Timeform TV Focus: ITV racing tips for Cheltenham on Friday

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1.45 - Springwell Bay

It’s tempting to side with Buddy One, as he had the highest level of form among these as a hurdler, including in-frame efforts in Grade 1s at Cheltenham and Aintree last spring, but it’s fair to say that he hasn’t been totally convincing in two outings over fences, and it may pay just to keep things simple and back Springwell Bay, who has to concede weight all around but stands out on potential. His jumping became more fluent through the race when he made a winning chasing debut at Chepstow last month and he had more in hand than the bare margin of victory, his rider just nudging him out under hands and heels. The close third Boombawn did his bit for that form when winning the Rising Stars at Wincanton last weekend, and Springwell Bay is open to plenty of improvement himself back up in trip and returned to a track where he won a competitive handicap hurdle at this fixture last season.

2.20 - No Bet Advised

Jonbon was admittedly let down by his jumping on one of his 2 runs at Cheltenham last season, and if you were looking for reasons to take him on you could point to the form of the Henderson stable still being a little bit patchy, but in truth it’s hard to fault his jumping, particularly as his 2 main rivals both ended up on the deck last year, and it’s probably a race best left alone. Boothill is perhaps of some interest in the ‘without’ market but only a couple of firms priced up at the time of putting this together.

2.55 - Sweet David

The Cross Country has an extraordinarily lop-sided look to it with Conflated’s presence at the top of the weights forcing all but two the rest out of the handicap, some by a long way. Maybe he’ll outclass his rivals, but it’s not as if he went with masses of zest in the Charlie Hall a fortnight ago, and he’s coming to this discipline late in his career. Sweet David is conversely the youngster of the party at half Conflated’s age, and while there’d normally be little reason to recommend a horse from more than a stone out of the handicap, weights and measure surely count for less in this than just about any other handicap. Sweet David has plenty of cross-country experience – his last five outings have been in such company, winning one and finishing second on the other four – and seems to have improved this season for being upped to trips over three miles and beyond. He’ll need to progress again this time, but there’s enough in his profile to think he might be able to do so, for a trainer in Gabriel Leenders who sent out a Cleeve Hurdle winner with his first ever runner at Cheltenham.

3.30 - Valgrand

Both Valgrand and Potters Charm won at the October meeting, but of the pair Valgrand impressed us more and it’s surprising in our book to see the market on Thursday afternoon prefer Potters Charm, even in receipt of 2 lb. His jumping was much better than Potters Charm’s in their respective races, and that could be key in a race that he may well be able to control stepping up in trip. Not only was he visually very impressive in winning that Grade 2, but he was very good on the clock, too, his timefigure fully backing up his form rating. What’s more, while he clearly isn’t short of pace, there’s every reason from his pedigree and the way he’d shaped in some of his earlier races to think he ought to be at least as good over this trip, particularly on the sharp Old Course on unseasonably quick ground in a race that he may well be able to boss.

You can access the TV Focus selections and rationale at 5pm the evening before racing for £7.50 on the Timeform website

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