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Ginger Joe - The 2024 Paddy Power Meeting at Cheltenham - Day 1

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Expert Punter

Publish Date: 14/11/2024

Fact checked by: James Leeland

Key Points

Two runners with unblemished five-race records in the opener
My NAP bet of the day looks all set for victory
Jonbon gets back into action in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase

Three betting tips for Day 1 of the Paddy Power Meeting at Cheltenham

The three-day Paddy Power Meeting at Cheltenham kicks off on Friday and there is plenty of great Jumps action to get through. The fields have cut up a bit for Day 1, but despite that, the quality is still there. The opening race is the Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle, which looks all set to be a battle between two runners who boast five straight wins apiece. Only one can be victorious this time, but which one will it be? A tough call, but eventually I decided to settle for a local runner, who looks set up to cross the line with his nose in front.

My NAP bet for Day 1 contests in the Paddy Power Novices’ Chase. This is a horse with a massive engine, and provided he can keep his jumping tidy, he will be very tough to beat here. Next up is the highlight race for Friday, the Grade 2 Shloer Chase, where multiple Grade 1 winner Jonbon takes centre stage. He is clearly the best horse in the race, but the current form of the Nicky Henderson yard raises a few questions about his chances at a very short price, so I’ll be taking him on.

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13:10 - The Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f - Plaisir Des Flos

Although this is a race confined to Conditional jockeys, we have a very competitive Handicap Hurdle on our hands, with a few noteworthy runners. Jonjo O’Neill’s Stay If U Want To has plenty of appeal at a double-figure price, and he looks quite well-handicapped too. He is a consistent horse, who hasn’t been outside of the first two in his last six races, and with a valuable 10lb claimer on board I expect him to get involved. American Sniper carries top weight under a penalty, and that might well catch up with him, but he is clearly in good form and should still go well.

Then we have Neil Mullholland’s Double Powerful, who certainly deserves a mention after five wins on the bounce. He won his last three with some substantial margins too, but none of the horses he beat have shown us anything since. Although he will certainly put up a fight and might even get close here, I’m not convinced he is a Cheltenham horse and I think the hill might just find him out.

The one for me is the locally-trained Plaisir Des Flos. He is a lovely gelding who has improved for each run and he comes into this with five straight wins to his name and looking to make it six. He started his run of wins off a mark of 82, and now runs off 118, but the most important thing for me is that he won on his first start this season, which suggests he has improved again. I am not too worried about his 5 lb increase, I don’t believe that will trouble him at all. Plaisir Des Flos looks like a horse that will love the track here at Cheltenham, and despite this being a deep field, I think he has very strong win credentials here.

13:45 - The Paddy Power Novices’ Chase 3m - Buddy One (NAP)

Although we only have four runners left In the Novices’ Chase, it will still be an interesting race to watch. There’s no denying that they all have a decent chance, but it will largely come down to how this race is run. Springwell Bay is the main danger here, and the Jonjo O’Neill team are in flying form at the moment, so it would be no surprise to see him back up his latest win at Chepstow. Resplendent Grey and Hyland both have equally strong claims, and some decent form backing them up too.

However, my selection, who is also my NAP bet for Friday, is Buddy One. He has the highest rating of this bunch, and he won at this meeting last year in a deep Handicap Hurdle. This is his third start over fences, and he was dynamite on his Chase debut. Although his last start at Wexford seemed a poor effort, I think he would have learned a lot, so I’m willing to draw a line through that performance. I’m convinced Buddy One will bounce straight back to form, he already has Cheltenham experience, and looks like he has more in the tank than his rivals, so he gets my vote here.

14:20 - The Shloer Chase (Grade 2) 2m - Edwardstone

The highlight race on Day 1 of the Paddy Power meeting is the Grade 2 Shloer Chase. Jonbon is the main attraction here and not surprisingly, he is the short odds favourite to get the job done. He is already a multiple Grade 1 winner and bolted up in this same race last season, but I have reservations about his chances this time. First off, we have good ground expected on Friday, which will not suit him too well, but my main issue is the fact that Henderson yard is very much out of form.

I have a sneaking suspicion this is a good time to side with last year’s runner-up, Edwardstone. He is a 10-year-old now, so he isn’t getting any younger, but I think Alan King will have him primed to go first time out, and that makes him dangerous here. Jonbon beat him relatively easily last season, but with the current lack of Seven Barrows form, I have serious doubts about his chances. When class animals hit the age that Edwardstone has, they often still have their big days in the sun, and I think this Friday could be his time to shine, so he is the one that I’ll be backing here.