Cheltenham Festival Handicaps - 2016

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Smarty72

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Been looking at the Pertemps Final betting for any opportunity's and certainly opens the eye!

Been a qualifying race only those that have finished 1st 6 in races are so far eligible to enter (6 Qualifying races so far).

Many of the 36 qualifiers do not have a quote (Only 13 do!) and 9 have yet to qualify but have a price! Total Market quotes 22 Horses.

At this stage only 3 that are eligible interest me ....

Join The Clan (20\1 Bet365 and Skybet) - Trained by Jonjo for JP and finished 5th after been hampered 2 out. Stays slowly dropping In OR and twice a festival runner. Final likely target but not sure if good enough at this stage.

Sir Mangan (20\1 Bet365, Skybet and PP) - Trained by Dan Skelton and will stay the distance. Decent 2nd at Cheltenham in November in Listed Handicap Hurdle.

Unique De Cotte (25\1 Bet365, 20\1 PP and 16\1) - Trained by David Pipe and 2nd in the final last year of 135. Currently 140. Big price from Bet365. Dissapointing last 2 runs but may just be looking to get a few lb's of his back and would think this will be the target in race they love to have runners!

All are going 4 places 1\4 Odds

Going to have a little bit of Unique De Cotte each way with Bet365!
 
A thought that occurs to me is that we could see Josses Hill turn up in a handicap at the Festival. He wouldn't be up to winning a Grade 1 over fences even if his jumping held up which is highly unlikely, and a handicap is out of the question off 156. If they switched to hurdles the World Hurdle looks beyond him tripwise, and he'd be well short of what's required for a Champion Hurdle. However off a mark of 150 he could well be handily treated for something like the County Hurdle or more likely the Coral Cup if it occurred to them. He's been upped to two and a half over fences this season and he's bred to appreciate further. Whisper won it off 153 a couple of years ago, and with a current mark of 150 and taking a line from his Supreme Novices form behind Vautour, he could be potentially well treated running against a host of 140's handicappers and giving less than a stone away to the field.
 
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Even more sensible would be stopping multiple entries at the five day stage. I'd like to see the big stables and owners nail their colours to the mast much earlier to stop the ridiculous guessing games through to the week of the Festival.
 
Cup Final will need to win the Pertemps qualifier at Musselburgh tomorrow to get in at The Festival and BG over to ride
 
Not that he needs anymore great chances, but I think Mr Mullins could well end up having some nice horses quite well handicapped that he's aiming at the handicap hurdles. We've seen it a few times in recent seasons that he's got such an array of talent in his novice hurdle division that some very good horses end up going the handicap route that would otherwise go for a grade 1 novice should they be in a different stable. I've got my eye on a few should they have entries, namely Bachasson and Petit Mouchoir for the County, and something like Open Eagle (although the run at the weekend may have scuppered that theory) or one of the under the rader Gigginstown horses (Stone Hard, Arkwrisht, Nambour) for the Martin Pipe. Interesting to see what is entered when the entries come out.
 
Safe to say that most of Willie's Festival hopes won't run after this coming weekend. Some, like Nambour, are not yet qualified for handicaps so be aware before risking your hard earned.
 
I see Hobbs intends to run Sausalito Sunrise in the opening day handicap off his new mark of 163.

That's going to result in a lot of horses having attractive weights. Holywell for a repeat bid off 11st 2lb anybody ? 4th in a Gold Cup and a winner of this off 11-6 (albeit an 8lb higher OR)

163 is a highly rated top weight, isn't there a ceiling on this ?
 
No upper rating limit in this race, Lee.

I just don't get people's fascination with Holywell. He is a complete goner at the game, surely?
 
I tend to agree Grass but was throwing him out there as an example and I didn't want to let on that I'd be really interested in Aloomomo off a featherweight 10-6 or Morning Assembly off not much more (although I tend to swerve the Irish horses in this).
 
Grasshopper said:
I just don't get people's fascination with Holywell. He is a complete goner at the game, surely?
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It wouldn't be a proper NH season without Holywell running like a coo through the winter.

I reckon last year they realised that while he might be better than Synchronised, not that that would be difficult, he wasn't going to win a Gold Cup with Coneygree, Road To Riches, Djakadam etc on the scene. I reckon they decided on the evening of the Gold Cup las year that he'd be campaigned with a view to getting into the National off a 10lbs lower OR. In that regard they have succeeded. he's now well enough in to win at Cheltenham, should he go down the h'cap route, and then end up 10lbs well in on ORs at Aintree.

The Druids Nephew was about 10lbs well in last year and look how he was going when he slipped up.
 
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Bet Great Field wherever he appears. Two-from-three in French provinces, purchased by McManus, and now trained by WPM.

This might be one they ultimately keep back for next season as he is only a 5yo, but he could be a live one for the Conditionals Hurdle (also holds County and Coral Cup entries).
 
British debutante, trained by Mullins and running in Green and Gold. Be heavily cramped odds whatever he runs in though Grass.
 
Yep......I am watching markets like a hawk to see what price they introduce him, Lee. If he is an idiotic price, I will possibly swerve.......but I am an idiot, so might not be able to help myself. :lol:
 
Great Field is 16/1 both for the M Pipe and the County respectively (Corals).

I have split stake cross both races, and left the Coral Cup out of things for the moment, as I reckon they will keep him at around 2m for the time being.
 
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