Cheltenham - Novices' Handicap Chase: Fergal O’Brien ace can take tough handicap

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL fanatic The Voice Of Value (@TheVoiceOfValue) shares his thoughts on the Novices' Handicap Chase, the last race on Day 1.

5:30 Cheltenham | Novices' Handicap Chase | ITV4

A really tough handicap to decipher given the number of novice chasers with potential that we have seen this season.

I have managed to whittle it down to three or four that I fancy. As it happens I think the market has it right because the horses I like are near the top of the market.

De Plotting Shed (13/2 BetBright), as the name suggests, looks like a Gordon Elliott plot for the race.

He is rated 150 over hurdles and was decent quality but has managed to get in here off a rating of 143. I suspect he is a good bit better than that and will go very close.

Barney Dwan (8/1 BetBright) was an excellent second last year in the Pertemps Final over hurdles and despite winning two races this year he gets into this race on a handicap mark that is lower than the mark he had for the Pertemps last year.

Don’t ask me how Fergal O’Brien has managed it but he looks like one who will give a very good account of himself.

Until final declarations I had been torn between Barney Dwan and Movewiththetimes but the latter has not been declared so that makes my choice a whole lot easier.