Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Friday.
Three points of interest
Big improvers meet in red-hot novice hurdle
The opening novice hurdle (12:10) at Cheltenham lacks graded status and has attracted only four runners but it could well be the strongest race of its type in Britain before Christmas.
Country Mile, That's Nice and Wingmen were awarded the Horse In Focus Flag by Timeform's reporter last time, marking them out as likely to be of interest next time, while the first two named also have the Timeform Large P to highlight they are capable of much better form.
Winning pointer That's Nice created an especially big impression when making a winning debut under Rules for Nicky Henderson at Warwick last month, justifying good support to beat listed bumper winner Honky Tonk Highway.
It says plenty about the esteem in which That's Nice is held that she was sent off favourite against Honky Tonk Highway, and she was certainly ridden with plenty of confidence by Nico de Boinville who only needed to nudge his mount out to pick up the leader on the run-in and score by a length and a half.
Henderson has used this Cheltenham novice as a stepping stone for some talented horses in the past, notably Darlan and Chantry House, and That's Nice will enhance her claims for the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle - for which she is 12/1 second favourite - if progressing as anticipated and coming through this stern test.
Leading novice hurdlers meet over fences
The SSS Super Alloys Novices' Chase (12:40) is another small-field-but-fascinating affair as it features a clash between Jango Baie and Caldwell Potter, two horses who took high rank in the novice hurdle division last season.
Nicky Henderson's Jango Baie was the highest-rated novice hurdler based in Britain last term with a rating of 148p. He was successful in Grade 1 company last term, fortuitously landing the first running of the Formby Novices' Hurdle, but his peak rating was achieved when runner-up in a handicap at Aintree's Grand National Festival where he really caught the eye with how he powered home after meeting significant interference.
That earned Jango Baie a rating which was surpassed by only Irish novices Ballyburn, Mystical Power, Slade Steel and Firefox in the division. His figure was also 1lb higher than what Caldwell Potter achieved when landing the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown's Christmas Festival on what proved to be his final start for Gordon Elliott.
Caldwell Potter, who ran to a similar level at Leopardstown as his brother Mighty Potter had when winning the same race two years previously, didn't get the opportunity to improve on his rating as a setback ruled him out of an intended run for Paul Nicholls in a Grade 1 at Aintree following his sale for €740,000. He eventually started out for his new yard in a novice chase at Carlisle a couple of weeks ago and he completed the simple task with plenty to spare, earning the Timeform large P.
Like Jango Baie, Caldwell Potter also has the Timeform Horse In Focus Flag and they are two novices expected to take high rank in the division again. Perhaps Caldwell Potter's chasing experience will tilt the scales in his favour this time.
Shakem Up'Arry bidding to enhance course record
Handicap chases at Cheltenham tend to be fiercely competitive affairs so it reflects extremely well on Shakem Up'Arry that he has compiled such a good record.
Shakem Up'Arry has contested four handicap chases at Cheltenham and has won two of them, landing a six-runner premier handicap on New Year's Day and the 21-runner Plate at the Festival last season. In the same two contests the previous season Shakem Up'Arry was fifth of 16 on New Year's Day and third of 23 in the Plate.
That means in those four starts Shakem Up'Arry has been beaten by only six of the 62 rivals he has met.
It's easy to understand why Shakem Up'Arry has fared well at the track as he's a prominent-racing strong traveller who jumps well, and those traits are often rewarded at Cheltenham.
He needed the run on his reappearance last season but returns here with trainer Ben Pauling in good form - as denoted by the Hot Trainer Flag - so is respected on his first start in veterans' company (14:25).
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