Free Horse Racing Tips: Jake Price’s Best Bets for Saturday at Cheltenham

13:45 Cheltenham – Arkle Trial Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) – 2m

This is a very interesting race headed by July Flower, and whilst she is undoubtedly a very talented Mare, Henry de Bromhead himself has labelled this as a bit of an experiment dropping her back in trip to 2m – which is a bold move considering she was running so well over 3m in France. It may well pay off for her here after an impressive chase debut, but she is too short in the market for my liking.

Instead then I think it is worth playing BE AWARE, who himself was an impressive winner on his Chase debut at Stratford last month. There was a lot going on in that race with Range and Grandeur D’Ame ensuring there was a strong gallop before both coming to grief, but in the first time hood this Skelton 6yo was very professional in his jumping – and he went on to score easily over the 2m3½f trip which I had doubts about beforehand.

That race of course was the exact race in which L’Eau Du Sud won 12 months ago before coming to this race and winning, and whilst that doesn’t necessarily mean that lightning will strike twice, I think it is safe to say that Dan Skelton had mapped out this route for him. With the hood kept on and stamina testing conditions sure to suit this horse who is clearly capable of staying further than this 2m trip, I think he can really serve it up to the favourite under Harry Skelton.

BE AWARE 1pt Win @ 2/1

14:20 Cheltenham – Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier) – 2m4f

This is by no means a vintage renewal of the Paddy Power, but I’d very much be against Il Ridoto here for the fact that he is 0/13 in his career when carrying a weight of over 10st12lbs. Due to Matata coming out he will have to burden 11st8lbs, and whilst this is not an angle I would normally explore, it is much more pertinent for such a slight horse who probably won’t be in love with Friday’s rainfall.

Jagwar is probably the most exciting of these but coming to this race fresh is never a positive, and the fact he now has to burden top weight of 12st around would certainly dampen enthusiasm. Whilst

I probably will have something on him as he looks the only potential ‘graded horse in a handicap’ to my eye, I think the play at the prices has to be THECOMPANYSERGEANT for Gavin Cromwell.

This horse ran an absolute belter in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival to only finish 2.75L behind Jagwar in 2nd place, and this time around he will be 4lbs better off at the weights. Of course you do have to factor in that Conor Stone-Walsh was able to claim 3lbs in March, but I’d say that is offset in the jockey upgrade back to Keith Donogue here.

Connections decided to have a go at the Galway Plate with him in July where he never really got involved over 2m6½f, and he was last seen finishing 6th in the Kerry National at Listowel – but as proven in the Munster National 12 months prior, he simply does not stay that 3m trip. Connections have learned that lesson now and have freshened him up with a view to returning to 2m4f at Cheltenham, and I think that he is going to prefer the Old Course to that of the New Course he faced 8 months ago.

THECOMPANYSERGEANT 0.5pts EW (4 Places) @ 12/1

14:55 Cheltenham – Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) – 3m

I thought that if you can forgive his latest run in October, then GOWEL ROAD was a massive price in this – as although it is certainly a competitive affair, it surely will not take much winning.

This 9yo won the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle on Trials Day as recently as January, and that victory followed some fantastic efforts across the Autumn – with second places behind The Wallpark (155) in October, Doyen Quest (144) in this race last year, and Long Draw (138) in December. All of those horses are rated significantly higher now than they were when they beat our selection, and in the case of Long Draw, our selection is now a massive 17lbs better off at the weights.

He clearly loves Cheltenham, and whilst he did run a stinker at the October meeting, I think it is safe to say that Sam Twiston-Davies did far too much with him that day. He’s been dropped 2lbs for the run, should relish the testing conditions, and it has also become habit that his second start of the season is a better effort than his first – with his form figures second time out reading 41172 (7th in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle). If connections have got him spot on this time around, I can definitely see him going close.

GOWEL ROAD 0.5pts EW @ 9/1

15:30 Cheltenham – Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) – 2m5f

This is a fantastic race and plenty have chances, but there is only one horse I want to be on here, and that is JURANCON now that he finally steps up in trip from 2m for the first time in his career under rules, having been an Irish point-to-point winner in his younger days.

This David Pipe 6yo enjoyed a really successful first season over Hurdles, with his 2nd place behind The Kemble Brewery (129) on debut followed up by an impressive success over Tripoli Flyer (142) at Chepstow this time last year. He was beaten under a penalty at Exeter subsequently, but in January he made amends when going to the much more galloping track of Newbury, once more scotting away from the field to score by 2.75L despite giving weight to the field.

He ended his season when making his handicap debut back at Newbury in March off a mark of 127, and that lenient opening assessment allowed him to go on and record another success – this time beating Lario by 2.5L in the style of a horse who wanted to go further, so I am very pleased that he finally gets to try 2m5f here.

It is very interesting that he underwent wind surgery over the Summer as he wore a tongue-tie for both of those Newbury wins, so you’d have to say there should be no excuses other than perhaps fitness for him being beaten now finally getting conditions more in his favour. I am obviously a big fan of French Ship, but in receipt of 4lbs JURANCON has to be the play for me.

JURANCON 1pt Win @ 3/1