Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Planters to land a Punch at Cheltenham

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty previews the first day of the William Hill Showcase Meeting from Cheltenham.

There’s a bit of rain around and Friday could be a wet day at Cheltenham, but it’s hard to know at this stage how much there will be and whether it will be enough to drastically affect the going. For now, we’ll just have to see what the ground is like come Friday.

Cheltenham, Friday

I thought BOWENSONFIRE would be hard to beat in the two-mile novices’ chase (1:50pm). It was a good run from him, when he finished behind Frankie John, in a Grade 3 at Gowran last time. Before that he was well beaten at Killarney, but that was a strong race with the likes of Daddy Long Legs in there. He also chased home Frankie John at Galway the time before that, so he brings solid form into this. He had a high level of form over hurdles and has taken well to fences too.

The Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle (2:25pm) is a tricky and open-looking race. WONDERING WHY won well at Warwick back in May. The horse he beat there, Nap Hand, has gone on to win twice since then and the third-placed horse has also come out and won this season, so it’s form that is working out. He’s only a five-year-old too, so there should be more to come from him.

PLANTERS PUNCH has been very impressive so far in junior National Hunt novice hurdles, winning all three starts so far, and he could make it four from four in the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle (3:00pm). A horse called Crack Ops finished a long way behind him on his second start at Bangor and has won since. Planters Punch is only a four-year-old, so he’s open to making a bigger step forward than his older opponents. Nicky [Henderson] has only had two runners in the last fortnight, but those have both run with credit, so that’s not a negative.

JPR One and CALICO are two brilliant campaigners that line up in the two-mile handicap chase (3:35pm). Both are up in the weights but bring plenty of class to this contest. JPR One produced a brilliant performance when second to Edwardstone when last seen and should go well. Calico has won this race for the last two years and is sure to have been prepared well in his bid for a hat-trick by the Skeltons. He won off a higher mark than this at Ascot last season, goes well fresh and looks to have every chance of winning this race for a third straight year.

I’m keen to take on Mr Hollywood in the two-and-a-half-mile novices’ hurdle (4:10pm). He made tough enough work of winning a maiden hurdle in Galway, when beating Jeroboam Machin, who has since been beaten in a beginners’ chase. Joseph O’Brien’s KINGSTONIAN is of interest after only one run over hurdles so far. He was a good third on his hurdling debut at Killarney in August, where he finished just behind the King’s horse, Reaching High, who won at Listowel on his following start. The winner Minella Hollow has come out and finished third in a Grade 3 behind an impressive winner, so that also gives the form a bit of a boost. Kingstonian was doing his best work at the finish over two miles in Killarney, so I think this step up in trip is going to really suit him. He should improve for the experience last time, and offers some value against the favourite.