Exciting entries for Showcase Meeting at Cheltenham
By Matt Brocklebank
15:50 · MON October 21, 2024
Matt Brocklebank pores over the entries for Cheltenham's Showcase Meeting and identifies six exciting jumpers with options across Friday and Saturday.
And like that... poof, it's back!
Cheltenham’s Showcase Meeting never fails to send a few tingles through the bones of National Hunt fans and, along with plenty of the usual suspects, there are some really exciting - and thus far largely unheralded - jumpers in line for action.
Here are six names to note among the entries for Prestbury Park on Friday and Saturday this week.
Hazy Glen appeared a little out of the ordinary when winning on debut in a Carlisle bumper 12 months ago. He's trained by the Easterbys and won on debut, for a start, but go back and see for yourself (replay below). Having been held up in rear, he looked in serious bother when running green not long after halfway, but ultimately got it all together on the climb to the line and, in very testing conditions, ended up passing the post in front with loads in hand.
The second won a Newcastle bumper on his next start, the third won two bumpers on his next two starts and the fourth (Cracking Rhapsody), who won a Hexham novice hurdle on his next start, is now rated 129 after adding two more handicap hurdles to his tally.
That’s not the only noteworthy piece of form that Hazy Glen brings to the table as he was only beaten a neck when second to promising point recruit Moon Over Mexico at Newcastle in January – a race in which subsequent winners now rated 127 and 123 were behind in third and fourth.
So, while it’s a touch early to be sounding the ‘best-handicapped hurdler in training’ klaxon, Hazy Glen’s BHA mark of 117 does look more than manageable if fit enough to do himself justice – either here or at Aintree where he also holds an entry on Sunday.
People may think they know L’Eau du Sud inside out already but it’s worth underlining the fact he’s still only six and I suspect Dan Skelton has been looking forward to the day he goes novice chasing.
The waiting is almost over, and connections will no doubt be keen to bury the hatchet of last year’s comeback run, when pulled-up in the Greatwood Hurdle, now his attentions are turned to the larger obstacles.
The horse did obviously go on to prove that Greatwood flop all wrong with fine seconds in both the Betfair Hurdle and County Hurdle, before ending the year with a close-up fifth in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr in April.
He should take all the beating here providing he’s taken well to the change of discipline and there is encouragement to be drawn from his pedigree as the dam is from a line of jumps winners and won over fences herself during her racing days.
Ben Pauling has a very nice bunch of young horses and Fiercely Proud sits among them going into his second season over hurdles.
A dual NH Flat winner two years ago, when ending his campaign gaining vital experience (albeit down the field) in Grade 1 and Grade 2 bumpers at Cheltenham and Aintree, he had a good time of things switched to hurdles last time around.
He won his first two before placing behind Jeriko Du Reponet at Doncaster and Lump Sum at Kempton, while the final outing when seventh in Sandown’s Novices’ Championship Final, certainly wasn’t a disgrace.
Still only five, Fiercely Proud looks to be sitting on a good chunk of potential and while Pauling is on record stating that flat, right-handed courses may suit him best, he did win a Listed bumper at Cheltenham on his debut for the yard so it’s very hard to argue he hates the place.
1.45 Cheltenham, Saturday – William Hill Betting Done Properly Novices’ Hurdle
Point-to-point and bumper winner Kingston James made no mistake on his first try over hurdles at Hexham (replay below) earlier in the month and it looks highly significant that trainer Lucinda Russell is eyeing up an early-season trip to Cheltenham.
He may not have beaten much last time but it was hard not to be impressed by his hurdling and the way he put it to bed, while a step up in trip is bound to be beneficial – with fences no doubt the obvious end game.
Going from two to three miles (Saturday’s race) could be asking a lot so if he’s running this week then I’d expect to see this son of Leger winner Kingston Hill on Friday afternoon.
Stablemates Gwennie May Boy and Catch Him Derry came 21 lengths clear of the rest when filling the first two spots in a handicap hurdle at Bangor back in February and subsequent efforts show they were ridiculously well handicapped.
Gwennie May Boy doubled up off 4lb higher at Uttoxeter the following month before completing his hat-trick in Aintree’s big three-mile handicap at the National meeting, defying another 9lb hike in the process.
He’s gone up again and is now rated 24lb higher than for the Bangor victory, while Catch Him Derry – who won his only subsequent start at Ayr in April – resumes this season off 15lb higher than at Bangor.
So it’s safe to say he remains on the right side of the assessor and there should be a whole lot more to come from the six-year-old, who was a bit of a “wayward baby” in his youth according to the trainer.
A drop of rain is going to be welcome but he’s a horse to follow whether it’s Cheltenham, Aintree on Sunday or anywhere else in the coming weeks.
It will be fascinating to see how the ‘O’Neill Racing’ rebrand goes over the next year or so but it would be unwise to predict a seismic change in training philosophy, so expectations for the yard’s Cheltenham runners this weekend ought to be kept in check.
Having said that, it’s worth keeping an eye on Let Me Go Boys, who made just one point-to-point start for Michael Murphy in Ireland. It was a bit of a bunched finish to that two and a half mile event at Ballinaboola, but Colin Bowe did win it with Envoi Allen a few years ago and his winner this time, Korkoran, has since joined Harry Derham after changing hands for £240,000.
So with that in mind, Let Me Go Boys going for £82,000 on the same day at Tattersalls Cheltenham wasn’t a huge shock (cost just 5,000 euros as a yearling) and, while first time out probably isn't the time to catch him, the O’Neill team could have some fun days ahead with the son of Elusive Pimpernel.
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