CHELTENHAM – THURSDAY

1:20 G1 Marsh Novices’ Chase

Chantry House (Nico de Boinville)

He made a very bright start to his chasing career at Ascot but wasn’t right at Cheltenham after that so we had him fully checked out and treated him for a small back issue which seemed to work because I was extremely impressed with his victory at Wetherby last time when he finished his race really well and jumped impeccably. His hurdles is form is right up there with the best of these and while Envoi Allen will be hard to beat this horse will certainly not disgrace himself and he’ll definitely give him a race. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

Fusil Raffles (Daryl Jacob)

He’s won twice over fences at Cheltenham and put up a very good performance over two and a half in December. His work has been very good at home, as has his schooling, and he would have a decent each way shout on his very best form. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

1:55 G3 Pertemps Final

Champagne Platinum (Nico De Boinville)

He probably ran a little bit too well at Haydock last time because the handicapper put him up another pound so he’s off a career high mark, but this race has obviously been the plan for quite some time and I still think we haven’t quite seen the best of him. He handles any ground. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

2:30 G1 Ryanair Chase

Mister Fisher (Nico De Boinville)

He and Altior do all of their work together and complement each other very well. They both did their final decent gallop last Thursday and finished nicely as they always do. To be honest there aren’t many horses who can keep up with Altior on the gallops but Mister Fisher has always shown a very high level of ability both and off the course and I thought his win in the Peterborough Chase last time was excellent. The ground should be absolutely ideal, the more it dries out the better, and Nico will try and ride him nice and handy and with a bit of luck he can go a few places better than he did in the Marsh Chase, when he fared best of the British, and gain a deserved Cheltenham Festival victory. It would also be a great result for his owners James and Jean Potter Ltd who have been long-standing supporters of National Hunt racing so it would be nice to reward them with victory here. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

3:40 G3 Handicap Chase

Caribean Boy (Daryl Jacob)

He was very impressive at Newbury and then I probably ran him a little bit too quick at Ascot when a few of our horses also weren’t running well. We then took him to Sandown, and to be honest I think I thought he was a little bit quicker than he actually is and he was flat out there, so the step back up to two and a half will suit and this track will also be in his favour. He is a very talented horse who arrives here in excellent shape and I like his chances very much. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

Top Notch (Luca Morgan)

Dear old Top Notch owes us absolutely nothing and is just a lovely person to have around the place. He had a trapped epiglottis which is not a very common thing but extremely easily mended and it certainly won’t make him go any faster. This is a good example where people can read too much into what they see as a ‘first time wind op’ in the race card when actually ‘wind ops’ cover a wide range of things and when he ran he didn’t have a trapped epiglottis because if he had, he wouldn’t have even made it to the start. Basically when the horses breathe, the flow of air to their lungs gets trapped which results in abnormal breathing sounds so ‘wind op first time’ is sending out very wrong signals. 

Daryl Jacob suggested putting cheek pieces on so that’s what they are there and he seems in good form at home. This, I think, will be his first run in a Handicap so it will be interesting to see how effective he is in this grade especially with a 7lbs claim. Sarah Shreeve who rides him most days absolutely dotes on him and reports him to be in great shape and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go well at decent odds. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

4:50 Kim Muir Handicap Chase

Morning Vicar (Nico de Boinville)

He is very lightly- raced for his age who has to have good ground, which he should get here, and this is a big step up in trip so he does have stamina to prove but he’s a very uncomplicated horse who jumps well and comes into this with a solid chance of what could be a workable mark. He’s my quiet each way tickle of the week. Unibet's 15 To Go Offer is running on all Cheltenham Festival races.

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