Horse Racing Tips: Hyland to hit new heights on Friday

There's a mixture of Flat and Jumps racing in the UK and Ireland on Friday, with six meetings taking place across the afternoon and into the evening.

The action is dominated by the opening day of Cheltenham's November Meeting and all three of my horse racing tips for Friday come from Prestbury Park.

13:45 Cheltenham - Hyland @ 5/2

A select field of four runners will contest the Listed extended 3m Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Friday, with the ground likely to be good come post time on what is forecast to be a bright and sunny autumnal afternoon.

Paul Gilligan’s representative Buddy One is raiding from Ireland. He is rated 154 over hurdles after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle over this trip on the New Course on soft ground in March, before running second in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle over this trip on good to soft ground in April.

The seven-year-old won on his chasing debut over an extended 2m6f on good ground at Galway in October, but his jumping subsequently let him down at Wexford and it remains to be seen if he can reach the same level of form over the bigger obstacles.

Olly Murphy’s runner Resplendent Grey achieved a decent but lesser level of form over hurdles, but won readily over a shorter trip on good to soft on his chasing debut at Uttoxeter last month. The Walk In The Park gelding is open to further improvement and could be in the mix, if building on that effort over 3m on a decent surface.

Springwell Bay is a smashing chasing prospect, representing the local training partnership of Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, who made a winning reappearance on his chasing debut over an extended 2m3f on good ground at Chepstow in October. He is also open to further improvement but does need to progress for the step up to 3m over fences to justify likely favouritism.

The selection HYLAND is a slightly bigger price than Springwell Bay. The Turgeon gelding won comfortably by 15 lengths over this course and distance on good ground last month.

That improved effort was awarded a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 146 which sets the chasing form standard in this field and he is likely to prove hard to beat if merely reproducing that level of form under similar conditions, representing the significant trainer and jockey combination of Nicky Henderson and Nico De Boinville.

14:20 Cheltenham - Jonbon @ 4/11

JONBON is upwards of 6lb clear of his three opponents on the book on these favourable terms in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase over 2m, and is considered capable of winning fresh at this time of year on his reappearance for a fourth consecutive season, including when winning this race last year on soft ground with the reopposing Edwardstone over nine lengths behind in second.

He arrives 9-11 over fences, 2-2 on good ground and is yet to finish outside the top two in four starts on this course. Nico De Boinville is 5-5 when riding the high-class eight-year-old.

15:30 Cheltenham - Gale Mahler each-way @ 6/1

Finally, GALE MAHLER is the each-way option in the six-runner Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle over 2m 5f, in the hope he can bustle up the two hotpots Valgrand and Potters Charm.

Adrian Keatley’s Mahler mare racked up a sequence of wins in the summer and is likely to leave her latest 17-length second to Valgrand, which came after a short break, behind.

She is 5lb better off at the weights, 5-6 on good ground and the step back up in trip is in her favour.

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