Park Life Sport managed to speak to local horse racing expert Ash Symonds about this weekend’s November meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse, in what will be a “great atmosphere with plenty of horses to look out for.”
“The October meeting was great and it really surprised me, I expect it to be a bigger atmosphere this weekend, the races engulf the town, the bars and all of town will be full of people either in a happy or a sad state.
“It is the second biggest meeting of the year, there are some really good horses to look out for with two festival winners running tomorrow in the PaddyPower Gold Cup, and the races do definitely boost the town for sure.”
It is the second meeting at Cheltenham this season, after the October meeting kicked proceedings off at Prestbury Park three weeks ago.
There are lots of eye-catching races to kick this meeting off in Friday’s Countryside Day, with Galvin and Delta Work re-visiting their fierce rivalry from the festival last year in the 2.55 Glenfarclas Chase and the well respected Ballybreeze making his first appearance of the season in the 1.45 Mucking Brilliant PaddyPower Handicap chase.
“I think it is a good race, out of the top two I would be more inclined to go with Galvin, his record when first time out and fresh isn’t too bad, he finished fourth in the Gold Cup which was quite disappointing.
“He did win on a seasonal re-appearance last year at Punchestown in October, and he is coming into this race again first time out.
“I know he finished second to Delta Work in the festival, but he is carrying a lower weight than Delta Work due to the Jockey’s claim and I say that Galvin could handle the conditions better today”: Symonds said.
Symonds believes there will be “six fantastic races”, with the most interesting being the second race, the 1.45: “There are a lot of horses in there who could very much improve to be the winner, but for me Ballybreeze is the one that holds the biggest chance in my eyes.
“He is an unexposed type for Samuel Drinkwater and he goes really well first time out as a fresh horse off a big break.
“Last season he won at Chepstow on his first appearance this season, he has an official rating of 120 today, it is his first run of the season and I think he has a fantastic chance.
“I would go to the last race too, the 4.05 and I am looking at Impose Toi for Nicky Henderson, Nico De Boinville, he has won 2 of his last 3 races, he is off the back of a win at Ludlow and he won by about 15 lengths.
“It is his first run of the season and there is no better man than Nico De Boinville to power him up that Cheltenham hill.”
There is a full weekend of racing at Cheltenham Racecourse, with 19 races in total and a few outsider horses looking to get a famous Cheltenham win under their belt, in what is a lot of season openers for trainers and jockeys.
“For the Saturday there are a few more betting angles and the one for me that I really want to be with is in the 2.55 and it is Placenet for David Pipe and Jack Tudor, it is coming over from France running its first race in the UK, the UK handicappers have given him a rating of 124 for tomorrow and I think that is a fantastic mark to beat.
“In the PaddyPower Gold Cup, I am tempted to go with the real whacker although he is at top weight carrying 12 stone, he is a fantastic horse, he has jumping power from the front, if Patrick Neville thinks he is Gold Cup horse in time, he has to go close in this race.”
As for Sunday, Symonds has identified the Greatwood Hurdle as the one to look out for: “There is a horse with Nicky Henderson who should go really close and that is Iberico Lord, who was second at Sandown to Stable Mate under control who Henderson really does like, it should handle conditions, the form is really good and it should go really close.”
