Cheltenham November Meeting Day 2 Betting Tips – Saturday 12th November

The second day of the Cheltenham November meeting gives us seven races to get stuck into and after a fantastic day of tips yesterday which included 13/2, 4/1 and 11/2 winners, @Rideout_Racing is back with another through the card preview.

It’s an earlier start today with the first race at 12.35pm and we go all the way to 4.05pm with seven races in total. Have a read of the race by race preview below with tips for each race.

 

Cheltenham 12.35pm

Classy flat perform can deliver over hurdles

Day two of The November Meeting kicks off with the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle over an extended two miles. Paul Nicholls saddles the current market leader Blueking D’Oroux but has had a handful of favourites beaten in this contest and I would favour the chances of Scriptwriter 9/2 for last year’s winning training Milton Harris. Formerly trained by Aiden O’Brien, he has classy flat form to his name and was officially rated 102. That would suggest he has a fair engine, and he made a pleasing start to life over hurdles with a smooth success Sedgefield. He was speedy over the obstacles and bar the odd novicey mistake looked to have transitioned to hurdles nicely. The quicker ground conditions should be in his favour, and he’s entitled to improve plenty for that first start. Medyaf beat Tuddenham Green and Mr Freedom last time out, but Mr Freedom was travelling well before running out two from home. Those three look closely matched on that form line at the weights, and I would be surprised a rival can’t improve past them.

 

Cheltenham 1.10pm

Two to consider as the Amateur Jockeys get set to do battle

Next on the card the Amateur Jockeys get a chance to shine in a handicap chase over three miles and one furlong. Jimmy The Digger scored nicely over course and distance at the October meeting, but the handicapper has put him up 7lbs and Alice Stevens is down to a 3lb claim (5 before). Valsheda heads the current betting and is likely to relish this kind of test around Cheltenham. He is a short enough price though and in a race of this nature I would be inclined to take him on. Of those towards the top of the market, Punitive 13/2 caught my eye for trainer Gordon Elliott. Having moved from the Henry De Bromhead yard, he stayed on strongly on stable debut over two miles and two furlongs at Galway. It is interesting to see Gordon step him significantly up in trip and he is completely unexposed as a three-mile chaser. By Shantou and out of an Old Vic mare, there is plenty of stamina in his pedigree and the English handicapper has left him on his Irish mark. With excellent claimer Rob James taking off 5lbs, he could be ready to strike.

Towards the bottom of the weights, I also thought Trixster 18/1 had claims for trainer Tim Vaughan. He finished half a length behind the progressive Twig on his last start who has form tied in with the likes of Shearer and Found On. Trixster received plenty of weight that day but his form two starts back is just as strong. In receipt of 7lbs from Broken Quest he finished three and a half lengths behind that rival, but Broken Quest went on to seriously frank the form seeing his rating rise to 140. Rated 115, Trixster is certainly on a competitive mark especially when you consider ground conditions should be in his favour and Chloe Emsley takes a further 7lbs off. I would be hopeful he can out run his odds.

 

Cheltenham 1.45pm

Festival winner can put chasing experience to good use

A fantastic field of seven go to post for the Grade 2 Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial, where the exciting Monmiral makes his fencing debut for trainer Paul Nicholls. He could be one of the leading English novice chasers this season, but this looks a deep race on paper, and I wouldn’t be totally convinced he’s an out an out two miler. With no Cheltenham experience to date, I believe there’s enough reasons to take him on. Pentland Hills is another high-class recruit to the novice chasing ranks but like Monmiral has zero chasing experience having had a walkover at Huntingdon last time out. Tommy’s Oscar was the highest rated of these over hurdlers and made a pleasing start to life over fences at Carlisle. For all he was very progressive last season and shot up the weights, he was duly stuffed in the Champion Hurdle. I think he may need to find more improvement to win this.

Joseph O’Brien sends over last season’s Martin Pipe winner Banbridge 7/2 who was deadly on his chase debut at Gowran Park. It is extremely interesting to see connections favour a step back in trip for a tilt at this contest rather than running off 143 in a handicap chase on Friday’s card. We know he jumps extremely well, and he should have plenty of stamina at the trip. I wouldn’t be surprised to see JJ Slevin make this a real test in order to try and put the chase debutants jumping under immense pressure. Banbridge has to find improvement on hurdles form but his chase debut suggested there could be loads more to come over fences. With Jonbon set to make his chasing debut on Wednesday, Banbridge will have hopefully announced himself as a potential challenger!

