Several Cheltenham pointers for you this week, writes blog-editor Neil Young, as the National Hunt season's showcase gallops inexorably closer.
PLEASED AS PUNCH
The RSA Chase at Cheltenham is set to be a mouth-watering affair, writes Stephen Hindle, and Punchestowns continued on the right path to that event with an ultimately impressive victory in the Grade 2 Totepool Challengers Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (2m4f110y) at Sandown on Saturday.
A top-class hurdler (officially rated 173 at his peak) Punchestowns is now two from two over fences. This latest win did come with a scare, however, as Nicky Henderson's charge made a blunder at the downhill fence leading to the back straight.
The error left him with a fair amount of ground to make up on the front running Tchico Polos, but make it up he did and in the end Punchestowns was eight lengths in front of that rival at the line without having to be fully extended.
Tchico Polos is a consistent 147, so it made sense to leave him on that mark. I added a little extra to Punchestowns due to the ease of his victory and as a result he comes out at 159, which is one of the best performances in the novice division this season.
Except that one blemish, Punchestowns’ jumping was sound and he clearly has a leading chance in the RSA - where his rivals will of course include 160-rated stablemate Long Run.
KALAHARI KRACKER
As taking performances go, it was hard to imagine a more exhilarating comeback than that put up by Kalahari King at Doncaster on Saturday, writes John De Moraville.
Off the track since his Sandown second to Twist Magic last April and expected to benefit appreciably from the outing, Kalahari King could be named the winner a long way from home in the valuable Blue Square Handicap Chase (2m110y).
In what on paper looked a wide-open contest, Kalahari King, partnered by the imperturbable Graham Lee, put paid to his rivals with a telling burst of speed, notching in the process a career-best performance of 166.
Ferdy Murphy's stable-star narrowly missed the bulls-eye last season when short-headed by Forpadydeplasterer in the Arkle, but Saturday's display - under top-weight in one of the hottest two-mile handicaps of the season - stamped him as a serious contender for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
On official BHA ratings, Kalahari King still has 12lb to find with the hat-trick seeking Master Minded (178) and 7lb with Twist Magic (173). However, whereas Kalahari King is in the form of his life with scope for further improvement, question-marks do still hang over both those Paul Nicholls stars.
Has Master Minded fully recovered from his serious autumn setback? Can the highly-strung Twist Magic translate his swashbuckling Sandown and Ascot form to the nerve-shredding atmosphere and unforgiving undulations of Cheltenham in March? Time will tell!
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