Horse Racing: Winner in waiting due to shine at Cheltenham

HORSE RACING fanatic Josh Abley (@Josh_Abley) shares his favourite fancy from Friday's action at Cheltenham.

Friday 14th December 2018 | 2:30 Cheltenham | ITV4

Singlefarmpayment is 7/1 with William Hill for the 2:30 at Cheltenham at the time of writing, which is big enough for me to have a significant financial interest on Friday.

He has looked a winner in waiting for around a year now and always seems to find a couple too good. However, Friday’s race is probably weaker than normal for a big Cheltenham handicap and he arrives on fair terms with his opponents.

Rock The Kasbah looks a shade vulnerable to me up 7lb, especially as he was race fit last time when he beat Singlefarmpayment. This combined with the thought that coming up to two out, Singlefarmpayment was travelling very strongly and looked the most likely winner.

He didn’t have much left in the tank to get up the hill, but that was his seasonal reappearance and you can expect him to be much fitter here. He also drops in trip by a furlong-and-a-half which should also suit. He finished in front of Cogry and Doing Fine that day, both of whom were race fit and as a result I can’t see them reversing that form either.

Singlefarmpayment has excellent course form and has placed in five of his seven completed runs with one of those unplaced efforts coming on ground plenty soft enough. What is more eyecatching to me however is his record in the first part of December.

He has won on this card before but has a record of (211F) in the time period between the 1st and 20th December, with the fall coming in an ultra-competitive Ladbrokes Trophy, where he looked like he would at least threaten the eventual front two.

Theatre Territory, Kerrow and El Bandit all are entitled to respect but the first has been a winner in waiting for longer than Singlefarmpayment and I cannot touch him at 100/30. The other two need to vastly improve their jumping if they are going to compete at a track that usually is a proper test of a horses jumping ability.

I’d personally be surprised, if not disappointed if Singlefarmpayment is not battling it out in front up the hill after the last, and I definitely don’t have him out of the first three which is enough for me to reach for my wallet and have a solid each-way wager.