Scoop 6 Bonus Race Selection 24th JANUARY 2026

 

The day has come and it is Bonus Selection time. The Tote have picked the 1:15 Cheltenham. A strange race to pick with a short enough priced favourite, a second favourite and then 8/1 the field. I guess they are hoping to get the Bonus rolled over with a big priced winner.

Anyway, we will start with the favourite Jagwar. Can he win? Of course he can, the price tells us that. Will he probably be the selection of most playing the Bonus…more than likely…Do I respect him? Yes, I think he is a very good horse, he is a horse who won at the Cheltenham Festival last season when winning the Plate off a handicap mark of 139. 

He went up to 148 last time out when 3rd in the December Gold Cup although he did make a few mistakes on the way around. Today he is up to 149 which is a hefty mark and he is going to have to be a good horse to win off that mark. To win off that mark you have to be close to a Ryanair Chase horse and on 149, it is not an easy task.

I also wonder if he is being handicapped to try and win back to back Handicap Plates at the festival and by winning here, he will go up into the mid 150s, ruling out that chance.

Of course I respect the horse, he is very capable but he can make mistakes and off 149 on this soft ground, it won’t be easy. It was only back in November he was made a non runner for the Paddy Power Gold Cup because the ground was too soft and while he will be popular selection on the Bonus race, I am happy to take him on with BOOSTER BOB.

Even before they announced this race for the Bonus, I fancied the chances of BOOSTER BOB. I am a fan of the horse and I think he could be a perfect Cheltenham horse by how well he sees out his races.

We were on BOOSTER BOB when he won at Newbury back in November off a handicap mark of 132, once again doing his best work late in the race. 

Even when we go back to last season and his final start of the season, beating Vincenzo with one of the best rides you will ever see from Sean Bowen. He easily brushed aside Vincenzo that day and that horse has gone to be rated 142 this season. 

BOOSTER BOB is a proper stayer, he showed that when winning his race at Newbury in November, over 2m 6f. He is down in trip here but Cheltenham is an undulating course, the ground is soft and with the likes of Javert Allen, Prairie Wolf, Donnacha, all of which love to front run or be prominent, they won’t hang around here. 

It is really going to suit the style of running that BOOSTER BOB has as he likes to sit out the back and then come through with a late run, often staying on best. 

How I see the race being run is, Sean Bowen will have him sat right at the back of the field, maybe even a couple of lengths off the rest of the field for the first circuit. Javert Allen and those already named will be in front taking them along at a nice pace. I don’t think they will go mega fast, as the ground will be testing but they will go quick enough for BOOSTER BOB to be taking into the race. I imagine after the first circuit and coming to the of the hill, between the 3rd last and 4th last fence, Sean Bowen will start taking much closer order, cajoling BOOSTER BOB along to get involved. He will then roll on down the hill jumping the 3rd last fences and 2nd last fence, before hopefully being bang in contention coming to the last fence. 

The way he stays out his races, if close enough come the last fence, I can’t see anyone getting up the hill better, he really should devour the Cheltenham Hill.

Back to the horse and his abilities, I still don’t think we have seen the best of him and he is still vastly improving with each run. He is now rated 141 by the handicapper but I think he could be a tad better than that mark as he is a horse who only ever just does enough. 

We also have Sean Bowen in the saddle who is just magic on this type of horse and although Jagwar has favourites chance, no question about it, give me Sean Bowen over Jonjo O’Neill Jnr, riding up that Cheltenham hill, any day of the week. 

Olly Murphy horses continue to fly along and are operating at a ridiculous strike rate of around 70% in the last 2 weeks.

Everything points to a huge run from BOOSTER BOB and hopefully he can BOOSTER us a BOB or two…