Cheltenham 2020 betting: Weekend evaluate 14th and fifteenth December

This weekend saw no much less than one horse improve their Cheltenham Festival claims despite ending down the field. But which one?

Cheltenham’s International Meeting took centre stage on Friday and Saturday simply gone, the ultimate racedays of 2019 at National Hunt HQ in Britain.

There have been some rock-solid performances but additionally hope in defeat for the likes of Pentland Hills, while efficiency of the weekend perhaps got here up on Doncaster from Sam Spinner.

Odds correct on the time of publishing and are subject to vary.

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Spinner a spectacular winner

The Slot Online December Novices’ Chase at Doncaster will live long within the memory for Joe Colliver, rider of the winner Sam Spinner.

He’d made one or two sketchy jumps on his means round Town Moor however nothing fairly ready us for the spectacular scene over the 13th obstacle.

Sam Spinner put down on his rider as they met the fence and, as they only about cleared it, Colliver was pitched into the air above his mount. So excessive was the rider forged that he admitted having time to assume “I hope he is still there after I land.”

Sam Spinner was there. And the partnership went on to put 38-lengths between themselves and previously unbeaten chaser Windsor Avenue in landing the Grade 2 contest.

Sam Spinner is now 3-3 from over fences and, being a proven Grade 1 stayer over hurdles, the three-mile RSA Chase at The Festival in March appears the way to go for Jedd O’Keefe’s stable star.

Hope removed from misplaced for Pentland Hills

Nicky Henderson took the Unibet International Hurdle for the third year running however, as has beforehand been the case, the Seven Barrows handler had some mixed feelings.

Call Me Lord (now 14/1 from 16s for the ) eventually pipped his hitherto unbeaten stablemate Pentland Hills for favouritism and he justified the market, scoring a slender success in the end from the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Ballyandy.

The winner stays further than two-miles, an attribute not to be scoffed at within the Champion Hurdle and could nonetheless represent an each-way participant for March.

Pentland Hills shed his unbeaten document over timber but the Triumph Hurdle winner had travelled by way of the race seemingly looking one of the best horse before he tired up the run-in, understandably so given he was quite keen early within the race on testing ground.

As a commencement from juvenile to open company, it was far from disheartening and in a wide open two-mile division, all is way from lost for Pentland Hills, whose coach expressed afterwards that he anticipates important improvement for the run.

Faith in Botox pays off

Botox Has got here in for robust market help within the run-up to the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle that opened Saturday’s card at Cheltenham.

The Gary Moore-trained runner confronted off in opposition to Dan Skelton’s Langer Dan, 2-2 over timber and already a winner at Listed level, however he was sent off at odds of 8/11 to get the win, having finished second in an analogous event on the November Meeting.

Botox Has made the operating under Josh Moore and despite wandering around a bit in the sturdy wind up the run-in, beat his market rival by five-lengths.

His trainer feels he’ll be greatest served swooping late from off a powerful tempo, options that weren’t obtainable right here, however that ought to be when the Triumph Hurdle itself rolls around in March.

Moore can also be responsible for the 6/1 ante-post favourite Goshen however he admits their house owners might dictate a Festival square off within the spring.

Chantry House stays unbeaten

The International Meeting got off to a flying start for Nicky Henderson when Chantry House justified favouritism on his hurdling debut in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle Qualifier.

Owned by JP McManus, Chantry House landed a bumper at Warwick days before last yr’s Cheltenham Festival on his British racecourse bow having value his owner the princely sum of £295,000.

The vibes from Seven Barrows have all the time indicated that the Yeats gelding is well considered and he was anticipated to make his first hurdles begin a profitable one.

He hit the entrance after the final flight and held off wide-margin Ffos Las winner Silver Streak to attain.

Henderson advised that Chantry House remains fairly green and will need more educating before the spring-time, however he is very a lot one to follow this season and may be more than happy with his start over jumps.