Cheltenham eyecatchers: Dave Massey with Trackside team's Cheltenham horses to note

Those of you that like your on-the-road racing milestones will know there’s a windsock by the side of the M5 that means you’ve around 30-ish miles to go to Cheltenham when you pass it, and you can believe me when I say it wasn’t moving a muscle. Do windsocks have muscles? Well, it was moving less than I do after a large Dominos, and I was wondering if we’d already seen the last of it. More Austen Allegro, if you ask me.

Anyway, nice to be back, etc etc, and see old friends I haven’t seen for a while. We’re just about to get the Trackside day started when… the wind got up. Late arriving, but it blew alright. Howling round the place, noises not unlike those we used to hear through the old Curragh stands. Well, at least it isn’t raining. Oh…

The highlight of the first day was, without a doubt, JPR ONE's win in the 2m handicap chase. One of those races where it doesn’t really matter what you’d backed, you were willing the winning line to come for him, the final furlong by far the longest. Losing connections the first to come over and congratulate winning owner John Romans; a tear in the eye of Joe Tizzard as he came into the winners' enclosure.

Weather, do your worst, you can’t spoil this.

“His first win at Cheltenham!” shouts his lad, Richard, as he’s led away, which in my head I find hard to fathom. The Shloer is mentioned as his next target, “but it’ll be the Ryanair (in March)” Richard tells me. This is right up there with the best of his efforts; maybe he’s best giving weight away to inferiors, but let’s hope he can hold his form this season. 

Henderson horse to pack a Punch

The assumption is going to be that, as a 20/1 shot from North Yorkshire has won the day’s feature, the Grade 2 Oddschecker Novice Hurdle, the form of this is moderate but make no mistake, this was a good-looking field (I’m going to go out on a limb and say a much better lot than for this race last year, there weren’t many that caught the eye in the paddock that day) and winner Kingofthefrontier was a deserved one.

Still very much a work in progress, he’ll keep progressing for John Dawson, but it was runner-up PLANTERS PUNCH that caught my critical eye in the paddock - whilst not the big physique of Old Park Star, there was some resemblance, he was very attractive to look at, and I think he’s the one I want to take out of this.

Trainer Nicky Henderson was full of praise for him afterwards, saying, “this was a big step up from the nursery races he competed in last year… he’s done a fair bit wrong here, getting a bit keen when he saw daylight down the hill, but you’d have to be pleased with that.” No targets were given, but Nicky was keen to stress two miles would be as far as he wants to go at present, and it’s worth remembering he’s still only four. Both winner and second very much horses to keep onside. 

Nap landed Saturday, as the rains came as predicted, earlier than we thought as well. Which was nice.

The second race (at 13:45), the novice hurdle, threw up a paddock positive in the shape of KASHCHEI, but some errant jumping kept putting him on the back foot a bit, often jumping out to his right. Trainer Cian Collins thought so, too: “that (the jumping) has probably cost him there, you’d say.” The way he stayed on all the way to the line only backed up the staying impression he’d created at Downpatrick, and his trainer had something in mind for him. “There’s a nice 100k race at Navan early December that could be ideal… the track will suit him, we’ll look at that next.” 

SEANIECON ground it out to win the Pertemps Qualifier at 14:20, fulfilling the promise of last season’s run at Punchestown and looking a through stayer in the process. I catch up with Jonjo after the race. “One word Jonjo - might he end up better than a handicapper?” Jonjo has a think, and answers his own question. “Well, I wanted to go chasing with him.” He’s then called up to receive the winner's trophy. Never change, Jonjo, never change. 

LA LUNA ARTISTA was already on the Trackside radar after her Kempton win last year but my word, has she grown and filled out. Yes, she has, is the answer, and she looked grand, if in need of the run, for the Masterson Hurdle at 15:30. “Mine are all needing the run, it seems,” said trainer Jane Williams afterwards. “She’s all speed. We’ll be looking to get her back to Kempton or Aintree, that’s probably where she acts best.” You’ve been warned: keep an eye out for her in the future, there’s races in her this year. We like her a lot. 

A good-looking field turned out for the Novices Chase at 16:05, and frankly you could have taken any of the six to go forward with. I thought Kasino Des Mottes might need the run, and so it proved, for all he had a hard task on, tailing off from three out. “I’m sure we can find a nice little 0-130 midweek Novices' Chase for him,” said part-owner Kevan Leggatt afterwards.

Kevan’s had a hell of a week, a winner at Worcester and three at Ffos Las. I got the impression he was excited about all three of those, but SPANISH STROLL was the one that impressed me the most.

And as the rains continued to fall, and the leaden skies closed in around us, we finished off with a cracking bumper at 16:40 where again, you could have had any number to take forward. Third home Ask MIllie was one of our paddock picks, she really has size and does not look like a mare; she gave a bold sight on the front, only giving best late and there’s a similar race in her.

But CASK OF PIMLICO is the one that really caught the Trackside eye; tall, scopey, lengthy, and attractive, there was so much to like about him. Trainer Mat Nicholls was enthusing about him afterwards too. “A lovely first run, he’ll learn plenty from that. Just about the last off the bridle! Similar conditions next time and I’m sure we can win a bumper with him."

Trackside do not disagree, Mat.

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