3.15pm Cheltenham Tips & Betting Preview 15/11/2015

Race Time: 3.15pm Meeting: Cheltenham Day: Sunday 15th November
Distance: 2m 5f 26yds Full Race Name: Celebrating 20 Years of Jet Open Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Q. for Challenger Hurdle) Class Three

With an almost uncountable number of early entries this handicap will take some solving but we are more than happy to start with Kim Bailey’s Crazy Jack (20/1) who will have the invaluable assistance of Conor Shoemark in the saddle. Switching between fences and hurdles the seven year old has now won two chases, one hurdle, and a point to point, but looks in good heart already this season with a win at Worcester in a novice hurdles followed by a third to Lord Wishes when running on strongly over this sort of trip at Wetherby off the same mark of 125 he has to shoulder this afternoon, suggesting the stiff uphill finish may well play to his strengths and all we hope for now is a nice each way price!

With Clondaw Banker out the Henderson yard are currently planning to run Towering (11/1) here, and as a course and distance winner with fitness on his side and a recent run he may have a bit more going for him. He looked a bit of a thinker here in October, pulling double all over the leaders and then finding little when asked to quicken, but he did battle on for a neck success thanks to a great ride from Nico De Boinville, and clearly had talent if they can get him to use it. Only put up two pounds for that victory, he is certainly handicapped to win if the race goes his way, and is high on our list of early considerations.

Battling Boru (25/1) has a great name and some pretty decent form as well having won his last two outings at Downpatrick and Galway, and with young harry Cobden taking five off his back he isn’t without a chance. The step back up in trip ought to suit after he battled home over two and a quarter miles last time out, and the quicker going could be more in his favour than the majority of the opposition here.

Neil Mulholland broke a long run without a winner over on Friday afternoon and he has Fingerontheswitch (7/1) in here and he is in good form. A lightly raced five year old, he has three wins from six races total, and has placed in the rest so we know he is pretty consistent, and he may just be well in here off a mark of 123. He has the speed to win over less and the stamina over further, so tactics should not be an issue unlike some, and depending on price he could well be a decent each way option.

To round off this tricky race, Joseph Tuite is having a great season led from the front by Litigant, and he may well send Bohemian Rhapsody (25/1) here as opposed to other options. Formerly with a long list of other trainers, most recently Sean Curran, he has been keeping fit on the flat, all be it without recent success, and could be a bit of a dark horse for an under rated trainer who seems sure to have him spot on for this.