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Cheltenham hopefuls best watched on Saturday

By Angus | February 3, 2010

My horseracing tip this weekend is that you keep your money in your pocket where two Cheltenham Festival favourites are concerned – but keep an eye on their performances ahead of the festival itself in a few weeks’ time.

It seems only yesterday that Binocular was one of the most talked-about horses around, but a disappointing performance in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and a third place in his follow-up race at Kempton have seen the Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old eased in the Champion Hurdle ante-post betting.

J P McManus’s horse will get another run in the toteswinger Contenders Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday and is sure to be prominent in the betting. But it may be too early to forecast a renaissance in Binocular’s form and I’ll be merely watching with interest at how he performs.

Binocular is currently 8/1 at Bet365, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and William Hill for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham that could look good value if he comes back to form on Saturday. As they say, form is temporary but class is permanent – and let’s not forget that Binocular has undoubted class.

Punchestowns is another horse I won’t be tempted by this weekend, for a different reason. The current favourite for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival hasn’t had a run since winning a Grade 2 at Newbury in November 2009, and he could be a bit ring-rusty.

If he fails at Sandown this Saturday the 7/2 currently being generally offered about him for the 2010 RSA Chase could be eased, and I may get interested in an ante-post flutter on him then. Again, one bad race won’t mean he’s suddenly a bad horse.

My current interest in that race is Diamond Harry, who won comfortably at Haydock the other week after finishing behind Big Buck’s in the Long Walk Hurdle in December. Sevens is available with Paddies, Laddies and Hills, and that could be worth a little tickle.

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