Cheltenham 2014 - Day 3 Handicaps

The notoriously difficult Pertemps’ handicap hurdle always takes solving but a key trend of recent years is that three of the last 5 winners have finished in the first five of the Fixed Brush handicap hurdle at Haydock back in November and when second to Gevrey Chambertain that day, Utopie Des Bordes may have entered many notebooks and she might be the value of the field at 20/1 today.

Simon Munir’s charge, a Grade 1 winner in France before moving here, did the minimum to qualify with a fifth next time before then disappointing twice at Kempton and Ascot. Thanks to those two defeats, she now appears here just 2lbs higher in the weights than for that effort which gives her a fighting chance here and at 20/1 with Bet365 for the 5 places, she makes a tempting option in a race with so many potential angles.

Fingal Bay and If In Doubt have outstanding form claims based on their 1-2 at Exeter last time but all hint of value has gone and it’s hard to recommend either of them and the value has also gone from Grand Vision for us.

In the Bryne Group Plate, Colour Squadron is another big chance for Phillip Hobbs to add another winner in the handicaps to Balthazar King’s success yesterday with Colour Squadron, and after two strong efforts he should be capable of going close, but Nadiya De La Vega is given yet another chance. She’s been disappointing this season but the first time visor may help her chances and 138 still is fair for a horse of her ability. 

In the Kim Muir, the switch to better ground should help Banaslow, who can give the Mullins brigade another strong chance. A four time winner whose successes have all come on ground that is no worse than good to soft, the way he travelled in the Thyestes before emptying up the straight suggested that a big handicap could potentially be in him and having gone up just three pounds for that, a big run could well be coming today for Patrick Mullins. Also worth considering is Buddy Bolero, who was fourth in the National Hunt Chase and would be of interest if kicking from the front early today as one presumes he needs to.

Advice

1 pt each/way Utopie Des Bordes, 2.05 Cheltenham (20/1 Bet365)

1 pt each/way Nadiya De La Vega, 4.00 Cheltenham, (22/1 Bet365)

1 pt each/way Banaslow, 4.40 Cheltenham (10/1 general)

1 pt each/way Buddy Bolero, 4.40 Cheltenham (14/1 general)