We may only be in the infant stage of the National Hunt season, but as ever, Cheltenham is in the back of the mind of every jumping fan, and that goes for trainers too. The road to Cheltenham differs for all, whether that be displaying star status as a novice or plotting a way through the handicap ranks to secure a suitable mark for March. Matty Sutcliffe picks out a few performances that caught the eye for either of those categories below.
Vanderpoel – A British hope for the Champion Chase
Ben Pauling’s horses have all appeared to need the run, and many have had a blow, which was the case with Vanderpoel, but he was classy enough to win the competitive two-mile handicap chase at Ascot on Saturday. He produced a strong round of jumping under Callum Pritchard and ran to a career-best RPR of 147 to pull two lengths clear of Grand Annual winner Martator.
He’s likely to be reassessed to a mark of around 150, but he still has plenty of room for improvement. I doubt connections will mind his mark for another tilt at the Grand Annual, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the Champion Chase this season. He could easily be rated 160 by March, and that would likely be enough to see him place in the contest.
The Real Whacker – Ultima plot
The Real Whacker has largely failed to find consistency since winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in 2023, but there have been multiple solid performances, and he proved capable of running to a solid figure when landing a Class 2 handicap at Perth in first-time blinkers.
He couldn’t back that up in the Charlie Hall on Saturday, perhaps doing too much in front early on, but it was at least a respectable performance. He’s a tricky horse to weigh up, as he probably lacks a bit of class now for the top Graded chases, but I’d be amazed if connections didn’t now have the Ultima Handicap Chase in mind. He has the back class – he’s already a course winner, was second in a Cotswold Chase and fourth in a King George – and if they can get him to March just a notch above the vein of form he’s in, he’d be a strong candidate for the Ultima.
Madara – A hurdling handicap blot
Dan Skelton has used the Castletown handicap hurdle at Carlisle as a blow-out for his horses in recent years, and that looked the case for Madara. He was nursed into the race under Harry Skelton, travelling strongly throughout, but he wasn’t overly extended after the last, suggesting bigger days are ahead.
He was racing off top weight there and gave 19lb to the first, second, fourth and fifth, suggesting it was certainly a strong performance. His chase mark is likely too high now to get him back down to a similar mark for the Plate again, but interestingly, he is rated 7lb lower over hurdles.