Jump Racing Season: Cheltenham Showcase meeting
The National Hunt season is now upon us and as such, racing returns to Cheltenham on Friday for their two-day Showcase meeting. While it isn’t the track’s best fixture of the campaign, there’s still plenty to look forward to. We’ve picked out some of the key races across the two days and turned the spotlight on some of the potential key players that could be on show.
Jump Racing Season at Cheltenham: Friday
2.25 2m Handicap Chase
Friday’s first key event is this £100,000 contest over two miles. Grand Annual winner Unexpected Party could be lining up but it would be a surprise if we see him performing at his best before March.
Madara won cosily on the new course here in December and followed up at the Dublin Racing Festival. He was slightly disappointing in the Grand Annual, and the handicapper has since dropped him 1lb.
Henry de Bromhead’s Dancing On My Own is a regular visitor to Cheltenham and he won this race last year off a 2lb lower mark, making him one to watch again.
Nigel Twiston-Davies is always to be taken seriously at this meeting and his Matata ran well for a long way in the Arkle. A mark of 147 shouldn’t be beyond him in handicap company.
3.00 2m 1/2f Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
Probably not a vintage renewal of this race, but it still looks like a competitive affair and Gale Mahler has a string of 1s next to her name in the formbook. Adrian Keatley’s five-year-old was an impressive winner in Listed company at the Galway Festival and should go close here.
The British big guns could all be represented, with Valgrand (Dan Skelton), Brave Knight (Paul Nicholls) and Break My Soul (Henderson) all possessing some sort of chance here.
Solario Stakes winner Reach For The Moon could provide some royal representation and he’s clearly finding his feet in this sphere.
Jump Racing Season at Cheltenham: Saturday
2.20 3m 1f Handicap Chase
Another £100,000 handicap, and there will be plenty of takers for this competitive-looking event. Perhaps the most interesting of the lot is course regular Broadway Boy, who has three wins and a second to his name in just four Cheltenham starts.
Le Milos, the 2022 Coral Gold Cup winner, could take his chance for the Skelton brothers and his current mark of 147 is just 1lb higher than when winning that race.
Other interesting entries are Lucinda Russell’s Your Own Story, Grimthorpe winner Does He Know and a couple of potentially well handicapped Henderson horses.
3.30 2m 1/2f Hurdle
This could be quite the race, with Gavin Cromwell potentially bringing over Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 runner-up Bottler’secret and it would be hard not to fancy him on those pieces of form.
Paul Nicholls’ smart four-year-old Kalif Du Berlais is a chaser in the making but showed loads of ability last term and one would imagine he’s capable of winning this.
Finale winner Salver is set to represent the Gary & Josh Moore yard and he was last seen finishing third in the Triumph Hurdle.
4.05 3m 1/2f Novices’ Chase
Novice races are particularly interesting at this time of year and it will be exciting to see if any Brown Advisory contenders can emerge from this one.
Johnnywho looked like a promising stayer when beaten two lengths in the Challow Hurdle last term but he hasn’t really come on since. It was a better effort on his handicap debut at Aintree and perhaps he’ll improve over the larger obstacles.
There are also a couple of interesting Irish raiders. Willie Mullins has entered Fine Margin, who warrants respect, and Gordon Elliott could send over Will Do or Listowel Chase winner Yeats Star.
By Adam Scriven
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