Three Horses To Keep An Eye On This Weekend - 09/02/21

The superstar Champ pulled off the performance of the 2020 Cheltenham festival when jumping the last in the RSA well behind the two tiring leaders but managing to fly up the hill, staying the best of the field and just getting up on the line to land the Grade One.

Before that race he lost his unbeaten record over fences when falling two out at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, but at the festival he put everything right and looks to be a hell of a staying horse.

The Gold Cup is the big target for the horse this term and with that in mind the Seven Barrows team will start him off in the Denman Chase on Saturday at Newbury.

It has been a tricky season for the JP McManus owned Grade One winner with him having a few problems and it has seen him be off the track since his heroic win at the Cheltenham festival in March.

However, he is now said to be back to his best and ready for his first run of the season, having had a wind op and also doing plenty of schooling, he should be right in the frame for this event.

The racing world is excited to see his return to the track and he looks to be one of Britains best chances for the 2021 Gold Cup.

Altior has been a very familiar runner in this event taking it out in 2018 and 2020 and this season he will need to win the race more than ever having lost over two miles for the first time in his jumping career.

One of the biggest shocks over the Christmas period came when the superstar was beaten for the second time in his career by 20/1 shot Nube Negra, with the 10 year old struggling from a long way out.

Henderson was quick to defend his horse after the race and got rid of any assumptions that retirement was looming for the star, but it now looks as though the handler had a genuine excuse for his horse not running to his usual level, with the gelding returning a dirty scope.

He is currently 1/1 to take out the race on Saturday and if bouncing to back form that could be an outrageous price for a horse that has won the majority of the big races at two miles throughout his career.

A horse that is very intriguing on Saturday in the Betfair Hurdle is the Supreme Novices' Hurdle second favourite Metier that will be looking to land this ahead of his tilt at the race in March.

The five year old had been a horse running on the flat before coming over to England and he was given to Harry Fry who sent him straight over hurdles.

It has been one of the best decisions for this horse being unbeaten on all three starts over obstacles, winning a Novices' Hurdle at Newton Abbot on debut and then backing that up at Ascot next time out in an Introductory Handicap.

Fry thought it was time to step him up to Grade One company at Sandown in the Tolworth Hurdle and it saw the gelding thrive in the heavy conditions to kick away after the last and win by 12 lengths.

He may be beaten by a better handicapped horse in this event, but will be wanting to run a big race if wanting to be a big player behind Appreciate It in the Supreme at the Cheltenham festival.

Worth keeping an eye on.