Graded Preview for Cheltenham New Year's Day Jumps Card
- By A.J. Ryder on December 31, 2010 13:17 GMTWe've got a bundle of high-quality races set to unfold over the venerable Cheltenham racecourse surface on New Year's Day. The action kicks off at 12:20 and you can expect high-quality fields in nearly every race.
We'll be examining the higher-end races here and trying to glean a bit of info from the race cards.
While the second race may not have graded status, it does certainly boast a few quality contenders. While it's tough to bet against Celestial Halo, the form selection here appears to be Alan King's KARABAK. He finished second to Silviniaco Conti on his seasonal debut and then captured a Grade 2 contest over course and distance. There's really no reason why he should win if he jumps cleanly. Having AP up for this one again just adds credibility.
The Dipper Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 contest where a number of talented contenders are set to go 2m5f. There are plenty of winning records here so you can expect a very competitive betting market. The play looks to be REVE DE SIVOLA who looks a pure Cheltenham specialist, having run at the prestigious racecourse seven times in his brief twelve race career. He is one for two on the chase circuit and boasts a strong course and distance reference.
Top-weight TARANIS looks set to have a serious crack at the Victor Chandler Chase. He likes Cheltenham as well and you can expect him to be deploying a slightly different strategy here with the cut back in distance. Carole's Legacy is a decent outside shot but it might be worth keeping your eyes on I'msingingtheblues, who is back to defend his title this year.
After the Victor Chandler Chase we've got the Skybet.com Handicap Hurdle- a 3m contest for about seventeen runners. Gwanako could be set to turnh it all around here, but he's been the picture of inconsistency this season. Ringaroses comes out of Jonjo O'Neill's yard and boasts a Grade 3 score to his credit. The outside bet appears to be the mysterious KILCREA KIM, lightly-raced, but is undefeated over hurdles with a 3/3 record.
