2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting Tips – DS
2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting Preview
It is fair to say that Sunday at Naas was an unmitigated disaster. Marco Monaco travelled sweetly in the Birdcatcher before stopping as though he was shot. Lakewood was badly hampered on the inner but she was going backwards in any case. Joupe also travelled well to a point but the run possibly came too soon. We are back in action with three previews this weekendat jumps HQ. Check out Dave Stevos’ 2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting preview and tips below.
1.45 – Paddy Power Handicap Chase (Class 2)
The first live race at the November meeting is this 16f handicap chase. Just the nine horses will line up behind the tape and the top weight, The Glancing Queen, is the 7/2 fav. Her trainer is flying right now and she won well on her last start over C&D against her own sex. This is tougher and she’ll need to be in tip top shape on her first start for 211 days to take this.
The one I like at a nice e/w price is the rag, Gold De Bois. It has taken a while for Iain Jardine to get this horse right since he was purchased out of the Gordon Elliott yard for 20k. However, he has finally got back on track on his last two outings. On his seasonal comeback he took a four runner affair by 2L off 121. Then he beat the talented Malystic (re-opposes today) by 1.25L off 127.
Both those wins came at Kelso on decent ground and conditions will be similar today. Conor O’Farrell keeps the ride and on the form of his first run for Jardine (beat 2.5L off 134 by Nuts Well), he is arguably still well handicapped off 130. Jardine’s horses are absolutely flying (5 winners last 21 runners) and he’ll be desperate to get a first Cheltenham winner on the board. Malystic is 3lbs better off with Gold De Bois now and there is unlikely to be much between them again. He’s only 9s though and at 20/1, Gold De Bois is preferred for e/w purposes.
2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting Tips: Gold De Bois e/w @ 20/1 nap
2.20 – Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Another handicap chase, this one for novices over 20f. Only three horses are priced up at double figure odds and at 12/1, Honneur D’Ajonc could be the one to be on e/w. Trained by Jane Williams, this four time winning hurdler will be having his second chase start. The first one came at Ffos Las last month and though he was well beaten in last, I’m not too sure how hard he was trying.
It almost looked as if connections were using that Ffos Las race a schooling session. The son of Diamond Boy jumped pretty well, Ciaran Gethings just never tried to put him into the race. Going up in trip should suit this horse. He is unbeaten in two runs at 19.5f and this will be the first time he has tackled 20f.
Williams’ charge races off a mark of 127 today. That’s 2lbs lower than last time and just 4lbs higher than he was when beating a decent horse of Evan Williams over timber at Exeter last season. When he tries, this horse usually front runs so we will know our fate pretty early on. Hopefully Gethings goes from the front and if he does, Honneur D’Ajonc could reward e/w support at odds of 12/1.
2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting Tips: Honneur D’Ajonc e/w @ 12/1
2.55 – Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Class 2)
I was really keen on Saint Xavier for this race but I was hoping for slower ground. Richard Hobson’s horses are in great form and this horse won on his seasonal return in France last season. However, that was on heavy and while he has won on good to soft in the past, the majority of his best form has come on soft or worse. He is looking dangerously well treated but on the forecast ground, I’ll leave him alone on this occasion.
One horse for whom conditions look ideal is the grand old 13yo, My Manekineko. He is in off 120 today, 8lbs higher than his official Irish chase mark. That looks harsh, but it is only 6 months since he ran a massive race off the same rating in a 25f handicap chase at Haydock when beat 0.5L by Light Flicker for his former trainer James Nash.
My Manekineko shaped very nicely on his first start for his new trainer, Peter McCreery. He was beat just 4.5L in a 20f handicap hurdle at Listowel off 107, staying on really well. The switch to a more testing track should suit on that evidence and three of his last four wins have come at 19f to 21f. Gearoid Brouder takes off a very handy 5lbs so the son of Authorized will carry just 10 stone. His form figures going left handed in chases on decent ground read 2235142312 and at 14/1, he is the e/w selection.
2022 Friday Cheltenham November Meeting Tips: My Manekineko e/w @ 14/1 nb
3.30 – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
The last live ITV race of the day is this 21f Grade 2 novices’ hurdle. Just the seven go to post and the favourite is the Willie Mullins trained Hubrisko. A wide margin French bumper winner in 2020, he has had four starts for his new trainer. He placed on his first two hurdle runs on easy ground before winning emphatically at Galway on good. His G3 3rd last time out is solid form and today’s conditions look ideal. Obvious claims.
Irish P2P winner Hermes Allen is next best for Nicholls and Cobden. He landed a 22f Stratford maiden by a distance on his first start under rules but this will tell us a lot more about the £350k purchase. Weveallbeencaught is 9/2. He is unbeaten after two starts, both on soft. He landed a P2P by 4L at Dromohane and then a bumper at Newbury by 0.5L.
The horse he beat into 2nd at Newbury, Collectors Item, re-opposes here. Jonjo O’Neill’s charge has run once since, a 2.75L maiden hurdle win at Chepstow last month. He only has half a length to find plus he has experience over hurdles so if I was backing either of those two, it would be Collectors Item at 9s.
In Form
Music Drive represents the in-form Gordon Elliott yard. He stayed on nicely over a furlong shorter here last time out and previous course form should not be underestimated. Only for a mistake at the last he would have gone even closer than the 2.25L he was beaten and it would be foolish to write him off at 6/1.
Getaway Drumlee is the rank outsider but I liked how he won the last day. He clearly hated going right handed and Kielan Woods had to keep a tight hold of the reins to keep him from hanging left. Going left handed around here should really suit him and though that form is weak, he won with any amount in hand despite the 4L winning margin.
G2 Form
Quid Pro Quo has been chalked up at 20s. He came up short in a decent G2 last time over 19f. He previously won a maiden over that distance and on his penultimate start, he hacked up in a Newton Abbott Novice by 7L. Those two wins came on sharp, flat tracks and that could be what he needs to show his best.
I wasn’t going to bet on this race but with three places on offer, I’m going to chance Getaway Drumlee. Ben Pauling isn’t averse to having big priced winners and I think this horse showed a lot of potential last time, despite doing a lot wrong. Hopefully he’ll have learned plenty from that outing and judging by how he raced, a more truly run race might suit him, as will going left handed. Ben Pauling’s form figures for the past week read 315432311332, hopefully Getaway Drumlee continues his good form at odds of 40/1.
