Betfair Official Blog

Chasing Cheltenham Glory: The search for Arkle and R&SA winners begins today!

Click here to view market

Every year Steve Rawlings tries to find the winner of Cheltenham's two big novice chases, with the jumps season getting underway that hunt is now on with races at Festival headquarters and Kelso examined today.

The 2.50 at Cheltenham is a competitive heat over the minimum trip and a case (of sorts) can be made for most of the runners.

Nigel Twiston-Davies won last year's renewal with Tramantano and he's represented this year by Asudo, who won a handicap at Perth last time out off a rating of 113. Though he did nothing wrong and could well progress that win came after a break of 19 months and I fear the bounce.

Alan King's Oh Crick was a progressive hurdler last season and got off the mark over fences at Hereford at the first attempt in May. He jumped well on his debut and was a course winner here over hurdles and is a very lively contender.

Chrysander and Premier Dane are both respected but may just be anchored by their penalties.

At a decent price, Philip Hobbs' French Saulaie should improve markedly on his last run, not at all suited by having to make the running at Huntington he should get towed along nicely here.

And doing the towing will probably be David Pipe's representative The Package, who usually runs far too freely for his own good and there is a chance he could scupper the chances of my selection, Paul Nicholls' Poquelin, who also likes to make the running.

Poquelin didn't beat much on his chase debut at Newton Abbott but jumped well and is the marginal choice over Oh Crick.

The second novice chase on the card, at 5.10, looks a much easier puzzle to solve.
It's only a five runner race and I'm dismissing the two outsiders. Thyne Spirit is totally outclassed and Best Actor has a 587 day absence to overcome.

Ballyfitz, winner of last years Pertemps final over hurdles at the festival, ran in this race two years ago, unseating behind Paul Nicholls' Gungadu.

Although he's clearly improved since then, he hasn't been seen over fences since and Timeform's comment regarding that race that he 'lacks the scope for chasing and struggled with his jumping' doesn't inspire.

Hobbs' Mister Gloss wasn't as good as his main rivals here over hurdles and although he's going for his fourth consecutive win over fences he looks worth taking on with his penalty, which leaves Big Fella Thanks.

Paul Nicholls' former pointer improved with every run under rules last year and looks the one to beat.

Whether any of the runners at Cheltenham today return for the festival is yet to be seen and of all the runners today the shortest in the ante-post markets runs at Kelso.

The Beginners chase there looks like a match between course specialist Bywell Beau and the favourite Kalahari King, trained by Ferdy Murphy, who was responsible for last year's beaten favourite Shouldhavehadthat.

Murphy will be hoping for a much better showing from Kalahari King who is only [30.0] on Betfair for the Arkle.

Kalahari King was fourth in last year's Supreme Novice Hurdle and followed that up with a third in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and a win at Punchestown but I've taken a chance on the second favourite Bywell Beau. He loves Kelso, having won here four times and it would have been five had he not ran out over fences here in March.

On his two chases to date he's jumped markedly right-handed and if he does so again he may struggle to hold off the favourite but the risk is in the price and if he jumps a bit better he may just steal it.