Six horses to follow at Cheltenham's November Meeting

Horse: The Glancing Queen. Odds: A general 11-4.

It was at The November Meeting four years ago that The Glancing Queen felt the beat of the tambourine (I cannot be the only person who hears a certain song by ABBA every time she gets a mention) and made a winning debut under Rules in the bumper.

She had an elongated spell in that sphere but has since progressed well over hurdles and fences, including as a novice chaser last season when she chalked up Listed wins at Bangor and Warwick plus a handicap here, off a mark of 140, in the spring.

In between, she also ran well when chasing home L’Homme Presse in the Dipper Chase at Cheltenham, especially as the extended 2m4f seemed to stretch her, as it did again at the Festival in March. The Glancing Queen dropped back to 2m when gaining her win here in April and, not surprisingly, sticks at the trip.

“I don’t think she gets two miles five around Cheltenham, even though she was second in a Dipper,” trainer Alan King said in a recent stable tour. “She was definitely going up and down on the spot in the last half a furlong and the same thing happened at The Festival. We dropped her back to two miles at Cheltenham at the April meeting and she powered through the line that day. She is a marvellous mare but she has always been pretty good.”

One niggle is that The Glancing Queen apparently had a little hold-up in her work this autumn after she fell over in the yard. The market may reveal more about expectations but, provided she is somewhere near her best, she is likely to take some stopping.

Horse: Blueking D’Oroux Odds: 5-2 with William Hill.

What have Paul Nicholls’s five previous winner of this contest got in common? Give yourself a pat on the back if you answered they were all recruits from France.

Lightning could strike for a sixth time here because Blueking D’Oroux, who will carry the colours of Johnny de la Hey, is another intriguing recruit for him from those shores.

Blueking D’Oroux is bred for the game and already shown a decent level of ability, winning at Fontainebleau on his debut before solid spins in better company at Auteuil.

He’s worn a hood and tongue-tie up to now and has no other imminent entries. Nicholls has won with half of his 28 runners this month, and 31 from 78 since the start of October.

Medyaf and Tuddenham Green, who fought the finish of the Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby last month, could be among his rivals, as could Scriptwriter, a useful Flat performer who won on his hurdling bow at Sedgefield.

Whoever wins will attract Triumph Hurdle quotes. Katchit (2006/07) and Defi Du Seuil (2016-17) have been among those to do the double.

Horse: Banbridge Odds: A general 8-1.

“Anything he achieves over hurdles will be a bonus” is a well-worn saying among jumps enthusiasts but it’s safe to say everything achieved by Banbridge over hurdles was, err, a bonus!

The six-year-old is every inch the stamp of a steeplechaser but it didn’t stop him winning four of his seven races over hurdles, including the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

He subsequently ran flat at Aintree’s Grand National meeting but he confirmed himself a smashing prospect for chasing when winning a beginners' event at Gowran at the start of last month. He jumped soundly and did everything asked of him.

Banbridge is also entered in the 2m4f handicap chase at Cheltenham on Friday, in which he would also make plenty of appeal, but he’s not short of toe and running in this better grade – and for a first prize almost twice as much - would probably give his connections more of an idea of where his future lies, at least in terms of distance.

Tommy’s Oscar, Pentland Hills, Monmiral and Glory And Fortune all boast better or comparable form over hurdles but Banbridge is not one to oppose lightly in this sphere.

Horse: Ga Law Odds: 8-1 with Coral and Ladbrokes.

Having already put up Ga Law and Demachine in an ante-post column last week, it was a relief to see the pair stand their ground among 21 confirmations on Monday afternoon.

Neither have tightened much in the market, with Ga Law available at 8-1 with Coral and Ladbrokes, and Demachine still on offer at 16-1.

When penning the initial piece, which you can read by clicking here, I had imagined Ga Law perhaps being nudged up in the ratings following his fine third on his comeback in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, when he was not beaten far and might well have won bar an uncharacteristic error five out.

Surprisingly, the handicapper has looked the other way, leaving him on the same mark. Ga Law looked a well-handicapped horse before he ran at Aintree, and even more so now.

He ticks plenty of boxes and it would come as no surprise if those putting together the jigsaw later this week ensure he goes off favourite.

Horse: Nube Negra Odds: A general 6-4.

There will be a maximum of seven runners in this £100,000 contest but no shortage of excitement with Nube Negra, the fluent winner last year, meeting Edwardstone, the winner of last season’s Arkle Chase.

Nube Negra has an official rating of 165, while Edwardstone is on 161. The former will have to concede 3lb, though, and so they could hardly meet on more equal terms.

It’s Nube Negra’s effectiveness when fresh that earns him the nod. He was superb when dishing out a drubbing to Politologue and Put The Kettle On – both Champion Chase winners – on his return in this race last year. And the season before that, after 11 months off, he had stunned Altior at Kempton.

“He’s irritatingly good fresh, if that makes sense,” Skelton said recently. “You have to give him these extended breaks between races, but we’ll see how we get on at Cheltenham. We would love to win the race again and if it happens we will make a plan after that. If we get beaten we’d have to go hunting for a race but if he can win it will take the pressure off as he can’t have a bad year so to speak.”

A dry week is forecast and that will also suit Nube Negra, for all that Edwardstone is also versatile regards the ground.

Horse: Severance Odds: A general 16-1.

Willie Mullins, Emmet Mullins and Paul Nicholls are responsible for the top three in the market. They are not a trio to take on lightly with the Nicholls-trained Sonigino, in particular, looking a big player after successive wins at Chepstow.

At bigger odds, the consistent Severance warrants a second look.

The seven-year-old has a poor wins-to-runs ratio (two from 21) under Rules given his level of ability on the Flat/over jumps but he ran a string of cracking races in big handicaps last term, including when going close at Cheltenham on Trials Day in January.

He picked up from where he left off when third in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las last month, when effectively 6lb "wrong" at the weights. Back off his correct mark on Sunday, and entitled to be sharper, he should be hard to keep out of the frame.