Can exciting Does He Know make it three in a row over fences?

Sunday: 1.10 Cheltenham
mallardjewellers.com Novices' Chase | 3m½f | 5yo+ | RTV

Does He Know has made the perfect start to his career over fences, winning both races in the style of a novice going the right way.

The Kim Bailey-trained six-year-old was a good hurdler having finished fifth to Bob Olinger in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle and promises to be even better at his new discipline.

Bearing in mind the four horses who beat him at Cheltenham were Bob Olinger, Gaillard Du Mesnil, Bravemansgame and Bear Ghylls, it's wise to take Does He Know extremely seriously in this race even though he must shoulder an 8lb penalty for winning those two chases.

Does He Know beat Threeunderthrufive by five and a half lengths at Chepstow in October and the pair meet again on the same terms.

There didn't seem to be any obvious excuses for the Paul Nicholls-trained six-year-old that day, but he went one better a few weeks later when dominating a four-runner Exeter novice chase.

He won nicely, but the runner-up Ask A Honey Bee was officially rated 8lb inferior to him ahead of that race and it's possible Threeunderthrufive only did what he was entitled to do.

The Colin Tizzard-trained Oscar Elite lacks the experience over regulation fences unlike Does He Know and Threeunderthrufive, but as a result receives 8lb.

Oscar Elite (orange silks) and chases home Vanillier in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

Winner of a maiden point-to-point in Ireland, he looks just the type to develop into a better chaser than hurdler and can bring a fair level of form to the table from his Aintree third to Ahoy Senor and Bravemansgame in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle in April.

Undersupervision was upsides Does He Know and had yet to be asked a serious question when he crashed through the inside running rail just after the final fence at Cheltenham last month.

He had shaped really well until that point and remains a most promising recruit. He meets Does He Know on the same terms.

Streets Of Doyen needs to put a below-par Worcester run behind him, but he finished only six and a half lengths behind Oscar Elite at Aintree. It's a fascinating puzzle to try to unravel.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Kim Bailey, trainer of Does He Know
Oscar Elite looks the one to beat in the race if he runs and we beat Threeunderthrufive last time, but I don’t think he was cherry ripe that day and has gone on to frank the form. Our horse is in a good place at home and should be thereabouts.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Threeunderthrufive
We left him in there as it's a small field, although it does come fairly quickly after his Exeter win. It's a nice race for him.

John McConnell, trainer of Streets Of Doyen
He wasn't right after coming back from Worcester with a couple of issues but we think we've sorted them out. This is going to be a proper test for him but if the real Streets Of Doyen turns up, he will run well.

Colin Tizzard, trainer of Oscar Elite
Hopefully the ground is okay for him as we took him out of the last meeting there as it was too quick and it’s the wrong time to be taking risks with our best novice chaser. We’re working towards going back to Cheltenham in March.

Sam Twiston-Davies, rider of Undersupervision
He’s still learning his trade and ducked left to go out on another circuit when colliding with the rails last time. He got put up in the handicap for that which meant he could have carried topweight in a 0-135 handicap instead, but Dad was keen to have a crack at this.
Reporting by David Milnes

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