2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tips – DS
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Preview
We were out of luck last Sunday at Cork. Our 150/1 bet Sarah Beara ran a great race to finish third, just out of the money. Unfortunately, both our handicap bets ran poorly but I do think that Cregane Ned is one to watch out for over the Festive period. This weekend we’ll be focusing on the action at Jumps’ HQ, Dave Stevos’ 2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas meeting tips are below.
12.40 – Cheltenham Novices’ Chase (Class 2)
One of the horses I am most looking forward to watching this weekend pitches up in this Novices’ Chase. Trelawne, trained by Kim Bailey, really impressed me on his chasing debut at Carlisle. If you watched this horse over hurdles, you wouldn’t have thought he’d make a chaser. He paid the smaller obstacles very little respect but it seems like the switch to fences has transformed his jumping.
The son of Geordieland still managed to rack up three wins over timber. The last of those was a valuable handicap at Uttoxeter (23f sft) off 130 so he has already shown a fair level of ability. On his first chase start, in a handicap chase off 136 at Carlisle, he was sent off the even money fav. It was a weak race but I really liked how he jumped and he won without really coming out of second gear.
Pushed Out
Every time David Bass asked him for a jump, he obliged and he only had to be pushed out for a 3.5L win. The assessor has raised him to 143 for that run, which makes him the second highest rated in this contest.
Grey Dawning achieved more over hurdles and he was admittedly impressive too when beating Gaillard Du Mesnil and Apple Away at Haydock last time. Ginny’s Destiny brings winning course form to the table and those two look the main dangers.
Trelawne is just 3/1 today, so he is too short for the blog. However, I will be watching him closely and if he produces the sort of performance I think he might be capable of, he could be one to back ante-post for the Festival in March.
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tip: No Bet
1.15 – Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
Kaleb has run well in both his class 3 handicap starts this season. A winner of a Fakenham maiden hurdle on good ground last season, he subsequently ran in some decent races with no success. He signed off with a poor effort at Plumpton on his final start of the campaign before he was let off for his summer break.
On his return to action at Plumpton (16f gd/sft) the son of Sir Percy was held up by Patrick Wadge. He finished off really strongly to get up for second late on, 3.75l behind the winner Small Bad Bob. That came off 122 and next time, off a pound higher, he ran another solid race at Sandown (16f sft). This time he raced more prominently and he found just Arqoob, who was behind him at Plumpton, too good.
Last season he was beat 1.5L off 125 in a handicap hurdle at Kempton (16f sft) so while you couldn’t argue he is very well handicapped, we at least know he is capable of being very competitive off his current rating of 124. I’m hoping Jack Quinlan reverts to the same hold up tactics that were used at Plumpton. If he does, hopefully Kaleb can finish fast and late to pick up some more place money at 25/1.
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tip: Kaleb e/w @ 25/1 (4 places) NAP
1.50 – Mares’ Handicap Chase (Class 3)
If the ground was a bit better, Walk In Clover would be the one to beat in this off 122. She ran a blinder here last time behind Triple Trade off 121 (16f gd/sft) and she won a nice handicap chase here last season off 118 (20f gd). Clearly, she enjoys this track but the ground will be much softer today. That being said, she has won and placed on soft/heavy but those were far weaker affairs than today’s race.
To be honest, the majority of the mares in this race would prefer a sounder surface. Lilith has won on soft but she had yet another wind op in the off season and she didn’t show much spark last time. Pougne Amita won on soft at Wetherby last year but post-race, connections said that the soft ground was a huge worry but it wasn’t as bad as they feared.
Happy D’Ex has some decent soft ground form in Ireland but she has her first run for six months for a new yard so she is probably best watched. Petticoat Lucy is a horse we backed before but again, her best form is on ground with good in the description.
None of the outsiders really make any appeal and on such a busy weekend, there’ll be better races than this to get involved in. No bet.
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tip: No bet
2.25 – Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Class 2)
The favourite here, Le Ligerien, has plenty of soft ground form in the book. However, all his soft/heavy ground wins are at 2 miles and his 20f wins have come on good. He may well be vulnerable at today’s distance on the forecast soft ground.
While the trip may be too long for him, the opposite applies to Lord Du Mesnil. He wants at least 24f and his last two wins have come over even further (28f). He hasn’t run over this short since November 2018. Sam Brown is another one whose best recent form has come over further trips.
Outsider
The outsider, Duc De Beauchene’s last win came at Fakenham over 29f on good ground and he was a non-runner on account of soft ground at Ffos Las last month. The only one at a half decent price that should act on the ground and be effective at the distance is Up Helly AA King.
Trained by Nick Alexander, this son of And Beyond will be having his first start at Cheltenham. He was last sighted finishing 2nd on good ground at Doncaster back in March (24f) but his best form is on much softer surfaces.
His last win came at Doncaster in February 2022 (24f sft) off a mark of 122. He was a fine second in one of these Veterans’ Chases in November of last year, finishing 4L behind Saint Xavier at Haydock (25.5f sft). He ran well first time up last season, beat 3.75L over 21f off 124 and he returns to action off a pound lower this year.
Danny McMenamin is booked (11/72 with 31 Top 4s for Alexander) and if his mount is fully fit for his first run of the campaign, he should handle the conditions better than most. At odds of 10/1, Up Helly Aa King is the e/w selection.
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tip: Up Helly Aa King e/w @ 10/1
3.00 – Cross Country Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Usually, I avoid these races like the plague. However, after watching Enjoy D’Allen in the Risk of Thunder at Punchestown last month, I can’t resist having a bet on him at around 12/1.
Ciaran Murphy, fresh from a winner at Naas on Thursday, has always held this horse in high regard. I put him up ante-post for the Aintree National last season but he never landed a blow. He was racing off 146 that day, he was third in an Irish National off 142 in 2021 and he is effectively racing off 138 today with Eoin Walsh claiming 3lbs.
The 9yo son of Network goes on most ground but his last two wins came on soft/heavy. The ground at Cheltenham should be right up his alley and so should the 29.5f trip. While he has never won over this far, he has shaped on more than one occasion that he’d stay and this will be his first go over a marathon distance on proper soft ground.
Banks Course
Enjoy D’Allen seemed to take well to the banks course at Punchestown. He did put in a couple of slow jumps but it was a decent first attempt. He got caught behind Mica Malpic when starting to stay on around 3f out and that probably cost him any chance.
In the end he ran on well to be fifth, 10L behind the winner but only 2.5L behind the third. This longer trip should suit him better and if he takes to this course, he has the natural ability to run a big race at odds of 12/1.
2023 Friday Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Tip: Enjoy D’Allen e/w @ 12/1 (4 places) NB
3.35 – Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
The three outsiders of the field produced form figures of 6PP on their last starts. Two of them are making their seasonal reappearance and Shantou Express had a wind op in the off season. Hermino AA has a recent run under his belt but it was a dreadful effort and he has failed to complete on both runs this term.
The one that makes most appeal at double figure odds is Paricolor for Pipe and Noonan. This horse should be piping fit after two runs this season. He ran a lovely race here over 21f (gd/sft) last time, finishing just over 5L behind his stablemate American Sniper.
That came off 115 and while he is a pound higher here, he remains 4lbs lower than when a close second at Chepstow over 23f a year ago. That was also on good to soft ground but this son of Orpen handles it softer.
His last win, in December 2021, came on soft ground at Bangor (23f) off 122 and he has now been placed on both his visits to Cheltenham. Paricolor is fairly handicapped, David Noonan has form figures of 23 when riding him and the 7yo has form figures of 3112 when running in December. This could be the time of year to catch him so at 12/1, an e/w interest is advised.
