Berkshire Winter Million Weekend: Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Races To Watch

After a couple of weeks of slim pickings on the jumps racing front following the recent cold snap, prospects for the weekend’s mouth-watering national hunt cards are looking good and there is plenty of classy racing action for punters to look ahead to with the prospect of a few Cheltenham Festival clues being revealed into the bargain!

The fixtures in question taking place over the weekend constitute the Berkshire Winter Million, a brand new initiative combining three top-class horse racing over the sticks spread across the weekend and boasting prize money in excess of £1.2million.

Kicking off on day one at Windsor – a track only recently reintroduced to the National Hunt game after a long absence – the day’s feature race takes in the Fitzdares Sovereign Hurdle. The action then switches to Ascot for the second day of the three-day extravaganza featuring the BetMGM Clarence House Chase. This Grade One contest has been won in the past by some very notable names including Shishkin, Altior and three-time winner Un de Sceaux.

Finally, day three sees the action return to Windsor to bring down the curtain on the fantastic series with the last day racecard dominated by the Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase which was won twelve months ago by Venetia Williams’ classy L’Homme Presse when the race was run at Lingfield.

In all, there will be 22 races going to post across the three days with several races potentially having ramifications for some Cheltenham Festival markets.

 

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY – Fitzdares Lightning Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) – 13.50 Windsor

There may only be four runners declared for this Grade Two contest but what the race lacks in numbers it makes up for in quality. The market for this two-mile contest is headed by Paul Nicholls’ CALDWELL POTTER who will be looking to atone for a lesser recent run at Cheltenham when finishing third to Jango Baie and Springwell Bay.

A Grade One winner in Ireland over hurdles as a novice, the Martaline gelding holds entries in both the Arkle and the Brown Advisory at the Festival. His rivals include 2023 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle winner You Wear It Well who is chasing a first win over fences and features in the betting the Mares’ Chase as well as Gidleigh Park from the Harry Fry camp who is also quoted for the Arkle and Brown Advisory.

 

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY – BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle – 12.30 Ascot

Nicky Henderson could well turn out his ex-French recruit LULAMBA who was forced to miss an intended engagement at Kempton on Lanzarote Hurdle day when that fixture was lost to the weather.

Owned by the Donnellys whose colours have been carried by the likes of Shishkin, Sir Gino and Al Boum Photo amongst many others the one-time French-trained import has proven all the rage for the Triumph Hurdle with a deluge of support forcing down the prize of Nicky Henderson’s charge into single figures for Cheltenham’s day 4 opener.

His potential rivals include fellow Triumph Hurdle entrant Sauvignon, trained by Paul Nicholls and another French import; while Harry Derham’s Viyanni is also in the Triumph Hurdle picture and another who could potentially turn out here.

 

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY – BetMGM Mares’ Hurdle – 13.40 Ascot

The Cheltenham Festival market for this race is cloudy with some of those at the head of the market potentially going elsewhere. Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth both feature prominently at the head of the ante-post market for this contest but the Champion Hurdle is a tantalising carrot for both.

Their defection away from this race could leave the way open for Willie Mullins’ KARGESE who looks set to make her seasonal debut in this Grade Two contest and currently vies for top billing in the ante-post market for the Mares’ Hurdle.

Ascot’s appearance should be a fairly straightforward assignment for the dual-Grade One winning novice although she may clash with a couple of potential Cheltenham Festival opponents in Take No Chances and Casa No Mento although both would have a bit to find with the Mullins raider especially if that one were to replicate his Aintree run last term behind Sir Gino.

 

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY – BetMGM Clarence House Chase – 15.32 Ascot

Arguably the race of the weekend, the feature Grade One contest on Ascot’s Saturday card sees dual-Champion Chase winner Energumene from the Willie Mullins camp take on Nicky Henderson’s leading two-mile chaser and current Champion Chase favourite JONBON.

This race could have a significant influence on the Champion Chase ante-post market and looks sure to be a cracker of a race, especially if Energumene can build on his reappearance in the Hilly Way Chase. The 2022 and 2023 winner of the Champion Chase did nothing wrong at Cork following a lengthy absence and will be sure to make Jonbon work for the victory despite that one posting a career-best effort in the Tingle Creek at Sandown which he won by eight lengths.

Both horses might have clashed in last season’s Champion Chase but neither made it to the Festival with Energumene suffering a setback, while Jonbon was taken out of the race due to the poor form of the Seven Barrows camp on the run up to the Festival.

Alan King’s veteran Edwardstone also features in the race and the Champion Chase betting, as does Harry Fry’s Boothill and Evan Williams’ Liberty Hunter.

 

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY – Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase – 15.05 Windsor

Venetia Williams took top honours in the race twelve months ago with L’Homme Presse and will rely this time on DJELO who took a few notable scalps when bolting in at Huntingdon in the Peterborough Chase where he beat Protektorat who finished runner-up in the race last year and chased home Djelo at Huntingdon

Both horses are in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival, while Djelo holds also an entry in the Champion Chase; while rivals including Ahoy Senor could give the leading pair something to think about if coming back to his best.

Lucinda Russell’s star holds Ryanair Chase and Gold Cup entries at the Festival but has become frustrating and he failed to complete the course last time in the Betfair Chase. He’s now 0-10 since winning the 2023 Cotswold Chase and would have to turn in a monster performance at Windsor on Sunday to be considered for any of the Cheltenham Festival prizes.

 

Berkshire Winter Million Weekend Tips

• Friday 1.50pm Windsor – Caldwell Potter (Evens)
• Saturday 12.30pm Ascot – Lulamba
• Saturday 1.40pm Ascot – Kargese
• Saturday 3.32pm Ascot – Jonbon
• Sunday 3.05pm Windsor – Djelo

 

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