There is no sunshine at all in the weather forecast for Cheltenham on Friday but no chances are being taken, either, with the timing of the card’s steeplechases as the track seeks to ensure that spectators get what they have paid for. In recent weeks, Cheltenham and Aintree are among the tracks that have been forced to run chases with several fences bypassed due to low sun obscuring the view of both horses and riders, but the last of three events over fences on Friday is due off at 2.10 and the most interesting race of all, with the Festival meeting in March in mind at least, opens the card at 12.30.
The sense of optimism at the dawn of a new winter campaign that attracts tens of thousands of spectators to the Open meeting in mid-November can sometimes cloud judgment about the merits of winning performances.
Novices in particular still have a long way to climb just to be worthy of a run at the Festival but, even allowing for that, Kings Palace appeared to be a natural over fences when he beat four useful opponents with previous chasing experience on his debut over the bigger obstacles last month. David Pipe’s six-year-old was immediately installed as the 10-1 co-favourite for the RSA Chase, and will continue his education against just three rivals on Friday.
The RSA Chase in March, the probable target for Kings Palace at the sport’s showpiece meeting, is likely to be a very different test against a significantly bigger field, but David Pipe, who trains Kings Palace, will be happy just to see his horse pick up where he left off last month.
“It’s a small but select field so it’s not going to be easy,” Pipe said on Thursday. “We’re hoping for more of the same really, and he’s just got keep on improving and impressing. He had a good first half of the season last year and then he never ran his race in the Albert Bartlett [Novice Hurdle in March] but we’re hopeful he’s a horse that can only improve with time.
“He was always very good over his hurdles. They don’t always translate that to fences, but it appears that he does it with ease, and he’s one of our bigger hopes for the Festival.
“We’re not even at the end of the year yet, but saying that, you can also look at a lot of the results from the November meeting at Cheltenham and a lot of them end up there in March with decent chances. It sets a high standard in most of the races.”
Kings Palace (12.30) was so slick and natural over the obstacles last month that his more experienced opponents could not cope, and though Sausalito Sunrise, who finished four lengths behind him in second, is 8lb better off on Friday, it will be very disappointing if Pipe’s runner cannot find the necessary improvement to confirm the form.
The progressive Ulzana’s Raid (nap 3.15) and Vintage Vinnie (nb 1.40) should also go well on the same card, while at Bangor, attention will focus on Melodic Rendezvous (12.20), a Grade One winner over hurdles, who is due to make his debut over fences.
Philip Fenton, who was found guilty of possessing anabolic steroids in a court case in October and subsequently banned for three years by the Irish Turf Club, has withdrawn his appeal against the severity of his penalty. His licence has been withdrawn, and he will be disqualified from entering racecourses and all other licensed premises from 1 March 2015.
Chatez, who is as short as 14-1 for the Triumph Hurdle next March, maintained his unbeaten record after two starts over hurdles with a comfortable win at Warwick on Thursday, but is not certain to run at the Festival.
“I was delighted with that and we might go to Kempton on 27 December now,” Alan King, Chatez’s trainer, said. “He seems to have settled well, but I do need to warn punters that the owners aren’t too keen on going for the Triumph. It might be that we miss Cheltenham in the spring and wait for Aintree [in April].”
Eduard, the runner-up in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon on Sunday, will miss the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and run instead in the Grade One Betfair Ascot Chase in February.
