Cheltenham racecourse is the HQ of the jumps and to usher in the new season it hosts The Showcase weekend on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October.
The two Premier Racedays feature Graded contests alongside some top handicaps to get punters excited for the season ahead.
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The jumps are well and truly back with Cheltenham’s first fixture of the new season this weekend, featuring the Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle on Friday and a plethora of Class 2 handicaps on Saturday.
Ahead of the Grade 2 novice hurdle is this Class 2 Handicap Chase over 2m with 10 runners, all classy chasers with the likes of top-rated Dancing On My Own.
There’s a few with chances here in what is quite an open race given the likes of Triple Trade carries just 10-9 and could have a say in this back down to his last winning mark.
The mare Arclight is also intriguing for the same reason but will have to bounce back from pulling up last time out.
Triple Trade is quite consistent at this course, placing second to Dancing On My Own here last year.
And with the form he’s in he should go well again off the same mark he won this race last year.
This Grade 2 is shaping up to be an intriguing battle of novice hurdlers as it should be, with the likes of Dancing In Paris switching from the flat to hurdles for the first time.
While facing the Owners Group Brave Knight, who is unbeaten for trainer Paul Nicholls over hurdles after three successive victories in good style.
But that looks to still be a tough weight to go off of here, whereas Valgrand and Gale Mahler have leading chances for their form.
The latter being the odds-on favourite, the top-rated, having won six of her seven races under rules including 4/4 over hurdles.
Including a huge victory in listed company at Galway in July and now makes a big seasonal debut off 12lb higher, but going off 2lb lighter than the gelding Valgrand, so all signs point towards the Adrian Paul Keatley-trained mare winning.
The 3m1f handicap chase on Saturday at 2.20pm is also intriguing with some former Grand National runners and even placers set to line up against each other.
Broadway Boy is the early favourite at 5/1 and given his form here it’s no surprise as he loves a win at Cheltenham.
But his last two efforts have seen him finish far back and despite placing behind Flooring Porter in this weekend last year, he’s tough to back at this price.
Vanillier was second in the Grand National in 2023 to Corach Rambler but has struggled since in some tough chases.
The grey is down to a workable mark, just 1lb higher than that Grand National run, so could bounce back in handicap company.
Kinondo Kwetu is a bit of a favourite of mine but he pulled up in this race last year, albeit off 3lb higher, and arrives in similar form to last season.
The ideal horse to back here for me, is Chasing Fire. He won last time out at Perth in a Class 3 handicap and as a result was upped 6lb.
He’s been off since and is still only seven-years-old so arguably still finding his top mark.
If he can run to his current mark having had the summer off to progress, he stands a great chance at a nice each-way bet.
There was an 11lb difference between Gwennie May Boy and Catch Him Derry at Bangor in a Class 4 handicap hurdle back in February, where the former beat his stablemate by nearly two lengths.
Gwennie May Boy has since gone on to win another two, including the Grade 3 Handicap Hurdle at Aintree Festival in April.
Catch Him Derry won on his next appearance at Ayr in April too, winning comfortably and as a result went up from a low mark of 107 to 117.
This could certainly mean he’s even better weighted coming up against his stablemate again and the Skeltons must think they have a strong chance with either.
The six-year-old is now given 20lb and there could still be more to come from him.
Many chasers are looking to come into this reverting back to hurdles for the first time in a while, hoping to make the most of a low hurdle vs chase mark, but they will need to improve to fend off the likes of Botox Has.
One hurdler that sticks out though is another Skelton-trained horse, Doyen Quest.
He placed 2nd of 17 at Chepstow on his seasonal debut but his two runs prior last season showed exceptional form to beat Whatsupwityou and Steel Ally.
He could still be well-weighted as that form has worked out very well with the latter now rated 137.
Perhaps this gelding has yet more to offer over 3m and is well fancied at 8/1.
If he’s a non-runner, Catch Him Derry is surely the one to side with, either way it’s all Skeltons.
All odds correct at time of writing
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