Cheltenham Saturday
12:35 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Prestbury) (Grade 2) 2m 87yds
There are some interesting runners in the Prestbury, with Scriptwriter much the best of these on the flat, and hard to judge on his Sedgefield success, and Blueking Doroux has experience stretching back to a winning debut in March when trained in France by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille.
Despite that, the standout bet in this contest is the deeply unfashionable Mr Freedom, who would have dotted up in the Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby but for effectively being forced out at the penultimate obstacle.
Mr Freedom travelled best throughout at Wetherby, and it was bad luck that Marc Goldstein produced him on the inside of Tuddenham as that horse was challenged by Medyaf on the other side, the latter’s tendency tom lug in causing a knock-on effect which saw Mr Freedom ducking out as he was faced by the hurdle’s win.
He was full of running at the time and had finished with a flourish on his previous outings at Plumpton and Fontwell.
Mr Freedom’s progress over hurdles is easily measured, as he gave Miss Fedora 19lb and a 12¾-length thrashing at Fontwell having previously beaten her just two lengths when giving her 7lb on her hurdles debut.
He’s the latest in a lengthy line of seemingly moderate flat horses that Sheena West has acquired and immediately improved from Mick Channon, and it should be remembered that Triumph and Champion Hurdle hero Katchit was exposed as modest for Channon before going on to remarkable success over hurdles.
1:10 Celotex Thermaclass Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase 3m 1f
Valsheda is of interest in handicapping terms with the form of his Kempton second in the spring working out, and he was put up only 4lb for a cosy win at Ffos Las when last seen.
He’ll be extremely popular, but I’d be concerned about his jumping in a big field around here. A faller on his chase debut, he made errors at both Kempton and Ffos Las, and although able to show good form despite those blemishes, he’s far from certain to be able to get away with any mistakes in such a competitive contest.
One who does jump well and can cope with a big field at Cheltenham is Castle Robin, who won a handicap hurdle at this meeting in 2020 and has taken well to fences.
He may have just needed the run on his return at Kelso, and if cheekpieces are any help at all, should be hard to kick out of the frame at a decent price.
1:45 FTHM Podcast Arkle Trial Novices’ Chase (November) (Grade 2) 1m 7f 199yds
Banbridge is my idea of the likeliest Festival winner in this field, and he jumped immaculately on his chase debut at Gowran, but he’s unlikely to be aimed at the Arkle, with connections having already tried him at three miles over hurdles at Aintree.
I could still see him getting a few of these in trouble with his jumping, but one who also looks assured in that department is Tommy’s Oscar, who impressed when winning on his chase bow at Carlisle, and who has very smart hurdles form at this trip.
He did disappoint at this track last season, but that run can be forgiven as it came behind Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle.
It’s worth noting that he was defying a mark of 155 on that chase debut, and his sole rival is a useful and reliable performer who had won his last four over the bigger obstacles.
2:20 Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase (Premier Handicap) 2m 4f 44yds
There are plenty here with a bit to prove, but that’s not the case with Stolen Silver, who ticks plenty of the right boxes. He lacks a recent run, but that is no concern since Sam Thomas has run four horses in the past fortnight in good-class handicaps off a break and they have finished 3111.
Stolen Silver was last seen winning the Grade 2 Silver Trophy over this course and distance in April, taking his course record over fences away from soft ground to 221, with the middle of those runs when just failing to get up against Editeur Du Gite over two miles at this meeting last year.
This is his trip, the ground is ideal, and he will be spot-on for this test in terms of fitness. The only worry is that a 7lb rise for his latest win puts him on a career-high mark, but it’s hard to argue with that assessment given he was beating the last two winners of the Festival Plate (Mildmay of Flete for the elderly) by 11 lengths and 25 lengths on good ground.
2:55 Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 208yds
More negatives than positives in the staying handicap hurdle, where I was initially tempted by former Stayers’ Hurdle winner Lisnagar Oscar, who can compete off a putative mark of 135 with Rob James stealing 7lb off his back.
A look at Rebecca Curtis’s recent form soon disabused me of that notion, however, and I’ll be having a minimum-stakes investment on Jatiluwih instead.
The David Maxwell-owned Jatiluwih isn’t really a chaser, but his British record over hurdles is an impressive 1111128, including a stylish win at this meeting in 2019/20, and eighth place came off a mark of 148 in the Pertemps Final that season, where he got shuffled back on the inner before plugging on again in the straight.
He’s now 10lb lower without having run again over hurdles, is still only eight, and promises to return to best now reverting to timber.
3:30 Paddy Power Feel Like A Favourite Intermediate Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f
No beating around the bush here, where the one which stands out like the proverbial sore thumb is Tony Martin’s Unanswered, a beautifully bred five-year-old who has taken time to come to himself, but now looks both useful and progressive.
Out of the US Grade 1 winner Dublino, Unanswered is a half-brother to Jim Bolger’s Trigo Stakes winner Answered but showed little in a few starts for Dermot Weld. A switch to his current yard took time to pay dividends, but he has recorded form figures on the flat and over hurdles since April of 1111225, and his latest fifth at the Curragh over a mile and three-quarters very much caught my eye.
Kept to the inside on heavy ground, he ran on strongly to fare best of those drawn in single figures in a race where the first four were drawn 22, 21, 19 and 23.
Unanswered is as effective on good ground as on softer, with three flat handicap wins this summer coming on a sound surface. The Curragh run came after a three-month break and he was weak in the market, but looked better than ever to my eye, and is the sort to keep progressing for some time now he’s found his feet.
His mark of 111 may be 22lb higher than for his previous win in this sphere but could yet look very lenient indeed.
Recommended
Mr Freedom 12:35 Cheltenham – 1pt e/w @ 13/2 (general)
Stolen Silver 2:20 Cheltenham – 1pt e/w @ 7/1 (Bet365 – 5 pl, 13/2 general)
Jatiluwih 2:55 Cheltenham – 1pt win @ 20/1 (Bet365, Paddy Power, Betfair)
Unanswered 3:30 Cheltenham – 1pt win @ 11/4 (Bet365)
Rory’s recommended bets last week included Metier (recommended 10/1)