ITV are broadcasting four races live from Cheltenham on Saturday and the official going is likely to be good come post time.
The ITV action begins with the Grade 2 Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase, followed by the feature Gold Cup, a staying Handicap Hurdle, and concluding with an Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.
Saturday’s tips
- 13:45 Cheltenham – L’eau Du Sud @ 10/11
- 14:20 Cheltenham – Ga Law (each-way) @ 7/1
- 14:55 Cheltenham – Itso Fury (each-way) @ 10/1
- 15:30 Cheltenham – Wonderful Eagle (each-way) @ 8/1
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13:45 Cheltenham – L’Eau Du Sud @ 10/11
L’EAU DU SUD is considered capable of winning the eight-runner Grade 2 Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase over 2m, representing Dan Skelton with Harry Skelton continuing a winning association in the saddle.
The six-year-old has some of the best form available from this set of horses over hurdles, notably when finishing second behind Absurde in the 2024 County Hurdle on the New Course here in March. The winner reached a close fifth in the Grade 1 Melbourne Cup Handicap recently at Flemington in Australia.
Encouragingly, L’eau Du Sud posted an improved Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 145 when making an easy winning chasing debut over a slightly longer trip on good to soft ground at Stratford last month and he is clearly the one to beat, if reproducing that level of form on the decent surface.
14:20 Cheltenham – Ga Law (each-way) @ 7/1
GA LAW won the 2022 running of the 2m4f Gold Cup Premier Handicap off a mark of 142 as a six-year-old, and faces 14 rivals as he attempts to repeat the feat from a 13lb higher mark two years on.
Jamie Snowden’s representative is now rated 155 and connections will have been pleased to see Protektorat declared overnight to carry 12 stone off a mark of 167, leaving the selection with 11st 2lb, only 2lb higher than the 11st he carried to victory in 2022.
The Sinndar gelding is 3-7 on good ground including that 2022 success and he has since won a similar contest on the New Course at this venue on good to soft ground off a mark of 150.
He produced a really encouraging preparatory effort when second on his reappearance at Chepstow last month.
talkSPORT BET is offering four places each-way in this contest and Go Law is a stand out bet on those terms.
14:55 Cheltenham – Itso Fury (each-way) @ 10/1
The local training partnership of Jonjo and AJ O’Neill are represented by ITSO FURY in the 12-runner 3m Handicap Hurdle, and once again he makes plenty of each-way appeal with talkSPORT BET offering four places.
The selection arrives with a career record of 4-18, 3-9 over hurdles, having won over fences for the first time in likeable fashion over this trip on good ground at left-handed Wetherby earlier this month. He is 3-10 on good ground, 3-4 at this time of year and 3-13 under Jonjo O’Neill JR, who is continuing in the saddle.
He is only 3lb higher than when winning off 125 over hurdles at Wincanton on soft ground in November 2023, and comes into this race in really promising form on a better surface.
15:30 Cheltenham – Wonderful Eagle (each-way) @ 8/1
Finally, WONDERFUL EAGLE is also an each-way suggestion despite having to reach the first three of the 10 runners in order to collect a return in the Class 3 2m5f Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.
The selection has won twice on the Flat this year and is rated 86 in that sphere following last month’s soft-ground third at Ascot.
He won a Class 3 handicap hurdle over this trip on good ground at Newton Abbot in ready fashion before that in September, and a new mark of 117 seems fair enough considering the five-year-old arrives on the up for an in-form yard. The Somerset training partnership of Philip Hobbs and Johnson White went 4-18 (22%) in the past fortnight.
*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change
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