GO ROUGE Harry’s star to fly at Cheltenham
ROUGE VIF makes plenty of appeal in the Bentley Flying Spur Handicap Chase (3.35) as racing returns to Cheltenham this afternoon.
The Harry Whittington six-year-old returned from wind surgery to run second to Global Citizen in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park last Christmas, going one better by seven lengths in the same-level Kingmaker Novices’ ces’ Chase at Wincanton in n February.
Rouge Vif rounded off his campaign with a third to
Put The Kettle On in the Arkle Trophy at the National l Hunt Festival in March, and da a British Horseracing Authority mark of 156 looks within range on his handicap debut.
The squareintheair.com Handicap Hurdle (3.00) looks wide open, but expect a bold show from OUR POWER.
The five-year-old marked his third start for Nigel Twiston-Davies with a victory on Kempton’s Cheltenham consolation card. Ridden by the trainer’s son Sam, Our Power has a 6lb rise in the weights to contend with – but is taken to prove up to the task. Gordon Elliott (below) sends GALVIN over from Ireland for the Matchbook Better Way To Bet Novices’ Chase ( 2.25), and the runner- up in last season’s Northern Trust Company Novices’ Handicap Chase is unbeaten in three outings since.
Paul Nicholls has his team at con concert pitch now that the ju jumps season moves up a g gear, and that points to the chance of ASK FOR GLORY in the opening Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (1.50). The ITV cameras are also ro rolling at Doncaster, where DANZAN DANZ deserves a change of luck in the Vertem Investing In The Future Handicap (2.40), and OPERA GIFT looks well treated under a penalty in the vertem.co.uk Handicap (3.15).
COLIN KEANE is 1-6 with Paddy Power to replace Ryan Moore as stable jockey to Aidan O’Brien for the 2021 Flat season.