Free Horse Racing Tip – Close Brothers Novices Handicap Chase
Cheltenham ante-post tips, free horse racing tip for the Close Brothers Novices Handicap Chase on Tuesday 14 March. The 2017 Cheltenham Festival is now little more than a week away and with the unveiling of the weights for the handicaps several days old there is much pouring over the midnight oil in an effort to pinpoint anything that may have been let in lightly. And, one such animal to merit an ante-post tip for Cheltenham is the Dan Skelton-trained Its’afreebee in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase, the final race on the opening day.
Free horse racing tip for Cheltenham Festival
A remote third of six at Southwell on his most recent start hardly shouts out Cheltenham Festival winner but the seven-year-old is much better than that form would suggest and off a mark of just 139 may have been underestimated by the handicapper. The son of Danroad’s final start over hurdles resulted in a highly creditable third place behind the high-class pair of Yorkhill and Yanworth in last season’s Neptunes, only giving best approaching the last against two horses who are currently favourites for the Champion Hurdle and JLT Novices Chase next week.
After making a successful debut over fences at Fakenham, Its’afreebee ran better than his finishing position would indicate in a Class 2 novice chase at Cheltenham prior to handing out a seven length beating to 2015 World Hurdle winner Cole Harden at Wetherby. Sent to Haydock for a Grade 2 contest next against a couple of talented prospects in Waiting Patiently and Politologue, the Lodge Hill inmate could not match strides with those two rivals on ground too soft but ran well for a long way. Our Cheltenham tip is sure to appreciate the better ground at Prestbury Park making the 12-1 generally available good value.
The biggest dangers may turn out to be stablemate Value At Risk and recent Cheltenham scorer Foxtail Hill, rated by trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies as his best chance of a winner during the four-day extravaganza.
Recommended Betting tip – 1 point each way Its’afreebee 12-1 (NRNB)