It is worth remembering that he started the 6/4 favourite for that contest, though, and it may be that the run came soon enough just two weeks on from his impressive Newcastle display. He wasn’t the best jumper over hurdles, and he was a little ponderous on his chase debut, but he showed the benefit of that initial experience in no uncertain terms on his next two starts, impressing with some accurate leaps when hammering a solid yardstick by 10 lengths at Newcastle from a BHA mark of 133.Įasy As That was in nowhere near the same form on his final start at Sandown, coming home last of five and never jumping or travelling with much fluency. He is a big stamp of a horse, always the type who would develop into a much better chaser, and he looked an exciting prospect last season when sauntering home in a couple of handicaps at Haydock and Newcastle. The Real Whacker won all three of his starts over fences at Cheltenham last season, including the Dipper over course and distance, and I am firmly of the opinion that we haven’t seen the best of him yet – he will put himself right in the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture if he can defy a BHA mark of 162 on his handicap chase debut on Saturday.īacking horses at single-figure odds in a race such as this early in the week doesn’t really float my boat, however, and I am much more interested in the chance of EASY AS THAT.

The Real Whacker has seen the form of his win in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – run over three miles – boosted in no uncertain terms by the runner-up, Gerri Colombe, who has won a couple of Grade 1s, notably the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal last weekend, while I Am Maximus, who finished fourth, went on to win the Irish Grand National. Towards the head of the market are a couple of last season’s Cheltenham Festival winners in Stage Star and The Real Whacker, while Notlongtilmay, who finished runner-up to the former in the Turners Novices’ Chase, is also an intended runner. The November meeting at Cheltenham starts on Friday and this year’s renewal of the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the feature race on Saturday’s card, has the potential to be a belter looking at the five-day entries.

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