Free horse racing tips: Best Bets for Cheltenham on Saturday

By Andrew McLaren

Horse Racing

Sun November 16, 2025 · 1M ago

Two selections for Andrew McLaren as he looks ahead to the Saturday card at Cheltenham's November Meeting.

Weekend View: Saturday November 15

1pt win Be Aware in Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase at Cheltenham at 10/1 (bet365)

1pt win Thecompanysergeant in Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham at 12/1 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Three days of quality jumps racing in store as Cheltenham host their November Meeting this weekend. I’ll be focussing on the Saturday card in this column where the Paddy Power Gold Cup takes centre stage, but I want to start with the Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase first.

Dan Skelton won this Grade 2 with L’Eau Du Sud last year and I’d be sweet on the chances of his entry, BE AWARE, who won the same race at Stratford on his chasing debut as L’Eau Du Sud had before coming here. When asked to compare the two, the trainer immediately said, “I don’t think we’ll go a massively different route… as the ground softens we’ll have a try at two miles”.

Like L’Eau Du Sud, he was a good handicap hurdler but always looked the type to improve for fences, and that view was reinforced at Stratford where he recorded the highest Timeform performance rating (140+) of his career so far. That sort of rating should make him competitive in graded novice chases and he’s open to plenty of improvement in this sphere once his jumping sharpens up, which it surely will with that initial experience under his belt.

Harry Skelton has seemingly been booked to ride Shakeyatailfeather and Be Aware also has the option of the 3m1f race on Friday, with Dan Skelton suggested earlier in the week he was leaning that way, but I do wonder if the 20mm plus of rain forecast on Friday and into Saturday could tempt him to divert to this contest over two miles instead.

This horse certainly isn’t short of speed, he was second to Burdett Road in the Greatwood Hurdle at this meeting last year, and he clearly stay further, so if the forecast rain comes his stamina over this trip could be crucial. Burdett Road reopposes here, but I’d strongly fancy Be Aware to reverse that form over fences.

The Friday race does look the easier of the two options on ratings, but I’m not sure Skelton will want to test him over that distance on bad ground at this stage of his career, and I think the weather forecast will be enough to tempt him back to his original plan with this horse.

He can be backed at 10/1 for the Saturday race over two miles and while acknowledging the risks attached – Harry Skelton is booked to ride a different horse (for now) and he has an entry in a different race – I think we’re looking at a horse who will be half the price, maybe shorter, come the off if my theory is correct, and I’m willing to take that risk at double-figure odds.

On to the main event now, the Paddy Power Gold Cup.

Il Ridoto did this column a favour when landing this contest 12 months ago and shaped encouragingly last time in the same Chepstow race he used as his prep for this last year. That will have teed him up nicely for a repeat bid from just a 1lb higher mark, but his best form is on a sound surface, and I fear the ground will go against him.

Jagwar is a worthy favourite after a novice season which saw him improve through the ranks rapidly and cumulate with victory in the Plate at The Festival. He’s only been beaten once over fences and although he’s nine pounds higher in the handicap for that Plate win, we still haven’t seen the best of him over fences yet, and it would be no surprise were he contesting graded races later in the season. He could be hard to beat, but is short enough in the betting for me, and he may have to shoulder top weight if connections of Matata decide to dodge this race, which looks likely.

At the prices, I can’t resist backing THECOMPANYSERGEANT at 12/1. Just two-and-three-quarter lengths behind Jagwar in the Plate, he’s five pounds better off at the weights now and travelled through that race like he was still ahead of his mark. The form has been working out very well too, with Masaccio (third) winning at Ayr from two pounds higher on his next start, and Jordans (fifth) coming second to Caldwell Potter in a Grade 1 at Aintree.

Yes, Thecompanysergeant has finished out the frame on each of his three starts since, but he’s had genuine excuses each time. He was inconvenienced by the rearranged start in the Galway Plate and found himself too far back in a race where it paid to be handy, and last time in the Kerry National he again went through the race like he was ahead of his mark, but weakened as his jumping faltered over a trip that tested his stamina.

He doesn’t have the potential of the favourite, but he’s weighted to go close on their Festival form, and the price disparity between the two looks too big. His trainer, Gavin Cromwell, had a welcome winner on Sunday with Only By Night landing the Barberstown Castle Chase at Naas, and over the last five seasons, no trainer in the UK and Ireland has a better strike rate at the November Meeting than Cromwell with 21.43%.

Preview posted at 1530 GMT on 11/11/2025

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.

Like what you've read?