Ten runners have been declared for Friday’s Grade 2 Oddschecker Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, registered as the Sharp Novices’ Hurdle, and the feature on the opening day of the Showcase meeting at 3pm. Planters Punch stands his ground, but there is no Mr Hollywood, Cocofred or Golden Handshake, which leaves Nicky Henderson’s four-year-old with a fine chance of keeping his perfect record intact.
Sharp Novices’ Hurdle runners and riders
| Horse | Age | Weight | OR | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bells Grove | 5 | 11-2 | 127 | Kieren Buckley | Edward Buckley |
| Cooltobecareless | 5 | 11-2 | – | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| Eternal Angel | 6 | 11-2 | 122 | Stan Sheppard | Tom Lacey |
| Governors Rock | 5 | 11-2 | – | James Bowen | Warren Greatrex |
| Kingofthefrontier | 5 | 11-2 | 112 | Conor O’Farrell | John Dawson |
| Sixpack | 6 | 11-2 | 118 | Jonathan Burke | James Owen |
| Spanish Darling | 5 | 11-2 | – | Kielan Woods | Alex Hales |
| Matiwo | 4 | 11-1 | 117 | Ciaran Gethings | Jane Williams |
| Planters Punch | 4 | 11-1 | 128 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| Scott’s Legacy | 4 | 11-1 | – | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies |
Planters Punch sets the standard
Planters Punch won all three of his starts in junior National Hunt hurdles last season, including a 15-length romp at Bangor, and his official rating of 128 makes him the highest-rated in the field. Nico de Boinville keeps the ride, and the pair will be bidding to follow in the footsteps of Altior, who gave Henderson and his jockey Sharp success in 2015.
The main danger on ratings is Irish raider Bells Grove, who stayed on well to lead close home in a handicap hurdle at Navan last month. Dan Skelton won this with Valgrand and again last year with Fortune De Mer, and he relies on Cooltobecareless, who travelled strongly before going clear on his hurdling debut at Chepstow this month.
The rest of the field
There is a rematch between Scott’s Legacy and Matiwo, as the Twiston-Davies runner beat Jane Williams’ 2/7 favourite at Newton Abbot in September. Tom Lacey’s Eternal Angel arrives with plenty of hurdling experience after winning a handicap at Plumpton, while dual-purpose Sixpack won a Warwick novices’ hurdle last month for James Owen.
Spanish Darling followed up a bumper win by landing a Worcester maiden hurdle at 12/1, and Governors Rock made all to win readily at Uttoxeter. John Dawson’s Kingofthefrontier completes the line-up, but he is the lowest-rated runner on 112 and has it all to do at this level.
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