Racing Chat - Thursday 14th March (Cheltenham Day 3)

[The Brigadier]

Cheltenham 1.30

A field of eleven face the starter in the opener on day three for the 2M 4F Turners Novices’ Chase. Ireland have won nine of the 13 runnings of this contest but this years prize may be staying at home with Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Grey Dawning and Paul Nicholls’s Ginny’s Destiny fighting out the finish. The pair met over course and distance back in December with the latter coming out on top by 3/4L but Grey Dawning is now 3lb better off and made a race ending mistake two out that day. There probably won’t be much between them again with slight preference for Ginny’s Destiny who won the same novices’ handicap over course and distance as last year’s winner Stage Star from the same yard of Paul Nicholls. His record here now reads 7111 and he can take this with Harry Cobden doing the steering although Grey Dawning looks a massive danger..

 

GINNY’S DESTINY 1 point win @ 4/1 William Hill

 

Cheltenham 2.10

A maximum field of twenty four staying hurdlers line up for the wide open Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final. Gordon Elliot has won three of the last six renewals and appears to hold a big chance of enhancing that record with his novice Cleatus Poolaw. He made a promising handicap debut when qualifying for this race when runner up at Naas in February over 2M 6 1/2F, keeping on well. Todays extra distance should suit him and he can run well along with another Irish runner in the shape of the Ted Walsh runner Garth Chuil. A winner of a qualifier at leopardstown over Christmas he went down by 3/4L in another qualifier to Maxxum again at Leopardstown five weeks later and will find conditions to suit here. Mel Rowley’s mudlark Kyntara is an outsider who could out run his odds but in a wide open heat it’s Cleatus Poolaw that has my vote with a saver on Cleatus Poolaw.

 

GARTH CHUIL 1 point each way @ 9/1 Coral 1/5th 123456

CLEATUS POOLAW 1/2 point each way @ 15/1 William Hill 1/5th 123456

 

Cheltenham 2.50

The Ryanair Chase is run over the intermediate trip of 2M 4 1/2F and has an open enough look about it this year. The ground appears to have scuppered the chances of Banbridge who was pulled out on the morning of the Turners last year when the ground turned soft. Last year’s winner Envoi Allen has to be in the shake up and although he’s now ten years old remains in top form, and he must go close. Last year’s Turners winner Stage Star has a good record at the track although has to put a poor effort on New Year’s Day in a handicap behind him when pulling up. The best outsider may be Richard Hobson’s Fugitif who prepped for this over too short a trip at Newbury when third to Elixir De Nutz and Jonbon. Bar the rank outsider Fil Dor there is actually only 10lb between the whole field. Trainer Henry De Bromhead is already on the scoresheet for the meeting and can back up last year’s success in this race with the smart Envoi Allen and Rachael Blackmore.

 

ENVOI ALLEN 1 point each way @ 9/2 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

Cheltenham 3.30

Thirteen staying hurdlers go to post for the 3M Stayers’ Hurdle in which there is only officially 10lb between the whole field on ratings. The rain that fell earlier in the week will be ideal for Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo who is well suited by the mud. He came into this race a year ago mind as 9/4 favourite when finishing third to Sire Du Berlais and although he can obviously win is scant value at around the 2/1 mark. An intriguing runner is Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter who has an excellent record at the track which reads 1141 which includes the 2021 and 2022 runnings of tis race. Fourth last year he embarked on a chasing career this season winning here in October. He reverts to hurdles and with his liking for the track and trip could be the each way value in an open renewal in which the best of the home challenge is Fergal O’Brien’s Crambo.

 

FLOORING PORTER 1 point each way @ 11/1 William Hill 1/5th 1234

 

Cheltenham 4.10

The 2M 4 1/2F TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase may have twenty one runners but there’s plenty that are hard to fancy here and this may be fought out by the two novices who head the market in the shape of Jonjo O’Neill’s Crebilly and Richard Bandey’s Theatre Man. Slight preference is for the former who’s shown promise in good novice company on his three starts over fences and looks to have been allotted a very fair handicap mark. With luck in running he could rout this field with Theatre Man chasing him home. Novices have done well in this over the years and another novice Saint Felicien, trained by Gordon Elliott also has claims having won at Gowran Park last time out. Crebilly is the one but it’s well worth a small saver on the danger Theatre Man.

 

CREBILLY 2 points win 7/2 888sport

THEATRE MAN 1 point win @ 5/1 888sport

 

Cheltenham 4.50

Eleven have declared for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and with Ireland having taken six of the eight runnings of this race once again have a very strong hand with the front two in the betting. Gordon Elliott has been waxing lyrical about his unbeaten five year old Brighterdaysahead and she will no doubt be hard to beat although like Willie Mullins’s Jade De Grugy, who is also unbeaten, has to carry a 5lb penalty for winning class 1 contests. One horse who’s done nothing wrong and has been well campaigned to avoid any penalties is the locally trained Dysart Enos. She’s won three bumpers and three novice hurdles with her head in her chest and in receipt of 5lb from the two Irish favourites may be the value bet for Fergal O’Brien and jockey Paddy Brennan. O’Brien has yet to have a winner at the festival but with a bit of luck today could be his day.

 

DYSART ENOS 1 point each way @ 9/2 BetVictor

 

Cheltenham 5.30

The finale for day three is the 3M 2F Kim Muir Handicap Chase for amateur riders. The well backed favourite is top weight Inothewayurthinkin trained by Gavin Cromwell in the colours of J P McManus and ridden by the top Irish amateur Derek O’Connor who took this back in 2019 on Any Second Now. He’s been well found in the market however and didn’t jump with fluency last time out, only his fifth ever chase start. He could well win here but with luck in running needed I’m prepared to have a swing at a big priced one each way with extra places. Step forward the Venetia Williams trained seven year old Demnat. Lightly raced, the full brother to high class 2 miler Sceau Royal, is stepping up markedly in trip and at his current odds is worth chancing that the longer trip may actually suit him. He made a winning debut for Williams at Ludlow when routing his field coasting home 15L to the good in February but flopped when dropping back to two miles a fortnight ago when he actually ran better than his finishing position of a 25L third looked as he skidded after jumping the last when 8L down. In the hope the step up in trip helps and with the assistance of female Irish amateur Aine O’Connor in the saddle he’s a value play for a stable that won this race with a 40/1 chance two years ago.

 

DEMNAT 1 point each way @ 33/1 bet365 1/5th 123456

 

 

[richard-westwood]

210 chelt 

Judicial law  8.3 40/1 

Monmiral. 8.2 33/1 

Chantry house. 8.2 20/1 

I'll try 5pt Ew all 3 at big prices ....and forecasts 

Edited March 13 by richard-westwood