Turners Novices’ Chase tips: 1.30 Cheltenham win and each-way picks
Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival springs into action with the Turners Novices’ Chase, a Grade 1 contest over two-and-a-half miles as the focus switches to the New Course at Prestbury Park for the final two sessions of the meeting. Although the race has only been around since 2011, it has already provided some exceptional winners, none more so than Vautour’s supreme effort in 2015. Drama has been the theme recently, however. Envoi Allen fell early on in 2021 when odds-on to win, while 12 months ago Galopin Des Champs had the race at his mercy only to slither to the ground after jumping the final fence.
Our expert is siding with a more stress-free renewal this time around as Mighty Potter looks the one to beat.
Cheltenham 1.30 Turners Novices’ Chase tips
Enda McElhinney’s fancies for the big race are below. Scroll down to read the expert analysis behind them.
Odds correct at time of publishing and may be subject to change.
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Mighty effort incoming from Elliott’s charge
The Gordon Elliott-trained MIGHTY POTTER has been all the rage for this race since he won his second Grade 1 of the season at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.He had grabbed his first at Fairyhouse in December, seeing off Tuesday’s winner here in the Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase, Gaillard Du Mesnil, and was a hot favourite in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown as such.Davy Russell’s partner was good at the obstacles that afternoon and got himself to the front at the second last with a minimum of fuss.Once they landed after the final jump, Mighty Potter accelerated away from Adamantly Chosen to win by a clear-cut 8½ lengths at the line – and the manner of that success bodes well.His doubters will point to a below-par showing here last March in the Supreme, but he had valid excuses then. He crashed into a rail pre-race, and then a mistake at the fifth hurdle decided Jack Kennedy to call it quits on an afternoon where he clearly was not himself.
Mighty Potter has proved a different proposition this season since going over fences and he can account for fellow Irish challengers Banbridge and Appreciate It en route to bagging this prestigious prize.
Tip: Mighty Potter @ 11/10 with Betfred
Nicholls’s Star can also have a say
It is certainly not an all-Irish affair in the Day 3 opener as Nicky Henderson’s Balco Coastal and the Paul Nicholls-trained STAGE STAR are solid contenders too.Balco Coastal was second to Gerri Colombe in the Scilly Isles at Sandown last month, a sterling effort in light of that rival going so close in the Brown Advisory here on Wednesday afternoon for Elliott.Preference from the home team, however, is for Stage Star with the Nicholls and Harry Cobden combo. The seven-year-old gelding was a Grade 1-winning novice over hurdles last winter but had had his limitations exposed in that sphere at the major spring festivals here and at Aintree.Chasing was always likely to be where he really came into himself and so it has proved with three victories from four so far this season, his only setback being when second in a Newbury Grade 2 last November.He warmed up for this by carrying top-weight to win a course-and-distance handicap in January from the progressive Datsalrightgino, second next time in a Grade 2 at Kempton.
That experience of jumping fences here is an advantage, one also held by Banbridge, and he has some decent value to find his way into the frame in this field of nine.
Tip: Stage Star @ 11/1 with Betfred
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