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Cheltenham 2.20pm

Happy can be Lucky for punters in the big one

The feature race of the meeting is the Paddy Power Gold Cup over two and a half miles. Irish raider French Dynamite has to be respected but Ireland have a poor record in this and all his best form is going right handed. The money seems to have come for him, but I wouldn’t be keen to back him at his current odds of 9/2. Ga Law caught the eye in the Old Roan Chase behind Riders Onthe Storm and Hitman, but that run came off the back of a 603-day break and the dreaded bounce factor would be a niggling doubt. Stolen Silver was impressive over course and distance at the April meeting but he’s up to a mark of 150 and wouldn’t appear to have bundles in hand.

In a race where question marks surround the top of the market, I believe it is worth looking for a fancy at a price. Happygolucky 14/1 clearly thrives around Cheltenham, winning a Novices Chase at the track before finishing second in the 2021 Ultima. He also has a placed effort behind Thyme Hill and a fourth in the Martin Pipe over hurdles at the track. Happygolucky hasn’t been seen for 580 days but his record fresh is excellent. He has recorded comfortable wins on the back of 328 and 230 day breaks in the past and it is interesting to see connections pitch him into a valuable contest after such a long absence. The betting is likely to prove informative, but Kim Bailey has his string in fine form, and I would be hopeful of a big run. With the likes of Editeur Du Gite, Simply The Betts and Coole Cody in the race, this should be run at a proper gallop so his stamina should come in handy late on.

 

Cheltenham 2.55pm

Shearer can score a quick fire Cheltenham brace

Annual Invictus has been subject to quite the antepost gamble in our next race, the Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle over three miles. His odds have tumbled from 20/1 into 11/2 and he certainly seems set to enjoy this step up three miles. At his current odds he wouldn’t make considerable appeal to me and at the top of the market I favour the chances of Shearer 7/2. He looks progressive for inform trainer Paul Nicholls and he stayed on strongly to record a course and distance success at the October meeting. The handicapper hit him with an 8lb hike for that win, but the runner up Twig has come out and franked the form and ground conditions should suit once again. On The Blinde Side has a brilliant record when fresh and would be feared most, but his form tailed off last season and now a ten-year-old, he may be vulnerable to a more progressive type.

 

Cheltenham 3.30pm

In form Irish raider can strike for shrewd connections

The penultimate race of the day is a tricky handicap hurdle over the intermediate trip where Wiseguy heads the betting for Nicky Henderson. Having beaten a certain Hillcrest in a bumper he clearly has ability and could be chucked in off a mark of 119. We haven’t seen him for 336 days and having been comfortably beaten after a 307-day break, he may be one to improve for the run. Irish raider Unanswered 4/1 comes here in fine form after some good performances on the flat. An easy winner of a Punchestown maiden when last seen over hurdles he was hit heavily by the handicapper but could still be well in off a mark of 111. He’s unexposed at the trip with a very progressive profile. Ground conditions should be right up his street and he’s been well supported throughout the week.

 

Cheltenham 4.05pm

Cheltenham Festival favourite can enhance her reputation

The final race of the day is an intriguing Mares Bumper where a handful of unbeaten well-regarded mares are set to do battle. Bonttay boasts two Cheltenham bumper wins to her name, whilst Queens Gamble was ultra-impressive over course and distance in April. Willie Mullins runners are always respected, and he saddles Williamstowndancer who has seen her debut win franked by both the second and the third. A strong case can be made for all three of those mares, but I will side with current favourite Luccia 15/8 for Nicky Henderson. She has been visually awesome in her two bumper wins to date and destroyed a listed field on her most recent at Sandown. Both of her wins have come on soft ground, but she appears to be a good mover and her pedigree suggests she will handle the quicker the conditions. Visually, she seems to do all best work late on and I would expect the stiff finish at Cheltenham to really play to her strengths. Paul Nicholls has had a fine start to the season but Henderson has his string firing on all cylinders, operating at 42% strike rate at the time of writing. Fingers crossed Luccia can enhance her reputation and shorten at the top of the Mares Novice Hurdle market.

 

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