Venetia Williams has her team in red-hot form, enjoying an incredible spell of notable winners in January. So, where do these recent winners go next? Will there be a strong team assembled for Cheltenham? We bid to answer these questions below, alongside an exclusive Bet £10, Get £30 In Free Bets offer from William Hill.
Venetia Williams enjoyed a fantastic month in January, and the Herefordshire based trainer got off to the perfect start on New Years Day when progressive novice L’HOMME PRESSE maintained his unbeaten start over fences when landing Grade 2 honours at Cheltenham by 10l under jockey Charlie Deutsch.
The yard has long been associated with runners who can rack up a sequence of victories and that comment certainly applies to BRAVE SEASCA, who made it a hat-trick of wins in handicap company at Warwick in the middle of the month, defeating smart handicapper Sky Pirate by 7l in comfortable fashion.
The winners kept coming the following week with the inaugural Winter Million meeting at Lingfield taking place on January 21st. The opening day’s seven-race card saw a quick-fire double for the yard as FONTAINE COLLONGES ran out an impressive winner of a Mares Novices’ Chase before FRERO BANBOU stayed on best of all to overhaul Eclair D’aiany in the closing stages just half an hour later.
Venetia’s string was firing up and down the country last month and just a day after that double at Lingfield, ROYALE PAGAILLE completed back to back wins in the Grade 2 Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, gamely fending off the challenge of Sam Brown and overcoming top-weight to prevail by 0.5l in attritional conditions.
The month was rounded off when PINK LEGEND returned to form and completed a second victory in Listed company over fences at Huntingdon, adding another valuable prize to the yard’s impressive January haul.
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So, what comes next?
We are likely to see BRAVE SEASCA in action at Warwick on the 12th February, where Venetia Williams’ improving chaser steps up into Graded company for the first time. With the likes of Third Time Lucki and Edwardstone in opposition it will be the seven-year-olds toughest test to date but it will be a fascinating contest to see who comes out on top.
Although a potential tilt at this year’s Gold Cup will be on the agenda for ROYALE PAGAILLE, the eight-year-old is also likely to have an early engagement this coming weekend when lining up in the Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury. Connections will be hoping for further rainfall before post time but at this stage rates the main danger to the short-priced favourite Clan Des Obeaux.
The main stable hope for this season’s Cheltenham Festival is without question L’HOMME PRESSE who remains unbeaten over the larger obstacles and took his chasing record to 4 from 4 when cantering to success in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown recently.
He is arguably one of the best novice chasers seen in Britain this season and looks a serious contender in the Turners Novices’ Chase despite the daunting presence of likely Irish challengers Galopin Des Champs and Bob Olinger.
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