11th November - Selection rationale

A cracking card at Cheltenham tomorrow, signals that the 2011-12 NH season is truly underway.
From my perspective, the high-light is the last race of the day. It’s incredible to think that we will be seeing Cue Card and Grand Cru crossing swords over fences, so early in the season.
Not that it’s a 2 horse race either, with the likes of Champion Court and Zaynar - also horses of significant ability - in opposition.
However, as with most of the card, it is a race to watch with an eye to the future – and to savour – but not really a race to bet on…

That said, I have been tempted into a small wager in the second race on the card, the 2 mile handicap chase.
The market is made – quite correctly – by the former high class hurdler, Crack Away Jack.
He has his first run for Paul Nicholls and if he can coax him back to anything like his old hurdle form, off a mark of 142, he will win this – simple as!
I wouldn’t discourage anyone from having a saver on him at 4/1 with one of the BOG firms – I have…

However, the one I’ve put up as the TVB tip, is Oh Crick.
He won the Grand Annual at the festival the season before last and followed up at Aintree a couple of weeks later.
At the time of his victory, he was only a 6 year old novice and he looked like a horse who might go on to great things.
However, that hasn’t happened – and whilst time has shown he is not up to competing at Championship class, taking a handicap off a mark just 2lb higher than when he won at Aintree, could well be within his capabilities.
Two other things attract me to him: firstly, he will get the decent ground that he needs tomorrow and secondly, he has already had a relatively promising run this season, which should see him cherry ripe tomorrow.
All this said, it’s a fiercely competitive race, so I’m keeping stakes to the minimum – and also going EW, just in case Crack Away Jack proves to be a handicap good thing !!

0.5pt EW Oh Crick 16/1