After landing a 13/2 winner on Friday, Jake Price returns with three selections for Saturday at Cheltenham.
13:45 Cheltenham
Tip 1: 13:45 - Inishcorker - 0.5 EW
Rebecca Curtis has been talking new recruit INISHCORKER up as a potential Albert Bartlett type, and considering she has experience of what it takes for a horse to win a race like that, he surely is an above average prospect that is worth chancing at a big price on Hurdles debut.
This 5yo was 5th in his first point-to-point at Boulta in December 2024 in a race won by Olly Murphy’s Gee Force Flyer – who has himself been showing very pleasing signs at home ahead of his debut in the next few weeks. It is also worth noting that the 3rd in that race Vanderflier won his next P2P start and was subsequently sold for £155k to the Jonjo O’Neill team.
INISHCORKER himself went on to win a Ballyvodock Maiden on his next start in February when staying on strongly to win despite making a mistake at the final flight, and that led to Rebecca Curtis and the majority of the syndicate involved with Haiti Couleurs purchasing him privately. Being a half-brother to Nicky Henderson’s Bhaloo (136) he is clearly well bred, and it is certainly interesting that connections throw him straight into a Cheltenham Novice Hurdle over 3m. Sean Bowen taking the ride is another positive.
14:20 Cheltenham
Tip 2: 14:20 - Hyland - 1pt EW
The Coral Gold Cup may well be on his agenda, but that assignment would be much tougher, and I thought that HYLAND had everything in his favour to run a huge race this weekend instead.
A horse who is always seen to good effect when running fresh, his record when returning from a 118+ day break reads 311 – and during the last two seasons he has won on his first and second start of the Autumn. Those four victories include two successes at the Cheltenham October meeting, as in 2023 he won the Pertemps Qualifier off 129, and in 2024 he won the 3m1f Novice Chase on this card – thrashing Transmission by 15 lengths.
Last season he followed up that Novice Chase victory when going on to land the Listed 3m Novice Chase at the November meeting, when beating Resplendent Grey (147) and Springwell Bay (154) under a penalty – which not only looks like a very good piece form now, but it also makes him 3/3 on the Old Course at Cheltenham.
His second behind The Jukebox Man (151) in the Grade 1 Kauto Star on Boxing Day marked a very successful end to a busy start to the season for him, and after a short break he was smashed into 11/4f for his return at Kempton in February for the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase off this mark of 147. Although again running well, he simply bumped into a handicap blot in Kotate Dori that day, who won off 125 but is now rated 12lbs higher.
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Connections tried the Grand National with him in April where he wasn’t without his supporters, but I can happily put a line through that pulled-up effort at the end of a productive campaign – especially as Nicky Henderson has such a poor record in the race. Catching him in the Autumn on the Old Course at Cheltenham will hopefully prove fruitful, and whilst a mark of 147 certainly is not a gimme, this does look a very winnable opportunity if he is ready to go again first time up.
16:05 Cheltenham
Tip 3: 16:05 - Intense Approach - 1.5pts Win
John McConnell loves to have a winner at the Cheltenham October meeting, and in 5 of the 7 meetings since he started having runners in 2018, he has done exactly that. He even boasts an overall strike rate of 25% at the meeting, with 7 winners from 28 runners. Last year’s winner came in the form of INTESE APPROACH, and I fancy him to back that up in this 3m1f Novices’ Chase.
This time last year he finished a good 2nd behind Flying Fortune in the Grade 2 Persian War at Chepstow, and just 15 days later he went one better at The Showcase meeting when landing the 3m Novices’ Hurdle on this card – making virtually all of the running and keeping on well to score by 6 lengths.
Plenty of these John McConnell types can struggle thereafter as the competition heats up, but this 6yo returned after a break at Musselburgh in February to land the Scottish Stayers’ Novices’ Hurdle at their Cheltenham Trials meeting, and whilst he did find the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett a step too far (with John McConnell also saying he may have been sick that day), he has since made a good impression over fences.
Making his Chase debut in the 2m6½f Beginners Chase at the Galway Festival in August, I thought he jumped really well in what was quite a hot field for the time of year. Considering he wasn’t in front at the last he rallied gamely up the hill to go onto score by 0.75 lengths, and the form doesn’t look bad either. The 2nd Talk In The Park has run well in Handicaps since, the 4th What’s Up Darling (138) won his next two starts, and the 6th was another promising type in Jarrive De Mee (137).
Anyway disputes favouritism here but I am extremely sceptical that he will stay this 3m1f trip as he faded very tamely in the Kerry National, whilst Pied Piper has to give our selection 3lbs and is inconsistent over fences to say the least. Welcom To Cartries has the Badger Beers on his agenda so you would imagine they have left something to work on, and Leave Of Absence might be preparing for a very similar type of race. INTENSE APPROACH has been freshened up specifically for this race, and he should take some stopping.
