Three Horses To Follow This Week

Friday and Saturday show off some super racing from Cheltenham with the home of jumps racing hosting their December meeting that will hopefully give us some more clues ahead of the festival.

The first horse we would like to discuss ahead of this weekends meeting is the Grade One Triumph Hurdle winner at last year's festival and the 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at the Grand National meeting, Pentland Hills.

The Nicky Henderson trained four year old came on the scene late last season but remained unbeaten in all three of his starts and makes his seasonal debut in the Grade Two International Hurdle on Saturday.

He is proven over this distance at the track and with form on both good and soft ground he looks a very versatile type that will be tough to beat.

A name that has been around the game for sometime is the elusive Yanworth that after having a Grade One fuelled career he is now going down a different path with new trainer Enda Bolger.

The nine year old throughout his time with Alan King was aimed at multiple black type races at the big festivals and managed to land some big contests including the Stayers Hurdle at Aintree and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

However, the JP McManus owned gelding has now moved over to Ireland with Cross Country specialist trainer Edna Bolger and he is now being targeted at that race for the festival.

In November he made his first start in a Cross Country event at Punchestown and showed his class to land the contest seeing off 17 runners.

On Friday he heads back to Cheltenham for the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase where he is currently the 7/2 favourite and if winning that will go short for the same race at the four day meeting in March.

The final horse we want you to follow closely not just at the weekend but for the season is the Nicky Henderson trained Chantry House who could be a star.

The five year old son of four time Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats was only raced once last season by trainer Nicky Henderson having been given to the Seven Barrows yard by JP McManus after the owner bought the gelding for nearly £300,000 after he landed a decent point to point.

Chantry House scored nicely by six lengths at Warwick in March on his only start but this weekend he has an entry over hurdles at Cheltenham on Friday.

There is a lot to like about this youngster who has had his bumper form franked with the second to him at Warwick winning both his hurdles starts to date.