- Slipaway a potential big player in staying handicaps
- Drop to minimum trip expected to suit
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The third and final day of the November meeting at Cheltenham sees a fine mix of highly-competitive handicaps and classy Graded action. Thankfully, it has also produced a couple of appealing betting propositions.
Pauling runner to continue rise up the chasing ranks
The first race of interest is the Jewson Handicap Chase (14:20) and it seems sure to be a hardy test of stamina over just shy of three-and-a-half miles. One contender that is proven at marathon trips, but also remains unexposed and open to improvement, is the Ben Pauling-trained Slipway.
The seven-year-old had been quite a low-key performer for much of his career, but he very much announced himself as a potentially big player in staying handicap chases when running out the impressive winner of the Highland National Handicap Chase at Perth in April.
On that occasion the son of Stowaway looked to be transformed by the step up in trip, jumping and travelling like a dream and having the race sewn up a long way from home. The handicapper gave him 10lb for that, but he earned every single one of them.
Now, his readiness for a test such as this on his seasonal reappearance has to be taken on trust, but Ben Pauling has his team in fine order and it wouldn't surprise at all if Slipway is in good enough shape to continue his rise up the ranks by winning this valuable prize.
Big run expected down to the minimum trip
The Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (14:55) is one of the main focus points of this meeting and as always it has attracted a highly-competitive field that will take a fair bit of sorting out.
There are two intriguing Irish-trained challengers in Thousand Tears and Dads Lad, but my preference is for a Welsh contender in the shape of the Evan Williams-trained Current Mood.
The seven-year-old showed plenty of promise when trained by Liam Kenny in Ireland prior to switching to Williams last season and she made an immediate impact for her new trainer.
She won three of her seven starts over hurdles last season and also ran with great credit in Listed and Grade 2 company. Those latter runs are notable as they came over mid-range and staying trips which the fullness of time has revealed may well be further than ideal for her.
With that in mind, she remains a bit unexposed at the minimum trip in handicaps and her return to action in a handicap hurdle over two-and-a-half miles at Ffos Las was very eye-catching indeed.
She looked likely to play a major role in the finish at one point, but was not at all knocked about in the closing stages and ended up finishing third. It wouldn't surprise if this race has been her target for quite some time and now that she returns to the minimum trip a big run can be expected.