CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 1 2025

2:40 Ultima Handicap Chase

KATATE DORI 12/1 generally – 0.75 POINTS E/W (5 places, this tip was sent Ante Post at the above price)

BROADWAY BOY 7/1 generally – 0.5 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

VICTORRINO 25/1 generally – 0.375 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

We have 3 selections in this race. This is a race that we have an excellent record in. Many big priced winners over the years which include Golden Chieftain (40/1), Chief Dan George (33/1) just to name a few.

Write up sent out following his win in the Ladbrokes Trophy.

On Saturday we tipped up KATATE DORI in the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton. In the write up I said how important it was that he got to the front as he just loves it. Heart in mouth moment over the first few fences as he was at the back of the field but Charlie Deutsch quickly got him to the front and from that point he jumped very well and won on the bridle, as easily as you like. KATATE DORI is still a novice who is only getting better and I still don’t think he has reached his ceiling. On Saturday he won off a mark of 125 and has gone up the handicap to a mark of 137. I honestly believe he has more to come as the manner in which he won was of a horse who had so much left in the tank. He beat Hyland (rated 147) by 15 lengths, back in 3rd was Our Power (rated 144) who was beaten 26 lengths and back in 4th was Guard Your Dreams (rated 132), beaten 28 lengths. We can go back further with Deeper Blue (rated 130), beaten 34 lengths. KATATE DORI did not just win on the weekend, he absolutely annihilated the field and had some very good horses pulled up in the process. I would even say he did things the hard way as he did not go straight to the front and actually jumped the first two fences in last place. He then came around the field to get to the front. 

From what I saw, despite being raised 12lb, that could be lenient.

Kempton of course is a very different course to Cheltenham and this will be his first try around Cheltenham, but he was an excellent winner at Chepstow which is not a million miles different to Cheltenham. 

I think the key to this horse is being in front, whoever takes the ride, more than likely Dylan Johnson (who claims 3lb) as I am sure Charlie Deutsch will be riding Vicctorino, has to be positive from the start. He needs to stand his ground when lining up and fully concentrate on getting out in a prominent position. I wouldn’t want to see him trying to come around the field like he did at Kempton as he will burn too much energy. 

The last I heard or read was Conflated was going for the Ultima Handicap Chase and if that is the case, KATATE DORI will carry 10st 8lb (10st 5lb with Dylan Johnson claim), absolutely thrown in.

The way KATATE DORI needs to be ridden is; for the first circuit he needs to be prominent, he needs to be sat in 1st, 2nd and 3rd and just letting him get used to the Cheltenham fences. 

When they come on to the second circuit he needs to take up the running and start slowly increasing the pace, going clear of the field coming to the top of the hill. It is then downhill and I think at this stage there is where Dylan Johnson needs to be brave, let him freewheel down the hill to the third last and let him try and ping the 3rd last fence. It is a bold move which needs guts when you are coming downhill, but ‘dare to be great’ as you only get one chance. If they take this brave option he could be clear of the field by 15 lengths, turning in for the last two fences. Coming to the second last fence let him have a slight breather and pop the fence before getting back to work coming to the last fence and the Cheltenham Hill. 

What will be will be after this stage but I have no doubt KATATE DORI stays as he won over 3m 2f at Chepstow and although the hill is going to take it out of him, with 10st 5lb on his back and with this being the perfect way to ride the horse, he can come home in front.

As I have said recently, yes I tip the horse but many factors are needed in this game and we need jockeys and trainers to be on the same page. 

I really don’t think they can ride him any other way though as since he has gone chasing, he was an easy winner at Exeter when front running. He was then an easy winner at Chepstow when he got to the front. He raced behind them at Wincanton due to a standing start and that was his only loss. He then returned at Kempton and as soon as he got to the front he excelled. 

Get him out in front after the first circuit and watch this boy go. 

I would love nothing more than to see Sam Thomas get his first Cheltenham Festival winner. I have followed his training career from the very start and he has worked very hard to get where he is and a Cheltenham winner will be the icing on the cake. 

I have to fancy the chances of BROADWAY BOY to be honest. We have to forgive his last run at Cheltenham on New Years Day when he was very poor, but that run was too bad to be true so I am happy to put a line through it.

At the start of the season Willy Twiston Davies thought he was a gold cup horse. Maybe not to win the Gold Cup, but good enough to run in the race. If that is true, he could be thrown in on a mark of 150.

He has not run since 1st January so he comes here as a fresh horse.

Some of you will remember we tipped up BROADWAY BOY in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup at 12/1 and he came home 2nd at 4/1, so nearly landing us a huge gamble. If it wasn’t for a mistake 4 fences out when he hit the fence hard, he would have gone very close.

I still think he has a big race like this in him and his record at Cheltenham is excellent.

Like Katate Dori, BROADWAY BOY likes to be out in front or at least prominent and I can tell you now, I would rather have a trouble free passage in what can sometimes be a messy race. 

Sam Twiston Davies takes the ride and I love him on a horse when he has to be aggressive. Surely we have a huge chance and with 6 places on offer, we will go each way.

I learned something about VICTORINO last time out when he was a winner for us at Ascot and that is, he does not mind being near the pace. He was left in the lead at Ascot and my first thoughts were, this is not ideal but credit to the horse, he kept going. In the past he has always been a hold up horse so I hope Charlie Deutsch and Venetia Williams learned a lot from this Ascot and don’t have him so far back this time.

