Saturday Betting Preview for Cheltenham Part 2

Sametegal is the other Paul Nicholls entry and, though he's not put together quite as exciting a performance as Irish Saint, he certainly has acquitted himself well in his past few efforts over hurdles with a solid second place at Doncaster back in mid-December and a score at Wetherby with Ruby up last November. Prior to that he scored in a 19K French handicap hurdle and won well by a three-length margin.

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He showed a tendency to hang right at a crucial moment on the run-in and this was likely the reason why he could only muster a second-place finish. He has the ability and will move on with the experience from his last race. There is still no confirmed rider for this one.

The second race of the day is the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase and there is a very large field to navigate here. Some of the top weights inspire confidence – David Pipe's Shoegazer chief among them – while Gullinbursti may improve and come in at a solid price. Akcertac has held appeal in the past but is still yet to actually win at Cheltenham despite several attempts. He was pulled up last time out, refusing about halfway through a contest at Ascot.

McMurrough seeks his third score on the bounce but is taking a significant step up in quality here. He's captured a 3K and a 6K at Newcastle and Wetherby and is getting a real test here. It's obvious that Malcolm Jefferson is confident in his ability to handle the step up in grade and if he shows some quality here, you can expect a festival bow.

Look for Sizing Santiago to put in a good shift in this one but they are a tough bunch to bet as the word “Sizing” usually guarantees the horse is going to take money. He finished a solid second to Swing Bill at Cheltenham back in November and that's not a bad accomplishment for a chaser of his sort. A quality win in a 6K at Newbury back in November adds further credibility.

The third race of the day, the 1:15 Murphy Group Chase is a Grade 3 contest with many of the usual suspects lining up in for the 2m5f handicap. Poquelin enters as the top weight and he's been struggling at that level in the past – not winning at 11-12 in nearly three years. The last time did come at Cheltenham, in the Grade 3 Boylesports Gold Cup.