Cheltenham Betting / Graham Cunningham / 12 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Fresh from the Santa Anita sun, GC plunges straight into the heart of UK racing with a hunt for winners on day one of the Cheltenham Open Meeting

"Silver Birch has probably lost some of the dash he showed to land the 2007 Grand National, but he jumped beautifully until departing at the second Bechers’ on his return to Aintree last spring and made Garde Champetre work for his money over Punchestown’s cross country course later in April."

You can generally rely on three things on day one of Cheltenham's Open meeting. First, Enda Bolger will win the cross country chase. Second, bookmakers will issue an absurdly premature Festival quote for at least a couple of winners. And third, hundreds of tweed-clad posh folk will ram the tented village to get their Christmas shopping done early. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham ignores the lure of the trade stands to try and find a winner or two at the first big Festival of the winter.

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Crikey, there is a right gear change involved in switching from the jumps to the Flat.

Getting reacquainted with the winter game is certainly time consuming after months focusing exclusively on the level, but several points are worth making ahead of day one of the Open Meeting.

1: My mole near Prestbury Park reports that it is hissing down - well, that's almost what he said - as of 4pm Thursday.

2: There is considerable further rain on the way if the Met Office have done their sums right.

3: The opener at 13:15 is a 17-runner handicap for amateurs which looks very tough.

Hoopy is 9lb higher than when winning it (with the aid of a borrowed whip) last year. He's almost certainly been primed with a repeat in mind, though it's worth noting that he will probably drift in-running due to his tendency to get behind.

Never So Blue is bound to be popular, but he flopped on his sole previous visit here, while softening ground could pose problems for Cheltenham specialist Mister Apples.

In short, I won't be going overboard, but My Lord Oscar and Freeze Up look the two with most to recommend them. My Lord Oscar showed lots of courage at Thurles and has the valuable assistance of Nina Carberry, while Freeze Up is far less exposed than most and looks a suitable back-to-lay vehicle given that he's a front runner who jumps boldly overall.

4: The ground could have a massive say in shaping the market and the outcome of the 13:50.

Testing ground would certainly be a concern for the useful and durable Cootehill. Loosen My Load's connections have also described him as a good ground horse, while William Hogarth has a lofty official mark of 138 but has also avoided soft conditions for the most part.

Tito Bustillo is abound to corner a chunk of the market given that he represents Nicholls and Walsh, but he had to be driven out to beat a very ordinary horse at Chepstow and I suspect that Some Present is the key player here.

This Irish raider had a raft of smart horses behind him when chasing home Dunguib in the Festival Bumper last March and has taken well to hurdles by following a debut win with a close second to the unbeaten Sweeps Hill at Punchestown.

The farcical gallop was almost certainly less than ideal there, but Some Present remains a novice of considerable potential and I expect him to be well supported once people cotton on to the possibility that some of his main rivals might find the ground against them.

5: The cross country chases at Cheltenham are in mortal danger through lack of interest based on the British response.

Only five home-trained horses have been declared for the Glenfarclas Chase at 15:00 and logic dictates that we should look to Ireland for the winner yet again.

Most punters will look no further than Garde Champetre, who is 6-6 for Nina in cross country races and boasts form figures of F1211 over this course.

Enda Bolger's gelding will be a short price and deservedly so, but there is an alternative option here and it involves backing proven cross country performer Silver Birch each way at the best price from the High St firms with the aim of keeping the place bet and laying off the win half in-running on Betfair.

Granted, Silver Birch has probably lost some of the dash he showed to land the 2007 Grand National, but he jumped beautifully until departing at the second Bechers' on his return to Aintree last spring and made Garde Champetre work for his money over Punchestown's cross country course later in April.

He still jumps beautifully overall and there is every chance that he will trade at [3.0] or thereabouts if Robbie Power tries to get first run on the favourite entering the home straight.

Tags: Cheltenham, Enda Bolger, Freeze Up, Garde Champetre, Glenfarclas Chase, My Lord Oscar, Nina Carberry, Silver Birch, Some Present