Five horses that can book their ticket to Cheltenham with a win on Saturday

[White Feather]

Peking Opera

Peking Opera looks an interesting contender for Kempton’s Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (1.50), where a win could lead to him contesting the Triumph Hurdle.

The four-year-old was purchased for 100,000gns after a seven-race career on the Flat for Aidan O’Brien, where he won twice and finished a 66-1 fourth in last year’s Irish Derby.

He debuted for Gary Moore in a novice hurdle at Sandown earlier this month and belied market weakness to run out a length-and-three-quarter winner from Ben Pauling’s The Good Doctor.

Peking Opera has his sights raised for Saturday’s Grade 2 but retains significant scope for improvement over hurdles. His triple-figure Flat rating also suggests that he could develop into a high-class horse in this sphere.

He is a best-priced 9-1 for the Adonis and a general 20-1 chance for the Triumph.  

Lump Sum

Sam Thomas’ Lump Sum ran out an odds-on winner of his first two hurdles starts before chasing home Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hopeful Jeriko Du Reponet in a Grade 2 at Doncaster last month.

The Dai Walters-owned six-year-old can have that run upgraded as he was held up in a steadily run race and he should be seen to better effect granted a stronger gallop in Saturday’s Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle (3.00), for which he is the 15-8 favourite.

He holds the highest rating of the seven runners for the Kempton Grade 2 and is reunited with Sam Twiston-Davies, who has been aboard for all of his three career wins.

Lump Sum holds festival entries in the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (best-priced 20-1 for both contests) and the Dovecote should provide clarity on which race he will contest.

Monmiral

Former Grade 1-winning juvenile Monmiral has not been at his best so far this campaign, but it would be no surprise to see the switch to hurdling bring about an improved showing in Chepstow’s 2m7½f handicap hurdle (3.08). 

This race acts as a qualifier for the Pertemps Final at the festival, with Monmiral requiring a top-four finish to get into the race.

Although the seven-year-old's career has not taken off as once promised, the handicapper has given him a chance off a mark of 139 with impressive conditional Freddie Gingell set to remove a further 5lb.

With his last two hurdles runs coming in Grade 1s at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, Saturday’s race represents a significant drop in class for Paul Nicholls' gelding and could act as something of a confidence boost. He is a general 25-1 shot for the Pertemps.

Tweed Skirt

The valuable Coral Trophy Handicap Chase (3.37) takes place at Kempton on Saturday and Tweed Skirt runs in the contest before a possible tilt at the festival's Mares’ Chase.

She has a good record at Kempton, winning on two of her previous three visits to the track, including when landing a Class 2 handicap chase in December. That victory produced a career-best Racing Post Rating of 145.

Tweed Skirt reverted to hurdles to contest a Grade 2 at Doncaster last month, where she was not disgraced in finishing third behind stablemate Marie’s Rock. She should benefit from going back over fences, although does have an 8lb rise to contend with for her December win.

Trainer Nicky Henderson said in his recent Racing Post stable tour that Saturday’s race would determine whether or not Tweed Skirt would head to Cheltenham, describing her as “a pretty smart mare at her best”.

She is a general 7-1 chance for the Coral Trophy and a best-priced 33-1 for the Mares’ Chase.

Good Time Jonny

The Tony Martin-trained Good Time Jonny remains winless since landing the Pertemps Final at last year’s festival but could tee up another tilt at a big Cheltenham handicap with a win in the 3m1½f novice chase at Fairyhouse (4.25).

The nine-year-old has produced progressive RPRs in three starts this season, staying on into fifth in a competitive 2m5½f handicap chase at Leopardstown last time out.

That run brought his record over fences to 0-5 but he has now slipped to a mark of 133, which is 8lb below his hurdles rating, and has his sights lowered on Saturday when he faces just three rivals.

Despite his relatively modest recent form bookmakers are expecting an improved showing at the festival, with Good Time Jonny the 5-1 favourite for next month’s Kim Muir Handicap Chase. He is also in the Pertemps, although the qualifier at Naas on Sunday would have been his last opportunity to make him eligible to defend his crown, so the Stayers’ Hurdle is his only realistic alternative festival option.

[StephenR91]

I’m off to Kempton tomorrow, so will keep an eye on these. Horses isn’t my game, so it’ll be small bets for me.