The jumps season moves up another gear this weekend with Cheltenham’s Open meeting, arguably the biggest race day this side of Christmas.
These pages won Saturday’s opening juvenile hurdle last year with an ex-flat horse and 12/1-shot in Wolf Of Windlesham, ridden by Joshua Moore – and at a big price and with a similar flat pedigree, EAST INDIES, Moore’s mount this season, is tempting at around 14/1.
Trained by his father Gary, East Indies has only raced once since switching codes when winning at Plumpton.
The form of which is difficult to measure given he pulled so hard and wasted so much energy fighting his jockey, who restrained him to help him see out trip of just shy of two-miles.
Despite the low class of race it was still impressive he managed to win after such a fight and his jumping couldn’t be faulted.
If Moore can get him to switch off he looks a live chance, though with rain forecast for Cheltenham his flat pedigree might see him struggle on a softer surface.
At the prices I’m willing to have a go given there doesn’t look huge depth to the race beyond the favourites.
Paul Nicholls trains the favourite Wealth Des Mottes, who hasn’t been seen in Britain but won impressively in France before being transferred to Ditchheat.
Nicholls clearly likes his chances, though he does lack match fitness and has to shoulder a 7lb penalty for that win in France, which could count against him in this company.
He looks smelly value at 7/4 so is best avoided, whereas the J P McManus-owned Defi De Seuil looks a better option at 2/1.
A facile winner on British racecourse début at a lower grade, he comes into the race with a fitness advantage over several of his opponents, including the favourite, and hails from a family of proven Grade-1-winning Cheltenham performers.
He has the right profile for the race but is still questionable value against some unexposed opponents, such as the selection.
With nine runners the each-way terms look pretty good, so that’s the way to go.
0.5pt each-way East Indies @14/1, 12:40 Cheltenham, Saturday (1/5, 1,2,3, various)
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