Centenary Novices Handicap Chase Odds : Latest Cheltenham Tips
The Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase was one of the new races introduced to the four-day Festival in 2005 and is restricted to novices rated 0-140.
It is a perfect race for novices that are not quite good enough for the top novice chases at the Festival but still are of the ability to merit a big prize at jump racing’s premier event.
With the recent inclusion of the race, key trends are hard to find but there a couple that could pay dividends to follow.
Finding a horse in good form is an obvious but fruitful trend to follow. All six winners either won or finished second last time out and such horses have been responsible for the 1-2-3 four times and a 1-2 on another two occasions – therefore staying clear of novices on a tumbling mark should help when planning an attack on the race.
Last time out winners filled the front two spots in last season’s renewal as Divers saw off a late surge by Quantitativeeasing to keep up Ferdy Murphy’s extraordinary ability to train a horse to Cheltenham Festival glory. It was his tenth Cheltenham Festival winner. Additionally it was the second time Murphy and his jockey Graham Lee has struck gold in this particular race following their win in 2007 with L’Antartique.
The first running of the race brought about an extraordinary result where winning jockey Mattie Batchelor had to ride the last two furlongs aboard King Harald without irons after the horse made a serious blunder at the final fence.
The 2008 renewal was best remembered for the Queen’s first ever runner at the Cheltenham Festival, Barbers Shop, finishing a neck behind Finger Onthe Pulse. The Queen has owned top-level Flat horses for more than half a century, and won four out of the five Classics, but is still searching for her first winner at the Festival.
As with most Festival handicaps this race looks a real minefield and the ante-post betting suggests a close race is on the agenda. Despite the large fields the attracted to the race, the fierce early pace often leads to the field being well strung out, so only the best jumpers will prevail in this competitive handicap.
Havingotascoobydo is the current market leader as trainer Martin Keighley has openly admitted this race is the clear target for his classy novice. His form is strong also, and most importantly, he has finished in the first two on his last start. The seven-year-old’s versatility means he has been kept running over hurdles in order to keep his chase mark at 141. He has also jumped round Cheltenham twice before in open handicaps at a two-mile pace, so the hustle and bustle of a big runner field won’t affect his chances.
This handicap is seen as a perfect place for trainers to run inexperienced horses with untapped potential and Nicky Henderson, who has never won this race, could take this route with French recruit Triolo D’Alene. The strapping chaser made a winning British debut when staying-on in game fashion to beat Ackertac by two and a quarter lengths. He has been raised 9lbs for that success but should be perfectly weighted to put up a bold showing in this event, if Henderson decides to run.
Call The Police could also be interesting runner for Willie Mullins. The eight-year-old looked a natural on his chase debut when strolling clear at Gowran Park. He looks a horse who could be really suited to the tough fences at Cheltenham, although he was a beaten favourite at the Festival last season when finishing a disappointing eleventh in the Coral Cup.
