The Cheltenham November meeting is one of the key meetings held at Cheltenham outside of the Festival, and the racing there on Saturday is one of the highlights of the early jumps season.
GG writer Jake Russell is on hand to guide us through his thoughts on each of the seven races on the day two card, including his pick for the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
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12.35pm – JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2)
A very interesting contest to open the card on Saturday, with some real nice prospects for the season ahead. Milan Tino comes over from France, and really could be anything after two placed efforts in some decent contests at Auteuil. However, I think recent Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road could be one to side with here.
Harry Cobden jumped off this horse after his debut win over hurdles last time and said he is most certainly a Triumph Hurdle contender for March, and given the calibre of horse Harry has ridden before, you would have to take those words seriously. A winner at Royal Ascot in June, this horse made it the perfect start for James Owen when winning on Hurdling debut last time. That was at Huntingdon, and he took a keen hold throughout, jumping relatively well, before pulling clear to win with ease by 12 lengths. That was a nice performance to the eye, and Harry Cobden who also rode him that day liked what he saw from this horse. If he is a real Triumph contender then he needs to win this contest, and I can personally see him doing it come Saturday.
1.10pm – Wienerberger Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (Class 3)
I really like these Amateur contests at Cheltenham, as it gives the lesser experienced riders a chance to ride a winner at the home of National Hunt Racing, as many aspiring jockeys always dream of riding a winner there. However, they are always such competitive contests, and this one is no different.
Ben Pauling and his team were absolutely buzzing when Mole Court won at Cheltenham last time, and when you see how much this horse has improved with each passing run, you can see why they were so happy. Once rated 89 before the winning sequence started, he is now a 120 rated horse, really taking him into the next level or races he could contest in. That run last time over course and distance was a very game performance, and was also the first time he stepped up to 3-miles. Being it was his first attempt at this trip, it was an almighty effort given how stiff and testing Cheltenham can be. He jumped well and was pushed out all the way up the hill, to which he stayed on gamely to win by half a length. He was rated 115 then, therefore goes up 5lb’s for that effort, however he is in cracking form lately, and although by far a career high in the weights, I think he could still improve again and run well here. For Jack Andrew who ridden this horse to victory last time. Course and distance form could come to the forte here.
1.45pm – From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices’ Chase (Class 1 Listed)
I really like Sam Thomas’s Good Risk At All as a chaser, who was a very impressive winner on his chase debut at Carlisle last time. He jumped with so much fluency that day, he raced in 2nd place all the way around before pulling well clear to win comfortably by 16 lengths. Giovinco was an unfortunate faller that day early on in the race, so it is hard to say what might have happened, however he would have had to really be on his a game to have beaten Good Risk At All then. Obviously Giovinco has since come out and won, looking a real nice staying chaser in the making.
Good Risk At All was a decent hurdler and bumper horse, but it is best to stay talking about his chase debut last time. He takes a step up in class here to Listed company, and runs off level weights with Mister Coffey although the latter is 3 ratings higher. However the Sam Thomas horse has race fitness on his side, and Mister Coffey does look to be a little monkey who has put in some slightly disappointing placed efforts, frustrating connections along the way. I think Good Risk At All could very much make it two wins in just two career starts over fences.
2.20pm – Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Class 1 Premier Handicap)
This is a real cracking renewal of this contest, with some Grade 1 Novice performers from last season heading into open company for the season ahead, with some real nice targets in connections minds for most of them no doubt. Although some classy prospects in this, I feel a slight step up even further in trip could be their bags for the season ahead, therefore Notlongtillmay would be the one I would want to side with here. He came on leaps and bounds with each passing run last season, and finished the season with a very decent 2nd in a Grade 1 at Aintree. That was behind Stage Star who he re-opposes here, with quite a few factors in his favour. The first and most important one is race fitness, the Laura Morgan horse has already had a run at Cheltenham in a 2-mile contest just 21 days ago, and given the trip of 2-miles, it might not have been quite ideal for her horse here. This step back up to 2m4f will more than suit, and the cobwebs now seemingly blown away from that run 3 weeks back, he could easily go a few places better and land his most valuable contest to date as yet. Although not the highest rated in the field, he does have to carry around a decent weight, and his jockey Adam Wedge has won some big races around Cheltenham previously. I think this could be the start of Notlongtillmay’s very good and productive season ahead.
