Cheltenham Betting
Neptune Investment Novice Hurdle
The Neptune Investment Management Novice Hurdle is run over two miles and five furlongs on the Wednesday of the Cheltenham festival. It’s a race for grade one staying novices and has churned out some decent winners in the years gone by, Hardy Eustace probably being the best of them. Historically it’s a race in which the Irish do well in and again seem to hold a strong hand. The Dermot Weld trained Rite Of Passage heads the market and will be hard to beat. Another notable Irish entry is last years champion bumper fourth Quel Esprit, from the Willie Mullin’s stable. Spear heading the U.K charge is the Nicky Henderson trained Finians Rainbow, along with Peddlers Cross (Donald McCain) and Reve De Sivola (Nick Williams).
Favourite for the Neptune is Rite Of Passage at 7-2. He went off favourite for last years champion bumper but was beat by one of the best bumper winners ever in Dunguib. He’s transferred his ability to jumps and should take a lot of beating. He’s unbeaten over timber thus far, winning both races easily. His pedigree suggests the step up in trip is within his range and the forecast better ground should also help the son of Giant’s Causeway. A big chance but no real value at 7-2.
Second favourite is Nicky Henderson’s Finians Rainbow. The son of classy French stayer, Tiraaz, has only seen a racecourse four times but has a lot of ability. To me, he looks more of a chasing type but has solid form over hurdles. With three runs over smaller obstacles under his belt, winning two very easily, he has gained quite a bit of experience. He does hurdle well in the main, but can be novicey. In his other hurdle race, he finished third in a bunched finish, just being out stayed in desperate ground by Reve De Sivola and Restless Harry. The better ground at Cheltenham should help him stay better and he has a good shout of turning the tables on the above two. Not a bad price at 8-1.
Third favourite and my fancy for the race is Donald McCain’s Peddlers Cross. The son of Oscar has won all three of his career starts easily. The form looks solid enough too. On his debut in a Haydock bumper, he sluiced up beating two previous bumper winners by nine and twenty-two lengths. The horse that finished third in that bumper has since gone on to obtain a rating in the high 120s. His first start over timber saw him win hard held by twenty-one lengths. He then went on to win a grade two novice hurdle very impressively by sixteen lengths, hammering horses of Nicky Henderson and Howard Johnson. That horse of Henderson’s, Radium, was only four lengths behind impressive Totesport hurdle winner, Get Me Out Of Here, in a previous run. The form looks quite solid. My only concern is the trip; there’s a lot of speed in his pedigree but he did win a point over twenty furlongs. For me he’s a big price at 10-1.
Of the rest, it’s still unclear if Quel Esprit will run in this or the Albert Bartlett. With the ground likely to be good/soft, I think he’ll take the three mile option. I wouldn’t fancy him for this race either to be honest, he has a bit to find with Rite Of Passage on last years bumper run but doesn’t seem to have progressed as well as Dermot Weld’s gelding.
Reve De Sivola has a serious engine and will fly up the hill when others are fading away. He looks a chaser in the making and his jumping of hurdles has been less then fluent. It’s hard to back a horse that jumps as poorly as him but he has loads of ability. He will also love the trip and the course.
Fionnegas is also of interest to me. He was second to Dunguib in the Deloitte, pulling eleven lengths clear of the third. That was a good run over an inadequate trip but is Willie Mullins sending him for the Albert Bartlett or the Neptune?
Another competitive race to try and solve with many in with a chance. Fionnegas would interest me if he ran in this event especially at his current price of 20-1 but it’s still unclear which race he goes for, if he goes at all. I like Reve De Sivola but he’s jumping is a big worry. He’s a decent each-way price at 12-1. Finian’s Rainbow is a decent horse but strictly on the form book, he has a length to find with Reve De Sivola and is half his odds. Rite Of Passage is very classy but doesn’t offer much value at 7-2. I also have slight reservations about the suitability of the course for him. I’m going to take a chance with the Donald McCain horse, Peddlers Cross. He looks to have class in abundance and is a big price at 10-1. I have a slight concern about the trip but if it doesn’t come up very soft, he’ll go very well.
An each-way bet for me is Reve De Sivola at 12-1.
