Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Henderson may have the Greatwood Under Control

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty puts forward his picks for the final day of Cheltenham’s November Meeting and also looks over the big race from Navan on Sunday.

Cheltenham, Sunday

In the opener (1:10pm), I like the look of WHIMSY, who has some strong flat form but has also run well over hurdles, finishing second in four of her six attempts last season. She was runner-up at Galway last time, just half a length behind Mozzie’s Sister. The third horse that day has since placed second at Fairyhouse, so the form looks solid. She also receives a bit of weight from her rivals, so I think this she could go well.

The next race is a novice handicap chase (1:45pm) where it is hard to overlook PEAKY BOY, who is two from two since joining Nicky Henderson’s yard, which is clearly coming into full swing now. He won over course and distance, and when Nicky enters one in a novice handicap at Cheltenham, it’s worth paying attention. The horse will be well-schooled over fences, as Nicky wouldn’t bring him to Cheltenham unless he believed he was ready.

Up next is a Class 2 handicap chase (2:20pm) with a small field of only four runners. This looks very much a rematch between Calico and Matata, and it’s hard to look past these two. They have both been consistent performers over the last few seasons. There’s very little to separate them, but I would just side with MATATA, as I still think there’s room for improvement from his first run of the season, whereas Calico looked fully ready for his reappearance. Matata also has a one-pound swing in his favour, so I think he could be up to reversing the form this time.

The following race is a highly competitive premier handicap (2:55pm) with a big field of 16 runners. SURREY QUEST has done really well since joining Toby Lawes, and he does catch the eye. The horse has good form on better ground, and he won on his first run back from a break last season, which is always a positive sign, showing he runs well fresh. Many will remember when he only narrowly missed out in the Scottish Grand National behind Macdermott—a brilliant run, which I think is the strongest form on offer.

In the feature race of the Sunday, the Greatwood Hurdle (3:30pm), there has been a lot of talk about Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos. She is six from six, with three bumper wins and three over hurdles. There’s much to like about her, as she has course form, and with her mark of 131, for a mare to have achieved what she has and be rated in the low 130s, she does look well treated. The talk is well justified, and she may be the one to beat in this Greatwood. However, for me, the value here could be UNDER CONTROL. We haven’t seen much of her since she had Iberico Lord behind her at Sandown in April 2023. She ran well in this season’s Galway Hurdle, but just didn’t quite have the pace for the sharp track at Galway, and she should be more suited to this stiffer track. I think she offers solid each-way value here.

In the bumper (4.00pm), Fortune De Mer and Block Rockin Beats meet again after their battle at the Cheltenham Showcase Meeting. That day Fortune De Mer looked to have the race won, before Block Rockin Beats battled back in the final strides to win by half-a-length. Fortune De Mer is another pound worse off, which is another strike against him. I think BLOCK ROCKIN BEATS just showed more resolution that day and I can see him confirming the form.

Navan, Sunday

Navan is a proper course with a really stiff finish and it was always one of my favourite tracks to ride. The Troytown is always a great race. I was fortunate to win it twice in a row with Prince Of Tara for Stephen Mahon in 2005 and then the year later on Cane Brake for Tom Taaffe. I should also have won the following year, when second on Gazza’s Girl for Jessie Harrington, but that was one that got away I suppose!

In this year’s renewal (2:30pm), Gordon Elliott’s AMERICAN MIKE is an intriguing runner, having won his seasonal debut at Navan this time last year with Jack Kennedy on board. He clearly performs well fresh. That day, he defeated Fact To File, which is some very solid form to have on his record. If he can reproduce anything close to that performance, he’ll be very hard to beat. Notably, he’s the choice of Jack Kennedy and the fact he’s won all of his seasonal reappearances speaks volumes.