Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Dibble to find the right Tune over fences

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty looks ahead to the beginning of the season with two good cards upcoming from Chepstow.

Chepstow’s opener marks the first major meeting of the Jumps season, and by this time of year, anticipation is always mounting. Paul Nicholls has consistently targeted this meeting, which has often served as a significant springboard for his yard. The [Nigel] Twiston-Davies horses are in flying form at the moment, so they are well worth keeping an eye on too.

Chepstow, Friday

We’ll begin with the Grade 2 Persian War (3:15pm), where INTENSE APPROACH is set to feature. He’s a horse we had here, following a similar path to Constitution Hill, who came here as a foal and left as a three-year-old before winning his point-to-point. I know this horse well; he’s had a couple of heavy falls, which I believe have knocked his confidence somewhat. However, he’s still open to improvement, and he put in a good performance at Kelso last time out. Harry Cobden is an interesting jockey booking. It’s a competitive race, with Ryan’s Rocket on the rise and Flying Fortune also progressing, but my preference would be for John McConnell’s horse. He’s a nice type and he can upgrade his form with more improvement likely in his jumping.

In the following race, GOOD BOY BOBBY lines up in the Veterans’ Handicap (3:50). The Twiston-Davies team have won 10 from 28 in the last 21 days, so they’ve really started the season strongly. This horse won the race last year off a mark of 132 and is only a pound higher this time. Another horse I like is Certainly Red, who showed good form behind Minella Cocooner at Sandown last time out and ended last season in good form. However, there are some doubts, as he was well beaten on his first run last year. I think the Twiston-Davies team can keep their tally going.

Chepstow, Saturday

We’ll start with the 4-Y-O Hurdle (2:10pm), where Paul Nicholls’ Liari is likely to head the market. He was an impressive winner at Musselburgh, and that form ties in with Roaring Legend, who he faces again. He pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival though, and I’m not entirely convinced about him. In contrast, I thought YELLOW STAR ran well for fourth at Sandown at the end of the season, and I can see more value in Gary and Josh Moore’s horse, especially with its handicapping experience.

Next up is the Listed Novices’ Chase (2:45pm), featuring CUTHBERT DIBBLE, who finished a strong third in the Pertemps at the Festival. He has plenty of solid handicap hurdling experience and seems to jump well. He was progressive last season, winning here in January and following up at Haydock. Another horse to watch is Springwell Bay, who has a similar profile and is the highest-rated of the lot, with good form to back it up. However, with the Twiston-Davies yard in top form and that good run at Cheltenham last season, my pick is Cuthbert Dibble.

The Silver Trophy (3:20pm) is next, and my selection is TUNE IN A BOX. He was a good winner at Punchestown by eight lengths. Before that, he won well at Wincanton in February, then didn’t run again until the end of April, showing significant improvement in that time. He’s only five and is a horse on the up. Depending on his price, he could be a nice each-way play.

There are some strong contenders in the Handicap Chase (4:00pm), with plenty of good form on show. Editeur Du Gite is one of them, but he’ll have to carry a lot of weight. IL RIDOTO runs off 140, which is six pounds lower than at Cheltenham. He was a good second behind Fugitif in the December Gold Cup and ran well against Stage Star before that. He is a horse who still has lots of potential, especially after a wind operation, and Paul Nicholls will likely have him well-prepared. He’s very consistent and would be my pick.

Finally, in the Native River (4:35pm), Welsh Grand National winner Nassalam is among the runners, but the ground might still be too good for him as he prefers it heavy, and he’s carrying a lot of weight. There’s not much recent form to go on here, but I’ll take a chance with NEON MOON for David Pipe, who was a good winner at Newbury in March. He also won on his reappearance last season, so he’s my each-way play in what looks to be an open race.

Horse to follow for the season

One horse to keep an eye on this season is Ben Pauling’s PERSONAL AMBITION. He won a Grade 2 at Kelso in early March and would have benefited from a good summer’s grass. I think he’ll thrive over fences. He’s a horse I’m really looking forward to seeing, and he should progress well stepping up in trip. He could develop into a very smart chaser and is definitely one to watch.