Super six: the star novices to note at Prestbury Park

The Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2019, featuring 208 pages of awesome analysis written by our expert tipping team, is published on Friday. Including race-by-race verdicts by top judge Paul Kealy plus our brilliant bookmaker Q&A and popular Tipster Forums, this year's edition is not to be missed. Here's an exclusive extract to give you a taste of what's inside . . .

Elixir De Nutz

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle was 4-1 the field with less than a month to go and arguably Elixir De Nutz is still underestimated in the market despite having strong form lines. Second to Thomas Darby on his reappearance, the Colin Tizzard-trained grey won his next two starts at Cheltenham before landing the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown – the race used as a stepping stone to the Supreme by last year’s winner Summerville Boy. Elixir De Nutz’s economical jumping and genuine attitude make him one to watch in the festival opener.

Le Richebourg: has improved with every start over fences and now has an RPR of 160Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Le Richebourg

The Arkle Chase has gone to Ireland in four of the past five years and Joseph O’Brien has their strongest candidate on form this time with Le Richebourg, who has won four out of five over fences – including two Grade 1s over 2m1f – and been beaten only by RSA fancy Delta Work at the longer trip of 2m4f. This good-ground specialist was well beaten in the County Hurdle on soft last year but has improved with every start over fences to an RPR of 160 and, with the favourite having won six of the last seven runnings of this race, he looks the one to beat.

Champ

It is four years since Tony McCoy signed off at the festival with a memorable Ryanair Chase victory on Uxizandre and now the horse named after the 20-time champion jump jockey arrives with a big chance in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. After gaining valuable experience by winning two novice hurdles in the summer, he overcame keenness to land a deep handicap at Newbury on his return in December and then stepped into Grade 1 novice company to win the Challow Hurdle, quickening away from Getaway Trump and Kateson in good style. Cheltenham will pose a different test but raw ability is incredibly important in the top races and he looks one of the best from Nicky Henderson’s strong team of novices.

Lostintranslation

Lostintranslation improved to be Grade 1-placed at the end of his novice hurdle campaign and his first few runs over fences suggest he will be winning a top-flight contest before too long, quite possibly in the JLT Novices’ Chase. After two decent efforts behind the rock-solid mare La Bague Au Roi, the Colin Tizzard-trained gelding stepped up with a stylish win in the Grade 2 Dipper at Cheltenham in January when getting the better of Defi Du Seuil. That rival reversed the result in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown but it would be no surprise if Lostintranslation landed the knockout blow in round three.

Delta Work

Festival form is a key factor when it comes to assessing Cheltenham chances and Delta Work ticks that box, having won the Pertemps Final last year. He has been flawless in three runs over fences this season, including when beating Arkle candidate Le Richebourg in the Grade 1 Drinmore at Fairyhouse, and could follow Presenting Percy in adding the RSA Chase to his Pertemps success. The Gordon Elliott-trained stout stayer is likely to be partnered by Presenting Percy’s jockey Davy Russell, who rides Cheltenham particularly well, and he could prove too strong for the British challengers.

Derrinross

Celebrations would be tinged with poignancy if Derrinross won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle for trainer Philip Dempsey and his family. The eight-year-old was owned by Dempsey’s late father Des, who died a few weeks before this late developer won his first race under rules in a Grade 3 at Cork in December, and he has continued to lift the family by following up in a Grade 2 at Limerick. Given the injury problems that delayed his emergence, Derrinross won’t be risked on anything other than soft ground, but provided it’s safe at Cheltenham he’ll line up as a lively outsider.

Don't miss the Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2019 – 208 pages featuring Paul Kealy's race-by-race guide, Racing Post Ratings, top tipsters, bookmaker Q&A, trainer analysis and more. Order now at racingpost.com/shop or call 01933 304858

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