VICTORINO has always been better around Ascot and is an Ascot specialist but he did run a cracker in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Newbury to come home 5th, absolutely flying at the end of the race, which is a left handed course.

A lot of people forget this horse is actually only 7 and he may well not have peaked yet. He is certainly a horse on the upgrade and if close enough when coming up the hill, I don’t think many will get up it better. 

He did run in this race last year when pulled up but the ground was absolutely atrocious and he would have hated it. The ground is much better this year and I also think he is a much better horse.

He is now rated 149 by the handicapper and on paper maybe he is not exactly well handicapped, it is only 3lb higher than his win at Ascot. 

I think he is excellent value at the prices, especially with how this race will be run with the likes of Katate Dori and Broadway Boy in the field and as long as Charlie does not  have him stone cold last, this race has the potential of being set up for a fast finisher up the hill. That horse could possibly be VICTORINO. His jumping has been back on song in his last two races and let’s hope that jumping continues in this race. E/W.

4:40 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle

BEYOND YOUR DREAMS 8/1 Coral and Ladbrokes – 0.75 POINTS E/W (4 places, 1/4 odds) Sent Ante Post
 

LIAM SWAGGER 25/1 William Hill and Bet 365 – 0.5 POINTS E/W (4 places, 1/4 odds) Sent Ante Post
 

WENDROCK 18/1 generally – 0.375 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

We have 3 selections in this race.

I really like the look of the Joseph O’Brien trained BEYOND YOUR DREAMS who runs off a mark of 123 and could be thrown in off that mark. Her form behind Total Look looks very strong and she was only beaten 1/2 a length, yet is 3lb better off at the weights for this race. Following her 2nd to Total Look she went on and won at Fairhouse, beating a horse called Slurricane, doing her best work at the finish and did not jump at all well. To still win and do everything wrong, tells me she could be ahead of her mark. The 2nd that day, Slurricane went on to beat Total Look next time out, albeit giving him a stone in weight but the form between Total Look, BEYOND YOUR DREAMS and Slurricane, is form which can be trusted.

Our selection has not run since December 14th which is obviously to protect her handicap mark and also because the ground has been too soft. 

With the ground drying out by the minute and the fact she has the potential to be much better than what she has shown, she could end up going off much shorter when the JP McManus comes. 

I want to be ahead of that gamble so let’s lock in on the 8/1. 

Joseph O’Brien loves this race and had the winner last year with Lark In The Mornin, he also had the winner of this race with Band Of Outlaws back in 2019. 

She will need to brush up her jumping but you would expect that to happen naturally and I am sure over the last 3 months,  it would have been drilled into her in training. 

I can see her coming there strongly at the end of the race and the way she saw out her race last time out, the Cheltenham Hill should be to her liking. E/W.

The other horse I want to get involved with is LIAM SWAGGER and Sam Twiston Davies has already been booked for the ride. This is a horse who comes into the race rated 124 and once again I think he could be ahead of the handicapper on that mark. Like Beyond Your Dreams, he has not run over hurdles since December, which is a big clue that they are looking after his handicap mark. Despite not running over hurdles, he did run on the All Weather at Southwell, when winning easily, and that was obviously just to sharpen him for this race. He has had 3 start over hurdles with 2 wins to his name and a 2nd. 

He is actually a listed winner over hurdles with a win at Wetherby and his only loss so far was at Newbury on soft ground. 

It is clear from his form that he wants decent ground to be at his best, whether that be over hurdles or on the flat and when he gets nice ground, he puts in a performance.

His jumping on the whole has been good and he is trained by James Owen who is very good with these juveniles, you only have to mention Burdett Road and East India Dock, to know how good he is with them. 

If closer enough come the last hurdle, Sam Twiston Davies is very strong in a finish and he will no doubt get the best out of him. 

Looks way overpriced when you factor in the ground, jockey, trainer and handicap mark and I would not at all be surprised to see him go very close. E/W.

The final selection I want a small bit of interest in is WENDROCK who is trained by Gordon Elliott. I have a lot of respect for Gordon and Gigginstown at this year’s festival, firstly he is taking on Constitution Hill and secondly, he is putting WENDROCK in this race off top weight. The same can’t be said about Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci with Lossiemouth and Willy De Houille who had squeaky bums.

WENDROCK has it all to do off top weight, no doubt about it but the reason I want to get involved is the booking of Jack Kennedy. They could quite easily have used a claimer to take weight off his back but they were happy to swerve that option. Instead they use Jack Kennedy and it is worth pointing out, this is Gordon Elliott’s only runner in the race. He has 100s of horses and could have entered a lot more, so that alone tells me they fancy the chances of WENDROCK. Gordon Elliott has won this race 3 times in the last 7 years, so it is a race he targets. Only a stone separates top weight to bottom weight, so it is not your usual handicap.

One thing we do know from the ratings is, this is the class horse of the race.

He beat Galileo Dame two starts back and looked very good. Galileo Dame went on to finish a fast finishing 2nd to Hello Neighbour in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, so that form looks strong. WENDROCK also ran in that race and although beaten and finishing down the field, the ground was against him. He still lead going over the last, before fading against some very good horses.

This better ground (good to soft) is ideal and he likes to be prominent. This is often a messy race, so he will get a trouble free passage. Whether the weight will tell going up the hill, we will find out but we have Jack Kennedy on board who as I have already said, is one of, if not the best around. E/W.