Talking Horses: Tips for Cheltenham in our daily racing blog

Tony McCoy had another of those difficult choices to face ahead of Saturday’s big betting race, the Stewart Family Gold Cup at Cheltenham. JP McManus, his main employer, has three runners, two with obvious chances, and the jockey has plumped for Colour Squadron but it must have been a tricky call and Cantlow (2.25) may make him regret it.

Colour Squadron ran second in last month’s Paddy Power, a similar race, and may even have been unlucky, as a horse fell in front of him at the second-last. He comes from the in-form Philip Hobbs yard, which has averaged a winner a day at a 33% strike-rate over the past fortnight.

But I hate to back horses like Colour Squadron, who seems talented but awkward and has a big reputation, despite never having won over fences and being on a two-year losing streak. I don’t require a horse to have won last time out but there is no downside to Cantlow’s having landed a good race at Newbury a fortnight ago.

That was a f wholesale soccer jersey ulfilling moment for all concerned, as he has always looked like making a fine chaser, progressed well as a novice through the last season but proved very disappointing on his reappearance. He must have needed that but stuck on powerfully at Newbury and it is not clear that Easter Meteor or Grandioso, the placed horses, will be able to turn the form around with pulls of just a few pounds.

Of course, that was Grandioso’s first run of the season and it looked like a sighter, so we can surely expect better things. Paul Nicholls was bubbling with confidence about him on Monday and he is not at all a bad bet at 7-1. But Cantlow is 12-1 and that looks the value.

1.50 Cheltenham This looks strong but Kings Palace may be a cut above. His performance to win by 18 lengths at the October meeting here was something else and the form looks good. The runner-up was Creepy, who won a Grade Two next time, while the third was Monbeg Dude, who won the big handicap chase Cheap Mexico Soccer Jersey here on Friday.

2.05 Doncaster A winner at November’s Cheltenham meeting, Royal Irish Hussar has enough talent to suggest this will be a rare appearance on a card other than the main one. Some of his rivals here have considerable scope but it will be a major surprise if they can trouble him. Broughton was a Glorious Goodwood winner for Mark Johnston and now makes his hurdles debut for John Ferguson, so he may be useful but he will need to be.

3.00 Cheltenham A reprise of the thrilling battle between Zarkandar and The New One from Aintree in April. The market clearly expects The New One to turn around the half-length by which he was beaten, the three-furlong shorter trip seeming in his favour, but that may be a lazy assumption. Zarkandar was certainly made to look slow by Annie Power on his return at Ascot but he was giving 11lb to that highly rated mare and will be hard to beat if making the same step forward that others from the Paul Nicholls yard h wholesale Chelsea Soccer Jersey ave made on their second runs of the season. This race takes place on Cheltenham’s New Course, which puts a lot more accent on stamina than the Old Course on which Zarkandar has been beaten in two Champion Hurdles.

3.15 Doncaster Bear’s Affair has been given time to find his feet over fences but is doing so and now tries a handicap over the larger obstacles. While he still has something to prove, it is a surprise to see him on the same mark as when he hacked up over hurdles at Aintree at this time last year and he is a most interesting runner.

3.35 Cheltenham Jonjo O’Neill’s yard has gone badly off the boil since More Of That was an impressive handicap winner at Haydock three weeks ago. If able to show his best, he would be the one to side with, but that seems in doubt. Gemix has great talent but this sound racing surface will be most unfamiliar. Glens Melody looks the pick, having been beaten only by her stablemate Annie Power in her last five starts.