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With the best four days of National Hunt action this week you've probably been bombarded with info left, right and centre, so I'm going to keep this week's piece short and to the point as I highlight some simple daily pointers that will hopefully make your week a profitable one.

DAY ONE - Tuesday 13th March 2012
 
1.30        William Hill Supreme Novices' Hurdle
You can’t go far wrong backing something that won its last race – A massive 13 of the last 15 winners fell into that category, while if you want to take this trend further then 8 of the last 13 were Irish-trained last time out winners.

2.05        Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase
Spinter Sacre is the first of the so-called ‘bankers’ to strut his stuff, but did you know there’s only been one winning favourite in the last 10 runnings? In fact, there have only been 2 winning market leaders in the last 19 renewals!

2.40        JLT Specialty Steeple Chase (A Handicap)
Focus at those towards the foot of the handicap. All of the last 12 winners were rated 143 or lower, but it is a race that punters tend to get right with 9 of the last 11 winners coming from the first 4 in the market.

3.20        Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
It’s no secret that Paul Nicholls is yet to win this big prize, so can Zarkandar, Rock on Ruby, Brampour or Celestial Halo end the drought for the Dicheat handler? However, the biggest pointer is that 5 year-olds have a dire record – just 1 winner (Katchit 2008) since 1985, and 87 have tried.
 
4.00        Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t go too far wrong just backing an Irish-trained runner that’s in the front three in the betting - the Irish have landed all 7 runnings, while 12 of the last 14 winners came from the first three in the market.

4.40        OLBG Mares' Hurdle (for the David Nicholson trophy)
Quevega, Quevega, Quevega – We’ve only had four runnings and Willie Mullins’ mare has taken the last three and this year’s race looks even easier.

5.15        Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase
Since 2005 the key thing to note here is that all 7 winners came either first or second last time out, while being a 7-year-old horse helps too – they’ve taken 5 of those 7 renewals.
 
DAY TWO - Wednesday 14th March 2012
 
1.30        National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
Keep anything Jonjo O’Neill or Ferdy Murphy run on your side – they’ve won 6 of the last 10 runnings. 7 of the last 10 came first or second last time out, while considering Paul Nicholls has the likely favourite, be warned – he’s only had one placed horse in this race from 13 sent to post.
 
2.05        Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle      
Willie Mullins has taken two of the last 4 runnings, and the Irish in general have won it 5 times in the last 10. In terms of age a 5 or 6 year-old has landed all of the last 10 runnings.

2.40        RSA Steeple Chase         
The favourite has won three of the last 5, but be careful if your fancy is 6 or 9 years-old as 10 of the last 12 were aged 7 or 8 years-old – having finished first or second last time out has also been a bonus in recent years.

3.20        sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase
Repeat winners of this race have a good record with Master Minded, Moscow Flyer and Viking Flagship all examples of this - with his in mind last year’s champ Sizing Europe has a lot going for him. The Irish have also dominated the race recently, winning 5 of the last 9.
 
4.00        Coral Cup (Handicap Hurdle)   
Second season hurdlers have done well here, winning 6 of the last 7, while the big negative trend here is that horses aged 8 or older have a shocking record – only 1 from the last 99 have been successful.
 
4.40        Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Only had 7 runnings, but it’s interesting that they were all beaten on their first two starts over hurdles. Also look out for winning form at Sandown – 3 of the last 5 had won previously at the Esher track – the stiff finish at both tracks being the likely reason.

5.15        Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Open NH Flat Race)   
Like most years it will be all about Willie Mullins as he’s won the race six times. However, it’s worth noting he’s actually only 1 from 24 with his recent runners in the race. That said, the Irish do lead 14-5 in the contest and Irish-bred runners have taken 15 of the 19 runnings.
 
DAY THREE - Thursday 15th March 2012

1.30        Jewson Novices' Steeple Chase
Only one previous running, but it could pay to look for previous form at the track – last year’s winner, second and fourth had all won well at Prestbury Park before, albeit over hurdles.

