Perhaps the most exciting races will be the Novice Chases, the Arkle and RSA. Both fields are packed with burgeoning talent and should be very relevant for future Festivals.
The Arkle has Captain Cee Bee heading the market. The former Supreme winner has looked very impressive in victory but is prone to errors such as the one at Leopardstown which cost him a big prize. I am not sure AP's forcefulness will suit him ideally and prefer the claims of Sizing Europe who jumped for fun before Christmas. He has 2 serious pieces of form, the Irish Champion Hurdle where he vaulted the obstacles at high speed like a chaser in waiting and the Greatwood where he skated up the hill in terrible conditions. For some reason he is being knocked for fading dramatically at the business end in the Katchit's Champion Hurdle. To this eye, that looked like an injury and can be forgiven. Somersby and Riverside Theatre have chances but doubtful if they have the necessary speed. One to ignore at your peril is Sportsline who if settling represents a big danger.
The RSA Chase for stayers has so far, a stellar line up. This is always a tough and demanding race and it is best to look for robustness. Punchestowns is a worthy favourite but his last run at Sandown suggested a few flaws in the jumping department. His stablemate Long Run is being touted as Kauto's successor. His talent is obvious but he looks a difficult ride and I am not sure his current pilot is the best equipped. Diamond Harry has long been an eycatcher but his run at Haydock in November, showed a horse with a serious engine which would come to the fore in an endurance test such as this. He resolve has been questioned but I thought he battled well against Mikael D'Haguenet last year and see no reason to oppose him at this stage. However one must also give a chance to Weird Al and last year's Albert Bartlett winner Weapons Amnesty who have done nothing wrong in the build up. All in all a smashing field and a race to savour.
good luck...
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