Five horses to follow at Cheltenham on Friday
Top tips for day one of The November Meeting on Friday! Our experts share selections for the action at Cheltenham on Friday.
The November Meeting at Cheltenham - watch every race for FREE on Racing TV!
1.10 Cheltenham: High Fibre
Tipster: RaceiQ nap of the day (Andy Stephens).
READ MORE: Nicky Henderson: the inside track on my November Meeting runners
High Fibre reverts to hurdling after finishing a fine fourth in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket last month.
He remains unexposed racing beyond 2m over hurdles and his jumping is a great asset. He has a RaceiQ Career Jump Index of 8.6 out of 10, making him the eighth best jumper of a hurdle in the RaceiQ database. He has gained ground with his jumping in all 16 of his races over obstacles, including when winning the Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen in July, when equipped with a visor for the first time.
The headgear, plus a switch to the yard of James Owen in the summer, has helped him up his game and his rating of 120 is lenient relative to his mark on the Flat.
In addition, Owen’s Actual versus Expected at Cheltenham is 1.39. In other words, his runners at the track in the past year have exceeded market expectations by 39 per cent.
Opening a new account to back our selections? Compare the latest free bets first.
2.20 Cheltenham: Gidleigh Park
Tipster: Alex Scott.
READ MORE: Cheltenham November Meeting: Five best bets
Jonbon bids to land the Shloer Chase for a third time on Friday and looks a warm order to do so, with last year’s emphatic winner L’Eau du Sud ruled out for the season.
However, I’m not sure he totally wants two miles on good ground these days, and he could be done for speed by Gidleigh Park.
Harry Fry’s eight-year-old has plenty of options in the programme book, but this is not the deepest renewal of the Shloer and I think connections will find this year’s £100,000 Grade Two too good an opportunity to pass.
It is true, of course, that Gidleigh Park has also been seen over further than this recently, but he is two from two over the minimum trip and was impressive when beating Caldwell Potter over two miles as a novice before going on to finish second in the Manifesto at Aintree on good ground.
He also ran well on his reappearance last season when finishing second to Jango Baie in the 1965 Chase. His yard are also operating at a very healthy strike rate so far this season. Advised at 6-1 earlier this week.
Free Racing TV Country Gilet!
Limited stock remaining! Click here to get yours now!
2.55 Cheltenham: Mahons Glory (e/w)
Tipster: Katie Midwinter.
READ MORE: Katie Midwinter's Friday tips: "a joy to watch when getting into a good rhythm"
A host of familiar names are set to line up in the Jilly Cooper Veterans' Handicap Chase, with many contenders coming into the race in decent form. Mahons Glory makes the most appeal for Dylan Cunha at the early 10-1 available, and could put in a bold bid as he seeks a fifth career success over fences.
A hugely likeable horse on his day, Mahons Glory has often shown a great attitude and put in a number of brilliant efforts last season, particularly over the Grand National fences at Aintree. He is a joy to watch when getting into a good rhythm out in front and can be tough to pass.
This distance at Cheltenham should suit, as he has sometimes struggled to sustain his effort in the closing stages of competitive races. He isn't shy on stamina, however, and could have enough in reserve to keep up the gallop late on in this contest if able to enjoy a favourable trip around.
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses as a Free Bet up to £50, valid for 7 days. 18+ GambleAware.
New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any horse racing markets within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets for set horse racing markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ GambleAware
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £50, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. #AD *Can only claim one bonus from websites that are part of the ProgressPlay network. Monster Sports is also part of the Progress Play network. 18+ GambleAware
New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of deposit. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas & 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections each). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis, Ineligible Markets & Odds Boosts. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware
3.30 Cheltenham: Hittheheadlines (e/w)
Tipster: Harry Allwood.
READ MORE: Dan Skelton column: the inside track on my Cheltenham runners on Friday
There was plenty to like about the way Hittheheadlines travelled into contention en route to victory at Chepstow when last seen, and while this is a step up in grade, the form of that race has worked out well.
Paul Nicholls made it no secret how much he thought of the runner-up, Stick To The Board, beforehand, and the third, fourth, sixth and ninth all scored on their next outings, so it looks a useful piece of form.
The selection has clearly taken a big step forward since last season, and he was also weak in the market ahead of his latest start, which suggests connections were not expecting him to score as he did.
"It's hard to split them - I know Harry [Skelton] is riding one and not the other, but believe me, these two are very difficult to split," Dan Skelton said in his Ladbrokes column, and his second string is worth supporting each-way here at 11-1.
4.00 Cheltenham: Way Of Stars
Tipster: Dave Nevison.
READ MORE: Dave Nevison's Cheltenham Friday tips: "David Pipe has something to work with"
Way of Stars definitely has a good handicap in him and might still have some upside on his mark. I backed him at the end of last season at Sandown where he may have had enough for the season. He will hopefully benefit for his seasonal reappearance last time where he may have been in front too early, and could well be very well suited to the likely strong pace in this very competitive field. This is only his third handicap, and I feel David Pipe has something to work with.
Racing TV encourages responsible gambling - to find out more click here to head to our dedicated website page.
New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any horse racing markets within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets for set horse racing markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ GambleAware
New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of deposit. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas & 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections each). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis, Ineligible Markets & Odds Boosts. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses as a Free Bet up to £50, valid for 7 days. 18+ GambleAware.
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £50, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. #AD *Can only claim one bonus from websites that are part of the ProgressPlay network. Monster Sports is also part of the Progress Play network. 18+ GambleAware