3m2½f (New) New Four Eighty Restaurant At Cheltenham Festival Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5yo+ 0-145)
A pretty good staying chase here with a number dropping out of novice company for their first start in an open handicap. The market support for Undersupervision looks understandable, but he is yet to win over fences and is just 1/6 under rules. Destinee Royale may have the most long-term potential of this crop, but he has to defy a long absence.
So it might be worth taking a chance on the Emma Lavelle trained, ECLAIR SURF. There is a fair chance we haven’t seen the best of Eclair Surf. He is a big individual and was expected to line-up for the Welsh National.
It’s interesting he instead comes here to Cheltenham for what looks an easier task. He showed his liking for a stern test and soft conditions when winning a fair handicap off a mark 2lbs lower at Sandown last season and shaped with a lot of promise in both of his starts this season.
First falling when tracking Becher Chase winner Snow Leopardess at a quality handicap at Bangor and second when arguably going just as well as eventual Welsh National winner, Iwilldoit at Chepstow on quick ground. Eclair Surf made two novicey errors in both races with both mistakes coming completely out of the blue.
It’s hard to know where he would have finished on both occasions, but with the way he was travelling and jumping, I’d have expected him to go close and a mark of 133 still feels low for a horse that ran in the Grade 1 Challow Novice Hurdle in 2019
1pt win Eclair Surf @10/1, 12:50 Cheltenham, Saturday
Leave a comment