Carefully Selected favourite for Cheltenham National Hunt Chase

Former Irish point-to-pointers have won five of the last eleven renewals of the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham which takes place on the Tuesday of the festival at 17.30pm and is worth £125,000. Ex pointers once again feature strongly in this year’s renewal holding 19 of the 39 entries.

The National Hunt Chase is a novice chase for amateur riders over 3m6f. Up until 2019, it was run over 4m but the distance was reduced due to welfare concerns after last year’s race, in which only four of the 18 runners completed.

It is an exciting event that brings day one of the festival to a close, with the skills of some of the best amateur riders on show. Patience is the key to success in this contest, with the trip providing a demanding test of stamina with the tone often liable to change dramatically late on, as these novices meet the final hill at the end of a strong gallop.

Leading the way, for former pointers as a 2/1 shot at the top of the market is Carefully Selected, who although only having ran nine times under rules, brings some decent form to the contest having reached the number one spot on six of those occasions including a four-length victory in a Grade 3 novice chase at Naas at the end of January. Forza Milan that finished behind him on that occasion also holds an entry in this race.
 
Carefully Selected, who finished second in the 2018 Champion Bumper was second in an Oldtown five-year-old geldings’ maiden back in February 2017 before going onto win at Monksgrange a month later by a distance when under the care of Ted Walsh.

Battleoverdoyen made the perfect start to his career when landing his first three starts under rules before heading over to festival last year, where he disappointed when pulling up in the Ballymore novices chase, however, he came back with a bang this season by adding another three victories to his CV. Although he fell at Leopardstown in February when beaten, two-time Grade 1 winner still holds a big hand in this contest if on form.

The seven-year-old started life out with Jerry Cosgrove when running out a four-length winner of his four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughnamore back in April 2017 under Mark O’Hare.

Newtide features third in the market for ex pointers and is another who holds a good chance in this contest. The Kim Bailey-trained gelding added a Graded victory to his list of success when landing the Grade 2 William Hill Towton novices chase at Weatherby in February.

The seven-year-old son of Getaway finished runner-up when beaten by only three lengths on debut in a four-year-old maiden at Oldcastle in 2017.

Springfield Fox is another who goes into this holding a strong chance. The Tom George-trained gelding has been consistent of late with victories at both Chepstow and Exeter along with two placed efforts in recent months. The son of Sagamix won all three of his starts in Irish points including when he ran out a 14-length winner of at Kilfeacle in a winner-of-three contest for Declan Queally.

Another Gordon Elliott-trained gelding that should be considered here is Ravenhill. He found only one too good in the Kerry National at Listowel in September when beaten only a head by Poker Party. The son of Winged Love has not run since then but showed holds good form having won a total of five races since he began running under rules.

Ravenhill got off the mark at the seventh time of asking in points when landing a six-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughanmore for George Stewart in 2016.