Cheltenham Placepot: Friday October 19

Cheltenham is the venue for Friday's Placepot.

Cheltenham plays host to racing for the first time this autumn, and that is where Matt Gardner heads for Friday's tilt at the Placepot...

14:10 - The New One took very high rank in the bumper division last year, winning his first two starts before staying on well to finish sixth in the Champion Bumper and landing the Grade 2 bumper and Aintree's National meeting. He made a most satisfactory hurdling debut at Newton Abbot on the first day of this month, not always fluent at the obstacles but winning with plenty in hand and, although Special Account and The Jugopolist will give him more to think about, it is difficult to see The New One not finishing in at least the first three.

14:45 - The Jim Dreaper-trained Go All The Way has made a most impressive start to life over fences, improving markedly upon his hurdles form in two starts over the larger obstacles. He has won easily on each occasion, taking the eye with his jumping, and he seems a fairly solid proposition here. Domtaline and Kingsmere are closely matched on their Worcester form earlier in the year, with the former possibly slightly fortunate to emerge on top that day but he still gets the nod as our second selection. Domtaline was forced to concede weight in that event but they race off levels here and he could well be up to making the places.

15:20 - Having saved lines in the opening contest we can afford to stick three in what is a highly competitive handicap hurdle, with the consistent Cockney Trucker heading the list. You have to look back to October of 2010 to find his last win but he has put up plenty of creditable efforts in races of this ilk, including at this track, and he is a good one to have on side. The Tom George-trained Sivola de Sivola progressed into a useful hurdler last term and is readily forgiven his defeat in the Albert Bartlett at the Festival on his most recent outing. He remains unexposed and goes in alongside So Fine, another unexposed sort who appeals as the type to improve further for trainer Philip Hobbs.

15:55 - Sea of Thunder's fall at the final hurdle at Cheltenham in December of last year was most memorable as he fired jockey Jason Maguire a fair way up the hill such was the speed at which he was travelling, but it also worth remembering the ease with which he would have won that Grade 2 event but for crashing out. The rest of his season didn't really go to plan, although he still managed to reach a useful level of form, but he stamped himself as an exciting chase prospect with an impressive win at Clonmel last month, jumping well in the main winning comfortably. He could be one to follow, and is banked upon here.

16:30 - Population and Titan de Sarti are both currently to the fore of the market but it is more than worth taking them on, the former far from certain to possess the stamina for this test and the latter disappointing on his sole outing last year having arrived from France with a lofty reputation. The two to side with are Court Minstrel, who won a brace of bumpers prior the finishing fourth to The New One at Aintree and appeals as the type to do better still over hurdles, and Landscape, who was fairly useful on the Flat in France, has been given plenty of time since joining Paul Nicholls late last year and his current market strength is a positive.

17:05 - Again, having saved lines by banking on Sea of Thunder we can select three in this amateur riders' event, with Wide Receiver, Hunters Lodge and La Pantera Rosa the ones to side with. The second-named lacks the experience of his rivals but jumped superbly on his first start over fences at Market Rasen last month and could be a very useful staying chaser in the making, whilst Wide Receiver has been revitalised since joining this yard and seems to go well fresh. La Pantera Rose has been in excellent form of late, winning his last three starts and, whilst this demands more, he is clearly thriving and would be dangerous to ignore.

Selections:
14:10 - 4
14:45 - 1, 2
15:20 - 3, 8, 17
15:55 - 2
16:30 - 2, 6
17:05 - 3, 13, 14
= 36 lines

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