level. He certainly looks as though he could make up into a chaser and provided his new handler Colin Tizzard can keep him sound, he can pick up a couple of prozes this year even if this one may prove just a bit too tough.
Of the remainder, San Benedeto looks to have a very tough ask conceding weight all round even if conditions are well and truly in his favour. He made hay in the summer but has been found out in this kind of class since returning in the autumn. Zarib will surely come on for his seasonal debut a month ago but has a bit to find with a few of these on his hurdles form and.
Advice
DIFFERENT GRAVEY – 2pts win @ 8/11 (bet365)
12.55 Doncaster – bet365.com Handicap Chase.
Last year’s winner of this race, Sego Success, is back for another crack and with just 2lb more on his back; he has to be very well respected. Alan King’s stayer made a very satisfactory return to action at Bangor a month ago, finishing stoutly behind the re-opposing Valadom, looking as if he’d come on for the first visit to a racetrack since April. He enjoys a flat track and clearly goes well here so plenty looks in his favour. He would probably appreciate a bit of rain overnight and if the ground does turn soft he’d be in with a huge chance, but the combination of the likely good to soft ground and the welter burden he has to carry could leave him vulnerable to a couple of others with a bit too much pace, even though you’d expect him to be staying on at the end.
Valadom has done well for Richard Hobson and his Bangor win looks decent form in the context of this race, even though he had a fitness edge on most of his rivals there and got his own way in front. The grey didn’t seem to enjoy his first experience of Aintree when pulled up in the Grand Sefton a week ago, so this return to standard fences and this company should help, but I can’t help but think a mark of 141 might be beyond him now.
After a reappearance pipe-opener over hurdles at Cheltenham, No Duffer should be in good shape to show his best here for Tom George. He’ll have no issues with trip or ground (unless there’s a downpour) and looks a solid contender, even though his mark of 139 is his highest ever by 6lbs and he’ll have to improve again to be winning.
Sue Smith has two in the race, firstly Straidnahanna, who was beaten into fourth in this race last year off a 4lb lower mark and hat indicates to me that he might be facing an uphill task to get his hat into the ring at the business end here. He’s won off 129 and 128 in the last two years, so he might need to come down a few pounds more.
Blakemount is her other entrant and this eight-year-old has only had six runs over fences so far, winning once at Carlisle in March and finishing second on his reappearance this season at Sedgefield over an inadequate 2m 3 ½ furlong trip. He was rated 136 over hurdles and his mark of 134 shouldn’t prove a problem over fences if he can continue his progress over this longer distance – his Grade 2 second behind Urban Hymn over hurdles suggests he’s got more to come over these larger obstacles.
However, Smith isn’t the only one with two in the race – Alan King also runs two and may have a serious contender in his other runner. ZIGA BOY has visited Doncaster twice in his career and won both times, including in the Listed Sky Bet Chase from a mark of 133. Just a seven-year-old, it’s reasonable to expect that he’s improved from that and so a mark of 137 should in no way be a barrier to a good run. Ground that is on the soft side of good is perfect for him and despite unseating after being badly hampered early on in the Becher last time out, he jumps well. His reappearance behind Valadom and Sego Success was promising in that he ran up with the pace throughout and only weakened late on, so you would expect him to have come on a lot for that run and back on this track that he clearly loves, he has to hold some decent each-way claims in a winnable race.
Advice
ZIGA BOY – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Betfair Sportsbook)
1.15 Cheltenham – Raymond Mould Handicap Chase.
This 2m handicap chase looks a competitive enough field with a number of reliable yardsticks in the field.
The weights are headed by Nicky Henderson’s Vaniteux who proved himself a high-class novice chaser last term, winning the Grade 2 Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster in January before unseating when looking booked for second in the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival. He returned to action at Ascot a few weeks ago and despite attracting strong market support, he was a little disappointing, finishing third behind the resurgent Sire De Grugy. His jumping wasn’t too fluent in places which cost him valuable ground but that was his first run back so perhaps he just needed to get that out of his system. I suspect he will be much better with that run under his belt but he looks to have a tough task facing him to defy top weight here.
Just behind him at Ascot was Cold March who was having his first run since finishing last of five in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton. He took a little while to warm to his job but he was making ground when finding himself short of room on the turn for home and that must have cost him a place or two. He ran all the way to the line to just miss out on fourth spot and having been dropped 1lb by the handicapper on the back of that, he has to come into the reckoning.
Course and distance form can often prove valuable, especially at Cheltenham and with that in mind, we have to acknowledge Savello who won the Grand Annual here in 2014. This year’s renewal was his last try in handicap company and he ran well to finish fourth Solar Impulse. He managed to get back to winning ways the following month at Kelso before running in France on his final start of the campaign. He was unsurprisingly struggling from a long way out in the Shloer Chase last time but the drop into handicap company should help and on his best form, he is weighted to run a big race.
Paul Henderson’s Un Beau Roman managed to get his head in front on the Old Course last month and having been raised 5lb on the back of that effort, he bids to follow up that success here. He showed a fine attitude to wear down the Irish challenger Pairofbrowneyes but whether he can repeat that effort is less clear. In handicapping terms, his new mark shouldn’t be beyond him as he won off 1lb lower in January but this looks a much more competitive affair.
There are few yards going better than Colin Tizzard at present and he saddles SIZING PLATINUM here who may just have found the 2m4f trip stretching his stamina in the BetVictor Gold Cup last time. He looked to be running a nice race until the third last before weakening and this shorter test should be right up his street. It is worth remembering that he was nine lengths clear of the third when chasing home the runaway winner Fox Norton in October and he runs here off just 1lb higher. He looks to have plenty going in his favour and I fancy him to run a big race down in trip.
Of the remainder, Neil Mulholland’s Baltimore Rock makes plenty of appeal having won on his chasing debut at Doncaster last December. He hasn’t won since but he was running quite well when falling two out in the Arkle and he was just outclassed in the Grade 1 Novice Chase at Punchestown in April. He returns on a mark of 144 and having only had the four runs over fences, there could be more to come from this lightly-raced seven-year-old. His absence is the only reason he is passed over as the selection but it would be no surprise to see him run a big race on his return.
The final one to mention is Tom George’s Parsnip Pete who was just run out of it at Newbury by Ultragold a couple of weeks ago. The ten-year-old continues to run consistently well without getting his head in front but he has only been raised 1lb for his latest run. He should run his usual solid race but I suspect there may be a couple of better handicapped horses in the race.
Advice
SIZING PLATINUM – 2pts win @ 9/2 (bet365)
