Lightentertainment

24th-Jan-2015

I am backing Lightentertainment here. I think that he is over-priced at 5/1.

Chris Gordon’s horse is just a seriously progressive handicap hurdler now. He was won three of his four races this season so far, and he was unfortunate to go down by just a short head by Tara Road in the other, in a good novices’ handicap hurdle at Ascot in early November.

He has won his last two, both races run over around two and a half miles. On his penultimate run, he was impressive in beating Cadoudoff at Fontwell, and that horse came out and ran a cracker to finish second to Bleu Buttons at Wincanton three weeks ago off a slightly higher mark (and is now rated 6lb higher than he was for that Fontwell race).

On his most recent run, Lightentertainment battled on well to get the better of Harristown over two and a half miles on heavy ground at Lingfield in early December, the pair of them coming clear of Beau Lake, who came out and won at Fontwell on St Stephen’s Day.

Lightentertainment was raised 4lb by the handicapper for that win, and that was more than fair. He is dropping back down to the minimum trip today, but the minimum trip on the New Course at Cheltenham is actually two miles and a furlong, and the ground combined with the undulations should bring his stamina into play. He should run a big race.

Dell’Arca is the main danger in my book, he could still be a well-handicapped horse if he could bounce back to his best form of last season. He goes well at the track, and he ran well enough last time in the Lanzarote Hurdle. But he is short, and he still has to prove that he is the horse that he was.

LIGHTENTERTAINMENT WON (ADV 5/1, SP 7/2)

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