National Hunt Chase Preview- Cheltenham Festival
Published on: 13/03/2018
National Hunt Chase Preview- Cheltenham Festival
March 13, 2018 16:50pm - Cheltenham
Cheltenham Festival
Distance: 3m 7f 170y
Grade: 2 (Class 1)
Purse: £120,000
Winner: £71,952
Going: Heavy (soft in places)
If the Mares Hurdle line-up looked a little uncompetitive for your liking, the unpredictability of the National Hunt Chase should provide the antidote. At nearly four miles, the race for novices is a tough as they come when it comes to picking a clear favourite. Throw in a bunch of amateur jockeys and you have a recipe for a big-priced winner. The same was true last year as Tiger Roll came in at 16/1.
The race is a great showcase for jockeys and one man who will be looking to impress is Barry O`Neill who will mount the Colin Tizzard-trained Sizing Tennessee. This is a big step up for the 10-year-old but he won at Cheltenham over the fences in December and followed that up with a second in a Grade 2 on the same course in January. He was beaten into third in the Timeform Novices` Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last time out but the conditions should suit him better here.
Another stayer with a chance is Duel at Dawn. Over the long distance and with the ground likely to be heavy, those with the most stamina might just come to the fore and Alex Hales` entry has plenty of that in his locker. His long price (16/1) is probably justified considering his form but this is the kind of race that could play into his hands if the rest of the field get heavy legs.
National Hunt Chase Winners - past five years:
2014: Midnight Prayer (9) - Joshua Newman (Alan King)
2015: Causes of Causes (7) - Jamie Codd (Gordon Elliott)
2016: Minella Rocco (6) - Derek OConnor (Jonjo O`Neill)
2017: Tiger Roll (7) - Lisa O`Neill (Gordon Elliott)
Latest Betting odds:
Rathvinden 6/1
Moss back 6/1
Jury Duty 7/1
Ms Parfois 8/1
Sizing Tennessee 9/1
No Comment 11/1
Keeper Hill 14/1
Duel at Dawn 16/1
Pylonthepressure 18/1
Shades of Midnight 18/1
Impulsive Star 25/1
33/1 Bar
You can back Sizing Tennessee at 9/1 and Duel at Dawn (E/W) at 16/1.
By Neil Morris
Published on: 13/03/2018
Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (13/03/2018 11:08:05) but are subject to change.
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