20:05 Cheltenham

Friday 2 May 2025

All16:3517:1017:4518:2018:5519:3020:05

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Open Hunters' Chase

Off time: 20:08 | Winning time: 5m 17.83s

Frere d'Armes^p²⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 12-4| J: Miss Heidi Palin⁽³⁾| T: D Skelton| OR: 129| D

22/1

Back to winning ways in hunter chase at Ludlow in February but suffered an odds-on reverse there the following month (let himself down with some shoddy jumping) and his latest effort in the Foxhunters at Aintree was hardly inspiring.

Form: 1P1230-

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Highstakesplayer⁷⁶

Age: 9| Weight: 12-4| J: Mr Sean P O'Connor⁽⁵⁾| T: T Lacey| OR: 130| D

11/4

Dual Kempton winner during 2023/24 campaign and good second in a Grade 3 Ascot handicap back from a break in November. Below par since but could be a major force now pitched into a hunter chase for the first time.

Form: P1/2569-

Jet Plane^t²⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 12-4| J: Jack Andrews| T: D Skelton| OR: 133| D

2/1

Winner of handicap chases at Sandown and Market Rasen last spring, and made a successful hunter debut at Wetherby in February. Fine second under Jack Andrews in the Foxhunters at Aintree (21f, good) last time and another bold show anticipated.

Form: 3U7132-

Rebel Dawn Rising⁴²

Age: 11| Weight: 12-4| J: Mr D Peters⁽³⁾| T: D Kemp| OR: 129| CD

9/2

Runner-up on this card in 2023 and went one better when accounting for 9 rivals in this very race 12 months ago. Added to his tally with a hard-fought, narrow success at Newbury last time and likely to give another good account.

Form: 10/12P1-

Cap Du Mathan^t³⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 12-1| J: Miss N Parker| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 124

18/1

Useful chaser who lost his way in handicaps prior to completing a relatively simple task at Leicester on hunter debut last March. Beaten 3 lengths when second to Take All at Ludlow (2½m, good) last month and, now 11 lb better off with that rival, he has to enter calculations.

Form: PP18/52-

Fix At All²⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 12-1| J: Mr Troy Walsh⁽⁷⁾| T: Callum Bickers-price| OR: 120| D

28/1

Fairly useful chaser at his best but hasn't shown much in 2 starts for this yard and now finds himself with a fair bit to prove.

Form: 180P40-

Knockmoylan^h,t⁴⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 12-1| J: Mr William Biddick| T: H Ryall| OR: 100

50/1

Fairly useful chaser at his best in Ireland and multiple point winner, including on his first start for over 2 years in February. Followed up in a hunter at Exeter the following month but that was a match and he has much more on his plate here.

Form: 13U2/11-

Take All^t³⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 12-1| J: Mr Samuel Scott⁽⁷⁾| T: M Osborne| OR: 130

5/1

Still going better than most when coming down 3 out in the Foxhunters at Cheltenham in March and subsequently proved 3 lengths too strong for Cap du Mathan at Ludlow. Not certain to confirm those placings (11 lb worse off with that rival here) but should make his presence felt all the same.

Form: R215F1-

Autonomous Cloud^p1,t²⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr H D O'Dwyer⁽⁷⁾| T: F O'Brien| OR: 120

14/1

Best effort for a while when a respectable 8½ lengths second of 7 to Bennys King in a Leicester hunter (22.7f, heavy) in February. Wasn't disgraced at Aintree next time but likely to find one or two too good here all the same. Cheekpieces applied.

Form: 3P4328-

Solomon Grey^t¹⁹

Age: 13| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss Ellie Holder⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss V Collins| OR: 107| CD

66/1

Back-to-back hunter winner in April 2022 but hasn't tasted success since and safely held both starts since returning from a 10-month absence in March.

Form: 33/3654-

Non-Runners

Uncle Frankel¹³⁸

Weight: 11-12| Age: 6

T: David Bingham J: Mr H Crow

Forecasts

Jet Plane (2/1), Highstakesplayer (11/4), Rebel Dawn Rising (9/2), Take All (5/1), Autonomous Cloud (14/1), Cap Du Mathan (18/1), Frere d'Armes (22/1), Fix At All (28/1), Uncle Frankel (33/1), Knockmoylan (50/1), Solomon Grey (66/1)

Having lost no caste in defeat when finding just one too good at Aintree last month, JET PLANE makes plenty of appeal down markedly in class. Highstakesplayer will be a big threat if close to his best on this hunter debut, while Cap du Mathan is taken to reverse Ludlow placings with Take All and he is also feared.