Cheltenham Festival Focus: Best of the British revealed, but 10/1 French horse appeals most

• Britain stands tall with some classy performances

• Does Jonbon really enjoy Cheltenham?

• Back The French X Country raider to return in March @ 10/111.00

• It's Safer Gambling Week - explore all the tools available to Betfair customers here

In week four, Daryl Carter looks back at the week that was, rounds up the notable action relevant to the Cheltenham Festival, including the Cheltenham November meeting, and dives into what he says is the current stand-out British Novice Chaser thus far. He also adds a [10/]1 chance to his ante-post list, looks at the market movers and highlights this week's notable action.

A Charming performance, but that's all

On Friday, Nigel Twiston-Davies' Potter's Charm beat the well-backed Valgrand and eased down at the finish over 2m5f in narrowly the fastest final circuit time of the day. Valgrand controlled the race with the winner on his shoulder throughout but failed to see these extra five furlongs. This was not run at a blistering gallop. Crossing the final hurdle going out on the second circuit, Valgrand and Potters Charm would have been last in the Conditional Jockey Handicap, and they didn't take over until four out.

Therefore, the pace of this race should have suited the Skelton horse - the speedier of the pair - but he folded up tamely and was cooked on the turn for the home straight. Potters Charm did good work to put the race to bed between four out and the finish, turning the race's final stages into a stamina test by getting racing so far from home, but his splits were no better than the earlier winner, Double Power (114). The form is questionable, although many will argue that the distance between the second and third was matched by their previous meeting and should be reliable. That is not the impression I would have. Still, this was a positive performance from Potters Charm, who has a bit of class and could do no more than win convincingly. Valgrand has yet to run to his rating of 140, and Potter's Charm is similarly rated at 139, with this performance at around 137.

Nicky Henderson's Hyland won the three-mile Novices Chase under his optimal conditions. The five-year-old controlled this race with a steady gallop from the front under excellent Nico de Boinville dictation. This was an unsatisfactory pace, with the second circuit running around 24 lengths quicker than the first and ending with a sprint finish. The winner comes out poorly, and the runner-up comes out far more favourable should they meet again. Springwell Bay could be the horse to take from the race with a view to Cheltenham. Jonjo O'Neill's runner was too keen for the three-mile trip, and he would be of serious interest for the Novice Handicap Chase over 2m4f should they look to protect his handicap mark.

Is Cheltenham Jonbon's track?

Jonbon was left unchanged at 3/14.00 for the Champion Chase following his win in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase over old adversaries Boothill and Edwardstone. Jonbon made all but looked laboured in this less-than-two-length victory in the same race he slammed Edwardstone by nine lengths last year. This is Jonbon's lowest RPR over fences (163) since his Warwick debut.

The theory that Jonbon is not at his best at Cheltenham has yet to be laid to rest. Jonbon was quicker than Hyland from three out to two out but slower from two to one and two to the finish. This is because the three-mile race went at a pedestrian pace for much of the contest, and Jonbon went hard from the off, leaving those stalking him with an advantage.

Jonbon will be all the better for this run under his belt, and he is expected to win at Sandown and land the Grade 1 Tingle Creek - a track at which he is 4-4. However, Jonbon's three Cheltenham RPR ratings over fences have been progressively worse, reading 163, 165 and 169, and the average recorded in a Champion Chase win is 173. The Jonbon "hates Cheltenham" theory is a little strong, but it does have some substance, considering his RPR ratings of 172, 172, 171 and 170 since April 2023 have all come away from Prestbury Park, and this performance in no way aided his claims for a Champion Chase.

An interesting Friday card at Punchestown saw Albert Bartlet hopeful, Sounds Victorious, beaten at odds of 2/51.40. He is an excellent sizable specimen, but his jumping was far from fluent and very novicy at almost every obstacle. He will need to be much better than this to land a festival race, as he made no inroads on the 40/141.00 winner at the line over this 2m4f distance. He remains 25/126.00 for the Albert Barlett.

Willie Mullins' Irancy won his Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday. Last seen chasing home Ballyburn and Firefox a year ago, he retains his Novice status and should prove a useful type. There was nothing to be too excited about, matching the handicap and three-year-old hurdles on the clock. One to keep an eye on.

Gordon Elliott's Wingmen landed his Maiden Hurdle at Navan on Saturday in workmanlike fashion. He scored in the same race Albert Bartlett winner Stella Story won last year, but he jumped out to his right for much of the race. He is one to tread with caution as this was very slowly run.

Found A Fifty won the Grade 2 Fortria Chase at Navan on Saturday. He dropped in distance and backed up his Down Royal success, but his main rivals underperformed. Banbridge and Captain Guinness were in trouble before the fourth last and beaten a long way out to suggest this wasn't their proper running, and the proximity of the 200/1201.00 chance in third means this is form to tread lightly with. He tends to jump right, but he is a lively outsider at this stage for a 16/117.00 Champion Chase or a Ryanair 10/111.00.

