It’s the first big festival of the jumps season, as we go back to Cheltenham for the November meeting. Day Three looks to be competitive once more with the Greatwood Hurdle taking centre stage. Plus we have a big staying handicap chase that could give some clues for the marathon races this year. One last time, let’s dive into Day Three
Prim And Proper
1:45 – mallardjewllers.com Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase – Primoz @ 7/2 (General)
Primoz was a good winner in a handicap hurdle up at Ayr at the end of last season but improved massively when starting over the fences for the first time at Wetherby. He beat experienced opposition Pay The Piper by two lengths and travelled up with the pace. The step up in trip looks natural and if there’s a strong pace on, he’ll be dangerous.
…He’s Running At Cheltenham?
2:55 – Holland Cooper Handicap Chase (Premier H’cap) – Does He Know @ 5/1 (William Hill, Unibet)
An experienced chaser at the marathon trip, Does He Know produced as good a run as he could muster when returning from a wind op. Despite leading he faded but finished a good fourth from two good horses. He won this race back in 2022 off a mark of 152 and is two pounds lower than that today, which makes him look an attractive proposition.
Surrey Quest also warrants close consideration, with a good reappearance record. The numbers read 173112, losing by a neck after a break in the Scottish Grand National. He shouldn’t mind the good ground, and the best time is to catch him now, fresh. Only up four pounds from his neck defeat last time, he can sneak into the places at 17/2 (William Hill).
What Have You Done To Make You Feel Proud?
3:30 – Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (Premier H’cap) – Fiercely Proud @ 16/1 (William Hill)
Despite a less-than-ideal prep, when falling at Ascot and running loose at the October meeting, I still have high hopes for Fiercely Proud. He’s been campaigned with this particular early season aim and matches a lot of the trends that previous horses have had. He’s a second season hurdler who has won at Cheltenham previously and races off a good weight. The big price takes into consideration his prep runs, but I still have faith that he’ll turn up good.
Anyharminasking returned to Cheltenham with a good performance behind Wyenot at the October meeting to finish third. He was down the field in last year’s running of the race but is now two pounds lower than that mark today. He has a liking for good ground and can improve for his earlier run, despite being a seven-year-old. 25/1 (General).
Cracking Rhapsody looks a shrewd long-shot bet, taking into consideration his 1L third in the Scottish Champion Hurdle back in April. He blew the cobwebs away at Hexham last time out to finish a not too distant fourth at Hexham in a handicap hurdle. He’s most likely to be seen up North, but connections think he’s good enough to compete on the biggest stage. 25/1 (William Hill).
Favouring Fortune
4:00 – Junior Jumpers Open NH Flat Race (Listed) – Fortune De Mer @ 4/1 (General)
Despite losing to a resurging Block Rockin Beats, I was still taken with Fortune De Mer on his first performance under rules. He took the odd decision of being held up in the rear, on day that favoured front runners, but weaved his way through the melee. Eventually he went six lengths clear of the rest of his rivals up the hill. He does come up against a tough Irish challenger, but this is a narrow field and can showcase his talent once more.
