Gowel Road

Gowel Road

25th-Jan-2025

Message of 22nd January:

I am backing Gowel Road now for Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.

He actually hasn’t won since he won a novices’ handicap chase at Ascot in October 2022, but he is in the form of his life this season, he has finished second in all four races, and I think that he is an under-rated horse as a result.

He ran a big race on New Year’s Day in the Relkeel Hurdle, over two and a half miles, to finish second to the talented Lucky Place, but the step back up to three miles on Saturday will suit him well.  He loves Cheltenham too and, if he can get into a nice rhythm from early under the excellent Sam Twiston-Davies, then he could put it up to all of them.

Crambo is obviously talented, and he was game in winning the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot last time, but he is probably better at Ascot than he is anywhere else.  He is now three for three there.  By contrast, he was well beaten at Cheltenham on his only run there, in last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle.

Strong Leader, likewise, is probably better at Aintree than he is anywhere else, for all that he did finish third in this race last year.  He was disappointing in the Long Walk Hurdle last time though, he is going to have to bounce back, and the Liverpool Hurdle is probably once again his ultimate objective this season.

Message of 25th January:

I thought that Gowel Road was over-priced during the week, but I didn’t expect that the market would correct itself to the extent that he would be favourite this morning.  Hopefully he will run well now, there is not much pace in the race, Botox Has and maybe Kerryhill are his only potential rivals for the early lead, unless someone else changes tactics completely.  So there if every chance that he will have it all to himself up front and, if he does, under the excellent Sam Twiston-Davies, he could be a difficult horse to pass.

I don’t think that Crambo or Strong Leader are Cheltenham horses, and I think our main danger could be Monmiral.

GOWEL ROAD WON (ADV 9/2, SP 5/2)