Betfair Cleeve Hurdle – Cheltenham – Saturday 25th January

Friday’s forecast looks a bit bleak and that could have a shape on how some of Saturday’s Cheltenham Trials Day races play out, and who is benefitted most by softening conditions.

Given there are some ‘good’ places in the description currently, I don’t think we’re going to be talking about extremely testing ground, but nonetheless it will be ‘winter soft’ you’d imagine.

The Betfair Cleeve Hurdle at 3.25 at Cheltenham on Saturday is the one market where an opportunity lies to get one step ahead of things. Both Grade 1 winners Strong Leader and Crambo are clearly decent on their day but might be vulnerable giving away their Grade 1 penalty, and on ground that I think neither have ever really enjoyed.

Pitched into his first Graded weight-for-age race, (since running creditably in last season’s Long Walk Hurdle behind Crambo on ground way livelier than ideal,) Gowel Road ran an absolute corker in the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day at Cheltenham.

That was over 2m4f and it’s clear to me now that he is a better horse over further, and with the ground set to come right, the 13/2 each-way with Betway (and anything 5/1+) looks a nice 1-star * ante-post bet at this stage.

The race might cut up enough to make securing the 3 places at that price now also worthwhile. I don’t think Gowel Road’s price will contract too much, but I do feel he should really be hot on the heels of the market leaders for Saturday’s Grade 2 prize.

Gowel Road got his ground for the first time this season in the Relkeel, and despite having run excellent races in handicaps up to then, the way he galloped on in the soft ground that day when done for speed by the improving and classy Lucky Place, suggested to me that going back up to 3m here will be spot on for him.

The waters between Grade 1 staying hurdlers and top-level handicappers have always been shallow, and Gowel Road can easily wade across that divide and should be backed accordingly at 13/2 each-way with Betway.