Count on Cowboy
Jonjo O’Neill’s charge has been impressive in his three bumpers, winning two - impressively at Ascot last season and on his seasonal comeback this - and finishing runner up in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at last season’s Festival.
On that occasion it was Pizarro who denied him by a neck after the six-year-old was twice knocked into in the closing stages.
It was at the same Cheltenham track the Be My Native gelding made his reappearance and there was nothing wrong in the manner in which he beat Liberman a length to list the prize. Facing racecourse obstacles for the first time Rhinestone Cowboy can justify his nap vote.
The ex-French trained Joly Bey is obviously a horse who is progressing quickly and he is fancied to land the £30,000-added Systems By Design Worcester Novices Chase.
The Grade Two race often turns up a decent performer, as was proved last year when the Paul Nicholls-trained Valley Henry took the race.
And it is the Somerset-based handler who again looks to hold the winning card this year with that one’s stablemate.
The five-year-old was an impressive winner last time out at Newton Abbot when accounting for Kingston-Banker over the extended two miles and five furlongs.
His jumping was spot on that day and he seemed to have learned a lot from his jumping debut in Britain when he finished a close second to Moss Harvey.
He can turn the tables on that rival today given the 9lb turn round in weights.
Christian Von Der Recke usually enjoys a fair amount of success on his forays from Germany and Saitensohn is another who can oblige in the Systems By Design - Commercial Interiors Novices’ Hurdle.
The four-year-old was not far off Group class abroad for his trainer and he has made a good transition to the jumps as he proved last time when taking a similar event at Newbury. Saitensohn was an easy five-length winner earlier in the month and both he and the runner up, Over Anxious, pulled some way clear of the rest of the field. That looks to be smart form.
