Our form expert Ben Linfoot has two bets for Cheltenham in the ITV4 races on Friday afternoon.
The Verdict: Friday, December 15
1pt e.w Donnacha in 1.15 Cheltenham at 8/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4 General)
1pt win Tiger Jet in 3.35 Cheltenham at 11/1 (General)
Donn a Christmas cracker at Cheltenham
There are some good punting races at Cheltenham on Friday and a few horses that showed up well at the November Meeting at this track last month are worth backing on day one of the now International-less and rebranded 'Christmas Meeting'.
First up the Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle at 1.15 over 2m1f is a race with a nice shape to it as Nicky Henderson’s Doddiethegreat heads the market at 3/1 and he’s a horse I’m keen to have a go against.
He has seductive form figures of 1-1-1-1 and of course he could extend that sequence, but he’s clearly one that could be handled tenderly considering he had a 746-day break before his last run, due to a severed tendon, and he has never raced on soft ground.
Off a big weight he looks vulnerable to me and the Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls-trained horses, Williethebuilder and Panjari, have been well found in the market considering neither has big-field handicap form in their locker.
The one horse in the field that has a nice blend of big-field handicap form (and at this track) and an unexposed profile is Nigel Hawke’s DONNACHA and he’s well worth backing.
He ran a cracking race at Cheltenham’s November Meeting last time out when hurdling well and travelling nicely under David Noonan on the inside, with only the chucked in Impose Toi proving too strong for him up the hill.
I really liked how he knuckled down to pip Caithness for second after the last and while the official going was Good to Soft that day, Timeform recorded it as Soft, so for me he’s well proven in Friday’s likely conditions.
He’s clearly on the up after just four runs over hurdles and a 5lb rise might not stop him, especially as this looks likely to be run to suit with Panjari, Lebowski, Skytastic and Mr Mackay all possible pace enforcers.
His price looks a case of the old smaller stable against a bunch of bigger yards factor and that’s an angle that’s sometimes worth pursuing when they have plenty of other things going for them as well, as is the case here.
The Verdict: Back DONNACHA in the 1.15 Cheltenham
Tiger can roar for Cobden in finale
Later on the Citipost Handicap Hurdle (3.35) looks a tighter race than the market might suggest with the principals, White Rhino and Gyenyame, having their potential for improvement at the three-mile trip fully factored into their odds.
I can see why the bookies are taking no chances with these two after their good efforts at the last meeting here over shorter trips in defeat, but with neither proven at three miles yet I’d rather side with a horse that has already been there and done it at bigger odds.
TIGER JET makes plenty of appeal at double-figure prices with that in mind, as he has won over three miles twice at Hexham and Haydock and he ran an eyecatching race at Cheltenham’s November Meeting when beaten a neck for second by the aforementioned Gyenyame.
They race off identical terms here but Tiger Jet is surely the most interesting of the pair stepping up to three miles, as he was badly outpaced over 2m5f last time and had loads of ground to make up on Gyenyame which he did between the second last and the line.
That was despite jumping poorly at the final obstacle, too, and if he can brush up on his hurdling technique he’s going to give himself an even better chance of finishing strongly, which he did last time to his great credit.
The excellent Harry Cobden, back on board again, rode him the last twice and if he’s learnt a thing or two about the horse and can get him to settle better early on then they’re going to have every chance of seeing this out the best from a low weight.
The Verdict: Back TIGER JET in the 3.35 Cheltenham at 11/1
Preview posted at 1410 GMT on 14/12/23
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