Paddy Power Sign-Up Offer – Cheltenham November Saturday

Sunday’s feature at the Cheltenham November meeting is the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle, due off at 3:10. With Paddy Power offering no fewer than six places, we’ve picked three contenders at a range of prices, in our preview, to help you make the most of the Paddy Power sign-up offer. That’s alongside a few others from the ‘home of the jumps’ – as always, compiled using data and insight from racing’s premier analysts, Timeform.

Harry and Harry to beat… Harry?

The Skelton team run five in this, and while pilot Harry sides with the unexposed Let It Rain, Harry Cobden has first refusal on their equine namesake, Harry Lowes, for new boss JP McManus. As Timeform’s comment put it, when coming up less than 2l short in his last race, he’s “something to bet on in a handicap next time… having also had little go his way in his first, leaving the impression he’d have won here had the cards fallen differently… clearly very well handicapped to make the ground he did thereafter”. The five-year-old went up just 4lb for that impressive performance in a strong race, and the presence of JP’s Iberico Lord to keep him 16lb off the top of the weights only makes his task easier.

Potential Each-Way Angles

Give It To Me OJ caught the Timeform reporter’s eye when running on the Flat last time, shaping far better than the distance beaten suggests when 16l 6th of 13, earning him their ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. It was a similar story at the Festival this year, Timeform reporting he “shaped much better than the bare result, creeping into it when stopped in his tracks by a faller”, despite being sent off at 50/1. He’s been off since the aforementioned Flat race in June, and odds won’t necessarily reflect his fitness: he’s won at a big price over hurdles before – and at a mark only 1lb below this Sunday’s.

Lastly, Serious Challenge clearly needed the run on his return from 6 months off, but resumption of his progress would see him close to the top on Timeform ratings. He was placed both times – the latter when running off a mark 1lb higher than Sunday’s – when attempting to close late in big handicaps in the spring, and this race should certainly suit that style. Trainer Fergal O’Brien’s trainer dashboard shows he excels with 2m hurdlers, and should have his string in peak condition this month, while jockey Liam Harrison’s run-to-form % also indicates he rides Cheltenham particularly well.

Moon Can Rise Above Rivals

The staying handicap chase at 2:35 looks highly competitive, so we’ll approach it by attempting to narrow down the options, at the prices.

The clash with the Southern National at Fontwell, run over the same distance an hour and a half beforehand, has certainly done some of that work for us, and hopefully the forecast weak gallop can help us rule out a couple more, King of Answers and Resplendent Grey two such stamina-reliant animals. Havaila has to be respected, no sluggard despite his recent prolific record over marathon trips, but – like Monbeg Genius, who usually needs at least one – he’s not had the benefit of a prior run this season, even without another career-high mark to contend with. Another who won’t struggle with the conditions is Timeform top-rated Double Powerful, but he has questions to answer regarding his jumping. Festival Winner Ask Brewster is interesting and usually arrives fully fit, but looking back at the ratings, he and the remaining two runners still have at least 1lb to find on selection, Guard The Moon – who’s almost three times the price of Ask Brewster, at the time of writing.

That will partly be because of his record at Cheltenham (pulled up twice in two runs) but both the distance and pace of this race should be more to his liking. With a respectable reappearance already in the bag, placed a fortnight ago, he can enhance his record again here.

How To Use The Paddy Power Sign-Up Offer

Paddy Power are offering a bet £5, get £30 in free bets deal, open to new customers only (18+, T&Cs apply). The terms show that your qualifying £5 bet must be settled before you’re given your £30 in free bets, so a bet on the opener could set you up nicely for the day’s six race card: £5 credit to use on each of the rest – and £5 more to double-up on the feature handicap.

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