Festival clues on offer at Cheltenham's International meeting

Cheltenham's final meeting of the year takes place this Friday and Saturday and, as ever, it will provide fascinating and thrilling entertainment on the course.

This fixture has also provided key pointers for future Cheltenham Festival winners. Here we look at the history of some of the most significant races and try to identify those who could make a splash back at Cheltenham in March.

International Decorative Surfaces Novices’ Chase | 3m1½f | Friday

The novice races are always worth watching at Cheltenham and over the last decade this contest has thrown up two runners who went on to score at the festival three months later, plus one agonising near miss.

Blaklion is the standout name among the recent winners. He captured this race in 2015 before going on to record victory in the Grade 1 RSA Chase. Chicago Grey was also successful at the festival after running in this contest, finishing second to Time For Rupert before landing the National Hunt Chase.

The near miss, as so often has been the way during his career, came from Singlefarmpayment. Winner of this race in 2016 (his last win) he was denied by a short-head in the Ultima Handicap Chase when Un Temps Pour Tout pipped him on the line.

Names to note thisyear This race has once again attracted a host of familiar names including Wholestone, winner of a novice chase here last month for Nigel Twiston-Davies, and Diablo De Rouhet, who would be bidding for a hat-trick of wins if he lines up.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase | 3m6f | Friday

We will not be seeing him this year due to injury, but this race formed part of a remarkable 2017-18 season for that little terrier Tiger Roll (who bettered that season last year, of course).

Tiger Roll was only fifth in this race in 2017 but went on to land the Cross Country Chase at the festival and then the first of his two Grand National triumphs.

Winning this race and the equivalent at the Cheltenham Festival has been done twice this decade with Josies Orders (2015-16) and Balthazar King (2013-14) capturing both. A New Story also ran in this race (seventh) before scoring at Cheltenham (2009-10).

Names to note this year Trainer Enda Bolger has always been worth following closely in cross-country chases and he could have two great chances with Yanworth, who scored at Punchestown last month, and 2015 winner and last year's third Josies Orders.

Ryman Novices’ Chase | 2m5f | Saturday

Three winners over a variety of distances at the Cheltenham Festival have emerged from this race over the last ten years, plus, in similar vein to the first race, a narrow miss.

Le Breuil finished second in this race last year before stepping up considerably in distance to win the National Hunt Chase. Coo Star Sivola was also runner-up the previous year before going on to land the Ultima Handicap Chase under Lizzie Kelly in 2018.

While both those winners went up in distance, Pigeon Island dropped in trip after claiming second in this race to win the Grand Annual Chase in 2010 and cap a memorable afternoon for the Twiston-Davies team that year after the successes of Imperial Commander and Baby Run.

While those three all finished second in this and won at the festival, Whisper landed this race in 2016 before going on to get run down in the final yards by the mercurial Might Bite in the 2017 RSA Chase.

Names to note this year Windsor Avenue leads the way on ratings among the confirmations after back-to-back victories already this season, while Angels Breath is an interesting contender after making a successful chase debut at Ascot last month.

Caspian Caviar Gold Cup | 2m4½f | Saturday

The one race above all others that has provided the most winners at the same season’s Cheltenham Festival, with the redoubtable Frodon, who won this last year before capturing the Ryanair Chase in March, the most recent.

The previous season Le Prezien went on to win the Grand Annual after finishing eighth in this race. Apart from Frodon, none of the other future festival winners won this contest.

Darna was fifth before winning the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate in 2015, the same race Salut Flo won in 2012 after finishing fourth in this contest. In the same running subsequent Kim Muir Chase winner Sunnyhill Boy was pulled up. Golden Chieftain was third prior to capturing the 2013 Ultima Handicap Chase.

Names to note this year Riders Onthe Storm heads most early markets after his success at Aintree. Paul Nicholls won this race last year with Frodon and could have a number of runners, including Secret Investor, second in a Down Royal Grade 2 last month.

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