2.05        Pertemps Final (Handicap Hurdle
Buena Vista will be hoping to land the race for a third year on the spin. This has been a race for the bookies with all of the last 8 returning at double-figure prices, and we’ve only seen one favourite go in over the last 10 runnings. Jonjo O’Neill and David Pipe have also won 4 of the last 9 races between them.

2.40        Ryanair Chase 
Course form is a ‘must-have’ here, as all 7 previous winners had won at Cheltenham before. If you like one of the Irish-trained runners then you might want to think twice – so far they are 0 from 19 in the race.

3.20        Ladbrokes World Hurdle
Not a lot to say here as Big Buck’s will be all the rage – however, if you do think Oscar Whisky or Thousand Stars can lower his colours, think again -  no past Champion Hurdle runner has won for 20 years.

4.00        Byrne Group Plate Handicap Steeple Chase      
Don’t be afraid to look down the market for the winner here – all of the last 10 winners returned 12/1 or bigger, while in the last 4 years we’ve seen 33/1, 25/1 and 66/1 winners. Venetia Williams has taken two of the last 5 runnings too

4.40        Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase            
The Pipe’s and Henderson’s have won this 5 times between them in the last 10 years, while 6 of the last 7 were ridden by non-claiming riders.
 
DAY FOUR - Friday 16th March 2012
 
1.30        JCB Triumph Hurdle      
Ignore last time out winners at your peril – 16 of the last 18 won their previous race. It’s also been a race dominated by the big yards, with Alan King, Nicky Henderson, Philip Hobbs and Paul Nicholls supplying all of the last 8 winners between them.

2.05        Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle          
Been a good race for the Irish, with 5 of the last 9 going their way, but don’t ignore any Paul Nicholls-trained runners either – he’s won three of the last 8. The other key stat could be that 6 of the last 7 were rated between 128-135.

2.40        Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Course form is a bonus with 6 of the last 7 having run at Cheltenham before, while being at the top of the market and finishing first or second last time out are other positives.
 
3.20        Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase    
Kauto Star will need to need to defy an age trend that goes back to 1969 as no horse older than 10 has landed the great race during that period, but in his favour that same season King George winner does have a good record.  Winning a race earlier that season is a ‘must-have’, with all bar one of the last 13 winners achieving that, while it goes without saying previous festival form is another bonus.

4.00        Christie's Foxhunter Steeple Chase        
You probably want one of the younger horses here as 19 of the last 21 were aged 9 or younger, and having won last time out is also key with 21 of the last 26 winners falling into that category.

4.40        Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle       
Named in honour of David Pipe’s father, so despite not winning it yet anything they run should be noted. Nicky Henderson is another trainer to note – he landed the first ever running in 2009 and has had others hit the frame in the last 2 runnings too.

5.15        Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase             
Like the previous race anything Henderson runs, being a race named after his father, should be respected and they won it back in 2006. However, the final race of the 2012 festival has arguably the biggest trend of them all – a massive 9 of the last 11 winners were rated between 129-134 and considering this generally only throws up a handful of runners it’s an amazing stat.
 
Have a good Cheltenham!

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Richard Dunwoody with his Ten to Follow for the new National Hunt Season.

FIRST LIEUTENANT:
Trainer: Mouse Morris
Age: 6
Main Target: RSA Chase
The
winner of last season's Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle made a
winning debut over fences at Tipperary, but despite not following up at
Cork next time that experience would have been vital and he only went
down by a nose to a useful sort. He'll need to brush up on his jumping,
but the fact his trainer has him on the go early suggests he's trying to
teach him plenty before tackling the better races. He's a potential
Gold Cup horse in the making, but that is at least a season away with
the RSA Chase (12/1) at the Cheltenham Festival his main target this
term.