Greatwood Hurdle – Preview + Verdict For Sunday’s Premier Handicap
The Unibet Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham on the 19th November is the one of the first real big, competitive Handicaps on the Jumps card. This years renewal looks set to be as competitive as ever, with some nice types potentially heading to post come mid November. GG writer Jake Russell takes an ante-post look at…
Tue 31 Oct 20232.55pm – Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Another really competitive contest on the card here, we have a few horses making their return to racing in a handicap after a few issues. Shan Blue and Chantry House are those horses, who are Graded chasers, however they have had their issues recently. Therefore I would side with Judicial Law for the Jonjo’s, who has been very busy of late, so has race fitness on his side, but has never really having a break since September 2022. He was a game winner of a decent contest at Kelso in September when sent off the favourite, but probably his best career effort so far was when coming 2nd over course and distance in a Pertemps Qualifier last time. Only beaten by 2 lengths by a real nice staying type of Nicky Henderson’s in Hyland. That was a decent effort, and Judicial Law was staying on well as they went up the Hill, and given the fact there is no horse like Hyland in the contest this time around, I can see him take a step forward from that run last time out. He would be the one to side with here, although he is now operating off a career high mark of 133. He is an improving type who stays well, I can’t see him getting beat here.
3.30pm – Paddy Power Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
Again I am going to be siding with race fitness here, as Resplendent Grey had his seasonal debut run 36 days ago when coming 2nd at Chepstow. He ended last season with two real nice Novice Hurdle wins, which earned him a BHA Rating of 120 for the season ahead. Connections seemingly didn’t really want to utilise that fairly lenient looking mark last time, as they pitched him straight into Grade 2 company as he then ran in the Persian War Novices Hurdle at Chepstow. He did come 2nd that day, however was fairly well beaten by 10 lengths, and has since been moved up 7lb’s in the ratings. However the fact connections ran him in the grade 2 might suggest something, and I think now in Handicap company off the mark of 127 is a good move from connections. Ultimately I think he is a better horse than 127, and with a run under his belt already, I think he could prove to good for the rest of them here.
4.05pm – Karndean Designflooring Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race (Class 1 Listed)
A nice contest with some really nice types going forward, Willie Mullins is sending over his bumper winner here in the form of Baby Kate. But I will be siding with the Nicky Henderson unbeaten daughter of Walk In The Park Easy Peasy who has had two career runs, resulting in both of them being wins (A winner of a point to point and Bumper race). It is somewhat a rare thing to see a horse run in a bumper first time out at Plumpton for Nicky Henderson, however he sent one there to be ridden by Freddie Gordon, who managed to steer to Easy Peasy to an easy enough victory that day. She was sent off well odds on that day, but duly obliged that market support by winning very nicely indeed by just under 5 lengths. She travelled well in behind the leaders that day, and once she was niggled along she made smooth headway into the lead, a lead which she held nicely up the Plumpton hill. She looks a nice prospect, and has to tackle this step up in class for the first time, but Nico De Boinville now takes the ride, so there is no one better to ride a young Nicky Henderson horse that him. This contest could throw up a nice horse or two for the future.
Cheltenham November Meeting – Day Two TTC Tips
12.35 Cheltenham – BURDETT ROAD (9/4 generally)
1.10 Cheltenham – MOLE COURT (7/1 generally)
1.45 Cheltenham – GOOD RISK AT ALL (3/1 generally)
2.20 Cheltenham – NOTLONGTILLMAY (7/1 generally)
2.55 Cheltenham – JUDICIAL LAW (13/2 generally)
3.30 Cheltenham – RESPLENDENT GREY (3/1 generally)
4.05 Cheltenham – EASY PEASY (6/1 generally)
*Odds Correct At Time Of Publishing – 3.35pm Thursday 16th November*
Check out this weeks Weekend Watch podcast, where Andrew Mount, Dave Young & Kate Tracey guide us through the six ITV races on Saturday, including four of the key races from the Cheltenham card:
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