Another excellent weekend of racing awaits us as the Cheltenham Festival hype gathers apace. Not only do we get to see the highest earning National Hunt horse strut his stuff again, but there’s also the small matter of the Saudi Cup, where the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Classic heroes face off for a $10 million prize.
We’ll start with the slightly more low-key Grade 2 Rendelsham Hurdle (14:05) at Haydock, where Dan Skelton’s Kabral Du Mathan can continue his progress. Around a 5/1 shot for the Stayers’ Hurdle, that contest looks eminently winnable and this progressive 6-year-old should put himself bang in the reckoning here. He’s improved significantly for a step up in distance this season and this extra half mile could well bring about further improvement.
The Skelton yard also has the favourite for the Prestige Novices’ Hurdle (14:40) in the shape of Dalston Lad. Another improving sort, he faces five other last-time-out winners as he seeks to make it three wins on the trot.
Champion Hurdle dark horse Alexei faces a short field in the Kingwell Hurdle (13:35), a race won by Golden Ace en route to her win in that race last year. He’ll need to win this impressively to stamp himself as a proper Champion Hurdle contender but is young enough to do better and looks the best horse in the contest.
Over at Ascot, the wonderful Jonbon looks to add to his $2 million dollars in prize money and his 11 Grade 1 victories in the Ascot Chase (15:35). It looked as though he may have lost a step this season, and perhaps he has, but he showed tremendous tenacity to win the Clarence House Chase at this track last time out. That race fell into his lap to an extent, but he still ran to a high level and showed that his enthusiasm has not waned even aged 10. This extra distance might be what he wants now and a win here would likely tee him up for a crack at the Ryanair Chase as he seeks an elusive first Cheltenham Festival win, the only accolade that currently eludes this legend.
His two main rivals are also fine veterans, with Pic D’Orhy having won this race for the last two years. He comes here off the back of a flat effort over course and distance but I expect he will run much better here. Edwardstone returned to winning ways last time out but that event fell into his lap and he will need more to add to his two Grade 1 wins, both of which came in 2022.
Race Of The Weekend
Despite the plethora of top racing on offer, this was still and easy choice with the Saudi Cup (17:40) seeing Nysos face off against Forever Young. Both were winners at Del Mar in early November and this intermediate trip should ensure that it’s one hell of a race. Forever Young is some way clear on Beyers and looks to have been favoured by the post positions with Nysos stuck out wide, so it’s no surprise that he is odds-on, particularly given the record Japanese-trained runners have in these valuable Middle Eastern events. Nysos ventures into the unknown trip-wise but he’s still lightly-raced enough to improve and should ensure that Forever Young needs to be at his very best here.
Horse To Watch
The H.H The Amir Trophy (13:15) is another fine event with former Hong Kong Vase and King George winners Giavellotto and Goliath in the field, as well as last year’s Sword Dancer and Breeders’ Cup Turf third El Cordobes. But the one to focus on might be Byzantine Dream, who ran a huge race in the Arc. The Tenno Sho runner-up continues to improve with his racing and did much the best of those drawn high in Paris in a race that seemed to heavily-favour those on the inside. He should improve again as 5-year-old and can add to his tally here before presumably being aimed at the Arc once again.