LONG RUN
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Age: 6
Main Targets: King George & Gold Cup
The
new kid on the block and current Cheltenham Gold Cup winner looks to
have the race at his mercy again this season. With Kauto Star and Denman
not getting any younger and Weapons Amnesty now out for the season,
then, unless something improves bucket loads, it will be left to the
likes of Captain Chris or Time For Rupert to try and lower his colours -
and neither of that pair look capable in my eyes! Expect him to defend
his King George on Boxing Day at Kempton, while being only 6 years-old
he is certainly capable of dominating that race, as well as the Gold
Cup, for the next 3 seasons!

BOBS WORTH
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Age: 6
Main Target: RSA Chase
Looks
another top class recruit to the chasing game after being unbeaten over
hurdles from four runs last season. His highlight was running away with
the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Festival last term, and
providing he takes to fences his main asset is his liking for Cheltenham
- he's currently three-from-three at the Prestbury Park course.

BIG BUCK'S
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Age: 8
Target: World Hurdle
His
last defeat came in the 2008 Hennessy when unshipping Sam Thomas at the
final fence, but since then he's on a run of 12 straight hurdles
victories, including three World Hurdles. Another win at Cheltenham this
year will see him better Inglis Drever's haul of three wins in the race
and in doing so secure his place in the festival record books. Last
season David Pipe's Grands Crus gave it a good go to end his domination
in this sphere, but came up just short and is now off novice chasing
this year. Expect connections to take a similar path this year with the
Long Distance Hurdle and Long Walk, before his Cheltenham defence, and
let's not forget he's also won the Liverpool Hurdle for the past three
seasons too!

HURRICANE FLY
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Age: 7
Target: Champion Hurdle
Willie
Mullins and Ruby Walsh both finally broke their Champion Hurdle ducks
last term and the manner of Hurricane Fly's victory in 2011 suggests
he'll be a tough nut to crack in 2012. He's now on a run of seven
straight wins and now that he's won at Prestbury Park (many thought the
track wouldn't suit) and the fact that last year's Champion Hurdle
runner-up, Peddlers Cross, and the third, Oscar Whisky, are likely to
pursue other avenues this term then there's not a lot coming out of the
woodwork. Also did you know that Ruby has never lost on Hurricane Fly? -
He's currently 5-from-5!

DARLAN
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Age: 4
Target: Leading Novice Hurdle Races
This
well-bred Henderson 4 year-old could be anything after romping to a 27
length success in his only start - a NH bumper at Haydock back in April.
I know that of the Henderson NH Flat winners from last season this one
is more forward than most in his schooling, and the fact JP McManus has
put his hand in his pocket to buy him over the summer is another clear
indication just how much they think of him at Seven Barrows - He's
certainly one to watch out for in the novice hurdle division.

QUEVEGA
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Age: 7
Target: David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle
This
lightly raced mare will be hoping to enhance her Cheltenham status by
winning a fourth David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle next March, and unless
something comes out of the woodwork it's hard to see her not achieving
it. She's still only 7 years-old and you can expect her to be lightly
campaigned again this season, while Ruby has only tasted defeat on her
once from seven rides.

BESHABAR
Trainer: Tim Vaughan
Age: 9
Targets: Scottish/English Grand Nationals
This
9 year-old has only had 11 career starts, winning 6 of them, so we can
expect more to come from last season's Scottish Grand National winner.
He was also a decent second in the National Hunt Challenge Cup at the
Cheltenham Festival over 4 miles last year so it's clear staying is his
game - he's currently 20/1 for the English Grand National next April.

ZARKANDAR
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Age: 4
Targets: Champion Hurdle
This
well-bred Nicholls inmate will be the stable's main Champion Hurdle
hope this season as the Dicheat handler looks to break his duck in the
race. Unbeaten from 3 runs over hurdles he showed a great turn of foot
to win last season's Triumph Hurdle and followed that up with victory at
Aintree in their Grade 1 Novice Hurdle. He'll need to improve again to
master the likes of Hurricane Fly, but he's got time on his side, while a
soft palate operation over the summer would have also helped his cause.