Sir AP McCoy’s William Hill blog: Cheltenham November Meeting Sunday Preview

William Hill ambassador Sir AP McCoy previews Sunday at Cheltenham’s November Meeting, with the Greatwood Hurdle the feature on the day.

Cheltenham, Sunday

The opener on Sunday (1.10pm) is a tight little affair with only five runners. It wouldn’t be the strongest opinion I’ll take all season but I think the Skeltons’ Ace Of Spades can get the job done. He looked to improve for his first run over hurdles with a narrow defeat at Exeter on his last start, and I think he ought to have the measure of his rivals here.

It’s all about Peaky Boy in the second (1.45pm) for me. He’s obviously unbeaten around Cheltenham and this looks like a nice starting point for his chasing debut. Nicky Henderson thinks this is a very smart horse and it’s positive to see the yard have two winners at the track on Friday as they find their form. This guy will be tough to beat.

Calico is a marginal fancy in the next (2.20pm) over Matata. He was well-ridden by Harry Skelton at the October Meeting and I think with the ground similarly quick as it was that day, he’s the one for me to land an early season Cheltenham double.

I was encouraged by Does He Know’s reappearance at Cheltenham in October. Admittedly he was beaten a long way, but I thought there were better signs in that run that he’s coming back to a bit of form. He’s a four-time winner around Cheltenham and I think he’s good enough to shoulder a big weight here (2.55pm).

The Greatwood Hurdle (3.30pm) all revolves around Dysart Enos. Fergal O’Brien’s mare is a very likable type and looks to have been mapped out for this race. She’s surely going to be better than her current mark of 131 and I think she’ll show it here.