Cheltenham November Meeting: Thriller expected in Greatwood Handicap Hurdle
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Cheltenham tips for Sunday’s November Meeting
The November Meeting at Cheltenham concludes with a competitive six-race card, featuring the wide-open Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
Last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase first and second will renew rivalry in the Shloer Chase, which also features the 2020 winner of the Festival’s Wednesday showpiece.
OSCAR ELITE belied odds of 40/1 when a fine second of 16 to Vanillier in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in March and is bred to be even better over fences.
DOES HE KNOW has already scored over the bigger obstacles here and at Chepstow, while THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE was held in second at the Welsh track but then jumped much better in a 15-length Exeter romp.
YALA ENKI has been a grand servant for connections, with the 11-year-old winning 11 races under Rules and being placed in the last three renewals of the Welsh Grand National.
EMPIRE DE MAULDE makes the long journey down from James Ewart’s Langholm yard in great heart after a comfortable success at Kelso gave him a 10th career victory from 25 starts and he has this season’s runaway top jockey Brian Hughes on board.
Henry De Bromhead’s Irish raider PUT THE KETTLE ON battled on gamely up the hill to beat NUBE NEGRA by half a length in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
That gave him four wins from as many trips to Prestbury Park, with previous victories including this race 12 months ago and the 2020 Arkle.
POLITOLOGUE, third favourite at 4/1, landed the Champion Chase two seasons ago among his 12 career wins and his followers will be hoping a wind operation helps him recapture that sparkle.
Triumph Hurdle runner-up ADAGIO looked an exciting prospect as a juvenile and will be popular in Cheltenham tips at 11/1 despite having to carry 11st 12lb on his seasonal reappearance.
“He’s got top-weight, which is not ideal, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” said trainer David Pipe. “He’s done well during the summer. He’s in good form. We dream that he might develop into a Champion Hurdle horse, but he’s got to improve again.”
BALLYANDY will try to go one better than his second-placed Greatwood run last season, while the lightly-raced NO ORDINARY JOE is chasing a hat-trick for Nicky Henderson and top owner JP McManus following his smooth double in May.
I LIKE TO MOVE IT was considered good enough to run in last season’s Champion Bumper and has taken well to hurdling with wins at Worcester and this track, pulling clear on the run-in on each occasion.
WASHINGTON scored at Bangor last month in the style of a horse who still has more improvement to come and SONIGINO was a dual winner in France before joining Paul Nicholls.
TIMEFORATUNE changed hands for £175,000 after landing a Ffos Las bumper by 11 lengths in May and kept on well to follow up at Chepstow last month on his debut for champion trainer Nicholls.
AUCUNRISQUE impressed in victory at Stratford and was unlucky in running when a close fourth of 15 here next time out, while any market moves in the Cheltenham odds for FLYING SARA may be significant, as the two-time winner returns from a lengthy absence.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
