Saturday Jumps Racing Preview PT 1

We’re taking a look at some of the Channel 4 races that will be shown on Saturday December 13, unfolding primarily at Cheltenham and Doncaster - both tracks hosting some exciting action over timber. The opener is the 2:00 pm from Cheltenham, a Grade 3 Handicap Chase with a nice bit of prize money up for grabs as a dozen or so middle distance types tackle the 2m5f on offer. 

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The betting favourite right now is Caid Du Berlais and he trades as low as 4.0 as he looks to build on a victory from about a month ago when he beat out a similar field of eighteen over course and distance (though it should be acknowledged that the prior race is half a furlong shorter). 

He only triumphed by a head in that race but was able to get up in the final strides and carrying a significant weight break likely helped him significantly on the run-in. The going is good to soft here instead of his preferred soft ground and the Paul Nicholls charge looks like he will be up against it with a dramatic rise in the weights to 11-11. 

The one to watch here for many appears to be Attaglance who lines up for Malcolm Jefferson and carries a 10.0 price despite not actually having found the line much recently. An interesting option appears to be Darna who lines up for Kim Bailey and goes first time McCoy. It’s interesting that AP chooses this one despite clearly having some other options in the race. He comes in off a nice handicap chase victory at Sedgefield when he romped home in a Class 3 by a whopping eighteen length margin despite only being sent off at a 7/2 margin against seven other contenders. 

What adds to the interesting angles for him here is the fact that it was his first race back in nearly two years. To be able to get back and win like that shows he should be able to tangle with the contenders that he’ll find himself up against here. His only previous Cheltenham effort was back in 2012 when he ran against eventual winner Balthazar King in one of the handicap chases run back in the earlier portion of the fall.