Tony McFadden highlights a few key changes to the Timeform ratings following the weekend action, focusing on three notable efforts from mares.
Impervious (Timeform rating 151p from 139p)
Last year's Mares' Chase was a weak affair and Elimay managed to prevail despite running to a Timeform rating more than a stone lower than she had when runner-up to stablemate Colreevy in the inaugural edition 12 months earlier.
The signs are that this year's Mares' Chase will be a much stronger race, however, as there are at least two highly promising novices seemingly on course to clash at Cheltenham.
Allegorie de Vassy, a winner of both starts over hurdles for Willie Mullins last season, created an excellent impression on her chasing debut at Limerick over Christmas, landing a Grade 2 mares' novice by 19 lengths to earn a Timeform rating of 144P (6 lb higher than the rating Elimay clocked at Cheltenham).
But, in beating the boys in the Grade 3 Madigan Group Novice Chase at Punchestown on Sunday, Impervious (151p) showed she's also a big player.
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As the only mare in the line-up, Impervious should have been in receipt of 7 lb. However, due to her victory in a Grade 2 mares' novice at Cork on her previous outing she had to carry an 8 lb penalty, and that should have made life difficult in a strong race featuring talented, recent winners in Ha d'Or, Minella Crooner and Journey With Me.
Ha d'Or (failed to jump fluently) and Minella Crooner (needs further) both underperformed, but Journey With Me ran to form yet still had no answer to Impervious who came with a smooth challenge to strike the front 50 yards out and make it three from three over fences.
The Mares' Chase looks the obvious target for Impervious - who is trained by Colm Murphy and carried the silks of JP McManus for the first time at Punchestown - though it will be interesting to see if she also receives an entry for the Turners Novices' Chase. Only Mighty Potter (162p) would be coming out with stronger claims at the weights in the Turners after Impervious' 7 lb sex allowance is factored in.
Galia des Liteaux (148 from 138+)
Galia des Liteaux was soon on the backfoot in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase after blundering at the second fence and was ultimately pulled up. She quickly got back on track in the Hampton Novices' Chase at Warwick, though, with a much better round of jumping helping her put her three rivals under pressure from a fair way out.
Galia des Liteaux kept up the gallop to pass the post 13 lengths clear of the runner-up and the Timeform rating of 148 she earned has been bettered in the race only a couple of times in the last decade.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsGalia des Liteaux would be well worth her place in the Mares' Chase on ability grounds, though given she thoroughly saw out three miles on heavy going on Saturday it would seem unlikely that she'll be dropped in trip at Cheltenham.
She'd also be entitled to respect if taking her chance in an open edition of the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase and she'd probably be prominent on Timeform's weight-adjusted for that event after her 7 lb allowance is taken into account. Gerri Colombe (156p) currently tops the ratings among the likely contenders for that contest.
West Balboa (135p from 128p)
On an excellent weekend for Galia des Liteaux's trainer Dan Skelton he also landed the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at Kempton with West Balboa.
It was an extraordinary edition of the Lanzarote as only four of the 20 runners - in what had seemed like a typically competitive renewal - managed to complete as testing conditions took a significant toll. And it was West Balboa who led the quartet home, showing a good attitude to gain the verdict by a short head from Red Risk.
West Balboa, who impressed with how she travelled, blundered at the final flight and she deserves credit for picking up again in stamina-sapping conditions, while it's also to her credit that she produced such a tough display on just her fourth start.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsShe's clearly held in high regard as she finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Challow Novices' Hurdle on just her second start last season and she has been entered in the Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, though that's looking like a strong renewal due to the presence of Marie's Rock (151) and Love Envoi (147), while Epatante (156) could yet be supplemented .
The Mares' Hurdle would probably be flying a bit too high with West Balboa but she showed at Kempton that she's a progressive mare - she improved her Timeform rating by 7 lb - and she's likely to be placed to good effect by her trainer.
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