Cheltenham Runners: A trio to watch as racing returns at Jumps Mecca

Jumps Racing is finally back at its spiritual home of Cheltenham this weekend as the iconic October Meeting rolls around. There is much conjecture over when the National Hunt season starts properly but every racing fan will agree once the flag drops on the first race on Friday, the Jumps are back. Billy Grimshaw has scanned the early entries and picked out three horses he can't wait to see strutting their stuff on Day One of the October Meeting...

This second race on the card looks a corker and I could've picked out a host of those entered as a horse to watch, however the one that intrigues me most is Jetronic for champion trainer Paul Nicholls. At Chepstow 13 days prior to Friday, Nicholls sent one of his more fancied novice chasers for the season in Knappers Hill for his chase debut.

He was upset by Unexpected Party, who looks set to head the market here for Dan Skelton, however, Nicholls could exact revenge as the fact he is sending Jetronic into a race of this depth and quality on his yard debut is a sign of the high regard he is held in.

Just a four-year-old, we have scant evidence of trainers anywhere sending their juveniles over fences but it is clear those at Ditcheat think this lad has a mature head on his shoulders and that any time over hurdles would simply be wasted. Of course, the brilliant Master Minded won a Champion Chase in stunning fashion at five for this trainer and although there are no hints Jetronic is in that sort of league, it is intriguing to see the faith his team are showing in him to chuck him over fences and not just in a beginners chase either, on yard debut.

With just two starts to his name in France this is a mightily inexperienced runner to be being tried in this company, so even if he fluffs his lines I'd wager the trust being put in him by his handler means at some stage he will be a fine chaser.

There is risk I am getting excited about a non-runner here as we are still just at the four day entry stage at the time of writing. Plenty of the entered up Irish contenders will not take their chance, but I am hopeful Encanto Bruno does for Gavin Cromwell on the back of his bumper win at this track last season. After that performance, in which he dismissed the highly rated Olly Murphy charge Strong Leader by over four lengths, he looked a bona fide Champion Bumper contender and was sent there a not discounted 14/1 poke.

In the end he simply could not live with the pace those who fought out the finish showed, plugging on to be 11th behind A Dream To Share. Plenty of excellent horses have been stuffed in that race down the years and I would not be perturbed by that one iota.

What would put me off a lot more is the manner in which he simply stopped on his second outing over hurdles at Galway in August when a well fancied 85/40 favourite. That turned out to be his last run for John McDonnell as the horse has been switched to Gavin Cromwell's care now, and my hope is whatever caused the issue that day has been discovered and rectified.

If he turns up here the market vibes will be crucial as to his fitness and how primed he is to win this race or merely use it as a stepping stone, but he always looked likely to make up into a smashing middle distance or staying hurdler as a novice and back at a track we know he acts around I'll be keeping a close eye on him, 

Much like in the previous race, there are plenty in here that could've been the one to watch. This race has quite the honour roll, with Altior, Cue Card and Dodging Bullets amongst its winners in recent times, and while we may not see a horse of certainly those first two icon's class here we should see a decent horse take the prize and there could well be a few nice types in behind. 

Inthewaterside is probably the most exciting for Team Ditcheat in what would be his hurdling debut, as in his bumpers he has looked destined for the top, however, I am keen to side with one who really impressed on yard debut recently.

That horse is Williethebuilder, who moved from Ireland over the summer and now resides with the Skelton team. Watching back his runs in bumpers over in Ireland, it was evident how green he was and that he was never given a hard time by his rider despite finishing fifth and second on his two starts. It all came together when winning like a 1/2 favourite should on yard debut at Uttoxeter recently, but it's the manner of his facile 13 length win that has impressed me.

With Nicholls' entrant sure to take plenty of the limelight, I'd be concerned that Inthewaterside doesn't want further already being such a big stamp of a horse and after a typically fast start to the season, it could pay to side with Skelton's Williethebuilder to cause a bit of an upset.