Tag: Joseph O’Brien

Cheltenham Festival 2019

Cheltenham Ante-Post #6 – Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase

Ante-Post Preview #6 – 27/02/2019

2m4f Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase (Listed) – Tuesday 12th March 2019

The Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase is run over two-and-a-half-miles and is limited to Novice Chasers rated 145 or below. This rating band changed from 0-140 last season, and in result we now have an extremely competitive handicap. Last season the bottom weight ran from a mark of 137, and this year we look set for another tightly matched field. Mister Whitaker won from that bottom weight in 2018, but the nature of the race means that the top weights won’t have as difficult a task as they may have in a traditional handicap – we could see as little as 5lbs between the field this year.

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Cheltenham Festival 2019

Cheltenham Ante-Post #5 – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Ante-Post Preview #5 – 26/02/2019

2m½f Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) – Wednesday 13th March 2019

The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is one of two races at the Cheltenham Festival for four-year-olds, and this race is usually made up of horses not quite up to Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle standard. Last year the race was won by Gordon Elliot’s Veneer Of Charm, with the likes of Diego Du Charmil and Sanctuaire also on the honors list. The race is run over two-miles-and-half-a-furlong on Wednesday of the Festival and is the last race over obstacles on the Old Course, before action switches over to the New Course the following day.

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Cheltenham Festival 2019

Cheltenham Ante-Post #2 – Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Final

Ante-Post Preview #2 – 22/01/2019

3m Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Final (Grade 3) – Thursday 14th March 2019

The Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final is the concluding race in a series of Pertemps Qualifiers ran at various tracks from October through February. This ultra-competitive Handicap is run over three-miles and requires a horse to have finished in the first six of a qualifying race. Ran on Day Three of the Cheltenham Festival, this Grade 3 has been won by some brilliant horses – including Presenting Percy and Delta Work in recent years. The Pertemps Final is a unique race in that although horses need to qualify to run, they don’t necessarily want to win a qualifier as it could jeopardise their Handicap mark. Equally, you need to have a mark which is high enough to get into the race as a maximum field is all but guaranteed.

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