Down Memory Lane scored easily in the 2m1f Beginners Chase at Navan immediately following the Grade 2 Fortria Chase. His unexposed profile means he will have followers, but this was a sedate pace, and he was given an effortless time on the front end. Down Memory Lane was 7.69 secs behind Fortria runner-up Solness (153) at the second of the four down the back, 9.40 secs behind at five out, 10.91 at four out and 12.22 behind at three out. This was a good field on paper, but half were looking for handicap marks. Still, the winner holds promise, and simply because this was a slow time, it doesn't mean he can't do a fast one; he hasn't yet, and it was the same with him over hurdles, so we await further confirmation of his ability. 20/121.00 of the Arkle.

East India Dock claims pole Juvenile position

East India Dock won the Juvenile Triumph Hurdle trial at Cheltenham on Saturday by 18 lengths and, in doing so, recorded the fastest final circuit across the first two days. The James Owen runner beat off admittedly poor opposition who had never run beyond 110 in their previous outings, so the form should be carefully approached. Still, this was an excellent overall performance. He jumped well, travelled strongly, and booted away at the finish. The runner-up, Static, has an official rating of 125, which looks high on the evidence of his two runs this season, but I would like to see that drop to around 112. That would align with the winner's performance to be rated around 130 to 133, around 12 lb below the required rating for a Triumph Hurdle winner but the standard setter in Britain.

However, it's similarly as good a performance as his half-brother Burdett Road produced in this race last year without the jazz. Still, East India Dock has done the best circuit time on the card twice, here and at Wincanton. His trainer, James Owen, suggested that the yard had better prospects, but until we see that on the track, this horse sets the standard, albeit only a low 130 one.

On Sunday at Navan, 2024 Supreme Novice Hurdle winner Slade Steel was scalped by the 2024 Martin Pipe winner Better Days Ahead. This was a tactical affair; giving up on the runner-up is unwise. He will be seen to have the best effect in more truly run races, but he gets very low at his fences, which is a concern, and his only real option is the Brown Advisory at 20/121.00, where they might crawl. Still, Slade Steel is classy. As for the winner, Better Days Ahead, he made the running and won this well. He jumps slightly left, which is no problem for Cheltenham, and at the same price for the Brown Advisory 20/121.00, the market probably has him right for now. We will need to see both of these again to make a judgement.

The best British novice chaser we have seen... by far

L'Eau du Sud was very impressive, winning the Arkle trial on Saturday at Cheltenham with the minimum of fuss, and he must rate a severe contender for the main event in March. I had been pessimistic about his jumping at Stratford, but this performance was polished. He jumped perfectly in the main before showing a high-class engine to power away by 11 lengths and cross the line hard-held.

EASY

L'Eau du Sud lays down an Arkle Chase marker with a bloodless success.

An exciting novice chaser for sure.@harryskelton89 | @DSkeltonRacing | @CheltenhamRaces pic.twitter.com/LaiCLPkC7O

-- Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 16, 2024

The only slight niggle, is he can land top-heavy as he did on the final flight here, and that can cause horses to crumple on landing. That's harsh, though.

This is a very high-class six-year-old who will take plenty of beating in Britain this year. The time figure was well on par with what you would expect for a Grade 1 Novice Chaser - a circuit time of around one second slower than Jonbon on the previous day and matching up promisingly three to finish.

It's even more impressive compared to the Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Il Ridoto. L'Eau du Sud's circuit time was quicker, and he powered away from the last around seven lengths quicker than on the bridle.

Even if the form is shaky, his 153 RPR rating is a strong start. I expect him to find one or two too good from Ireland, but this is a lovely chaser, and it will take a good one to beat him before March. 12/113.00 for the Arkle doesn't appeal, but he will surely line up a single-figure priced chance on the day and, with improvement, must hold sound claims.

I'm Sweet on David for the X Country Handicap Chase @ 10/111.00

One horse from this week should be even shorter than his double-figure price following a romp in the X Country Handicap is Sweet David - 10/111.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - but these markets seem slow to react to brilliant performances in this sphere.

The French youngster devoured the Cheltenham hill, having travelled powerfully through the race from a whopping 17 lb out of the handicap to win, sprinting away from Mister Coffey (142). That race is likely to be looked down on given the handicap system, but in hindsight, Sweet David did finish runner-up to the 145-rated Roi Mage in Craon in September, and there is no getting away from how good this performance was. Lightly raced over fences and only a five-year-old, it would be no surprise to see JP McManus pick this one up as he has done with this type before and pre-empting that might be a fair angle.

This was a race where you would watch the lower-rated horses win, and the class acts return in March from level weights and get their revenge. However, the changes to the festival race, which now is converted to a handicap, means horses like Sweet David may take plenty of beating.

The handicapper will have difficulty assessing what to do with Sweet David's rating. Still, he can't go overboard, given nearly all of these were out of the handicap, and I expect a rating of 140, but even so, there will be some class types holding big weights to keep him of interest. Following this race, a return in March seems a sure possibility, and 10/111.00 seems to be a very generous price based on this evidence.

Market Movers

What's On This Week?

Another quiet mid-week period until the weekend when the Betfair Chase is of serious interest along with the Betfair Stayers' Handicap Hurdle, which could throw up an outsider for the Stayers Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The Morgiana Hurdle (State Man currently 1/31.33 and the John Durkan run this weekend in Ireland where Fact To File could return to action among other exciting prospects.

Now Read: More Horse Racing Tips Here.