Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Broadway knows the Path to Cheltenham glory

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty looks ahead to the best of the racing from Cheltenham’s Showcase Meeting on Friday and Saturday.

Cheltenham, Friday

PATH D’OROUX should be hard to beat in the William Hill Novices’ Chase (1:50pm). He is still a maiden over fences, and his 0 from 10 record is a slightly worrying stat, but he has some good form. He has run some fine races in defeat, including when second to Madara at Leopardstown and then third to Unexpected Party in the Grand Annual at the Festival. Those are big runs and suggest he’s been progressing really well without winning. With a reproduction of that sort of form and with the experience he has, he should be hard to beat. He’s also getting allowances; eight-pound from San Salvador and Jazzy Matty because he’s a maiden and he’s even getting one-pound off main market rival Shecouldbeanything.

The two-mile Squareintheair.com Handicap Chase (2:25pm) looks competitive. ARCLIGHT, who is only five, progressed really well throughout last season. She disappointed on her last run in the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase in February, but before that she had won three chases in a row, twice in Listed class. She’s three from four over fences and at her age there should still be plenty more to come.

GALE MAHLER is a short price but she will likely be hard to beat in the Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle (3:00pm). She put in a really good performance in Galway, stepping up on what she had done prior to that to win by 10 lengths. That was very impressive and looks the strongest form on offer. She’s won all six of her last starts and is tough to oppose.

Cheltenham, Saturday

There has been money for INTENSE APPROACH in the William Hill Novices’ Hurdle (1:45pm). He ran a really good race last time on his reappearance at Chepstow, when finishing second behind a well-supported horse from the Peter and Michael Bowen yard. It probably wasn’t ideal that he had to make his own running that day and being a Point-to-Point winner, the step up in trip here should really suit him.

I was a fan of BROADWAY BOY (2:20pm) all of last season. He won twice at Cheltenham before disappointing after the turn of the year at Warwick, when he was subsequently found to be suffering from ulcers. He then didn’t show his best at Aintree in the spring, but it’s hard to forget his early season form. He finished second to Flooring Porter on his second chase start, and that’s been proven to be very strong form. He’s only a six-year-old, so he’s open to progression and the [Nigel] Twiston-Davies horses are flying at the moment.

In the Pertemps Qualifier (2:55pm), I like Gavin Cromwell’s Al GASPARO. He’s a Point-to-Point winner and stepping up in trip should suit him. He was third to Letterston Lily at Worcester back in August and that form has worked out reasonably well with that horse finishing third behind the in-form Flying Fortune on her next start. Al Gasparo is unexposed at this trip and I think that could be key.

Bottler’secret looked really good last season but all his form is on soft ground. He’s a really good stayer, so while on the form book he looks very hard to beat in this two-mile hurdle (3:30pm), the better ground he will encounter at Cheltenham would be a slight concern. I think DODGER LONG is the each-way alternative. He was very impressive at Chepstow last time, and was also a good winner at Warwick the time before that. The handicapper has raised him 10 pounds for his last win and he looks like a horse on the up.

YEATS STAR (4:05pm) ran well in two competitive handicap hurdles at Leopardstown over Christmas and then again at the Dublin Racing Festival. He won last time out at Listowel on his first go over fences and, as a five-year-old, should continue to progress over the larger obstacles.