THINGS move up a notch over jumps this week with the return of racing to HQ at Cheltenham.
The opening Showcase Meeting from Prestbury Park provides two days of competitive action and while it’s worth treading carefully at this very early stage of the season, there looks to be some ante-post value to be had.
Friday’s card provides the best betting opportunities, and I like the look of Irish raider JASKO DES DAMES in the squareintheair.com Handicap Chase (3.35pm).
The Henry de Bromhead yard have started the season in flying form – currently operating at a strike rate of over 20 percent – and look set to bring this lightly raced six-year-old here after his good reappearance second at Listowel last month.
This horse ran a fine race in last season’s Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival, finishing a seven-length fifth behind Jazzy Matty, and would have been closer had it not been for a mistake at the second last.
We know he goes at the course, and comes here race fit, which counts for plenty at this stage of the season.
With some high-class performers potentially lining up, including the likes of JPR One and Matata, he will also carry a light weight.
There’s rain around but the going shouldn’t be worse than good-to-soft on Friday and that will be fine for Jasko Des Dames.
With the potential for further improvement over fences this season, he’ll do for me at 5/1.
Friday’s opening William Hill Each Way Extra Handicap Hurdle (1.15pm) is a typically competitive Cheltenham contest where plenty hold chances.
LAST RODEO signed off last season with an impressive nine-length win at Lingfield on only his third start over hurdles.
Before that he had also showed potential when third at Taunton and he’s interesting now starting off in handicaps off a mark of 118.
Christian Williams wouldn’t have too many maiden hurdle winners, so there’s a good chance this son of Malinas is above average, and as a horse that is so unexposed he falls into the ‘could be anything’ category.
At odds of 12/1 he’s a decent each-way bet to start the meeting.
The feature on the day is the Grade Two Oddschecker Novices’ Hurdle (3.00pm), which could see some interesting candidates in Fortune De Mer and Un Sens A La Vie line up.
However, it looks a tricky race to call and I’d rather take a watching brief.
The Foundation Developments Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle (2.25pm) looks to have a better shape to it from a punting perspective, and James Owen’s CAVERN CLUB is worthy of each-way interest at 14/1.
He arrives here fit and in form having been kept on the go through the summer and he was a winner of a valuable Market Rasen hurdle in July.
Since then, he’s run on the Flat at Chester, finishing a respectable third, and most recently showed he remains in good form when a close-up fourth back at Market Rasen last month.
A slow tempo didn’t look to suit him there as he raced keenly in the rear before staying on well at the finish, so this likely bigger field and stronger run race will suit.
He proved that he handles the track, when finishing second in a similar Cheltenham handicap last November.
Good ground might suit him better than if there is too much rain, but he has won on soft on the Flat, so should be versatile enough.
POINTERS FRIDAY
Last Rodeo e/w 1.15pm Cheltenham
Cavern Club e/w 2.25pm Cheltenham
Jasko Des Dames e/w 3.35pm Cheltenham