Nap of the Day: 2/1 shot can make it a Joyeuse Saturday

Cheltenham dominates the agenda on Saturday and it's to Prestbury Park we go for the Nap of the Day. Fingers crossed the both of us can make a return to the winners' enclosure.

Having tipped her, unsuccessfully, at Ascot a few weeks back, I'm prepared to give Nicky Henderson's JOYEUSE another chance at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Expectations have always been high for this five-year-old daughter of No Risk At All, a close relation to Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante who fetched €235k (£194k) at the sales and sports the iconic green and gold silks of JP McManus, but we've regrettably not seen much of her to date.

She won on hurdling debut at Taunton at the start of the year, exactly 450 days after a bumper win in France that led to Mr. McManus splashing the cash, but failed to appear again that season due to a few niggles.

That form has aged pretty well. The runner-up Tutti Quanti, who as a four-year-old was in receipt of six pounds, won his subsequent start and has earned a rating of 125 - a similar rating awarded to the third-placed Into The Park after he was victorious on his following two outings.

Although she was beaten in Berkshire last month, the form of that third behind Celtic Dino and Wade Out is strong too. The former is rated 134 and at this stage looks one of Britain's better novice hurdlers, while the latter has been awarded a mark of 128 and rates a nice prospect himself.

With that in mind, Joyeuse is of serious interest now tried in handicap company, against her own sex, off a lowly mark of 119.

She also steps up in trip, to an extended 2m4f, which I suspect is really going to suit. She needed every yard of 2m½f on soft ground Taunton and dare I say she shaped like a stayer at Ascot the last day. That was my assessment at least.

Her main rivals on Saturday, at least according to the betting, are Phillip Hobbs & Johnson White's Georgi Girl and Take No Chances for the Skeltons. The former is up five pounds for winning what I thought was a modest race a few weeks ago, while the latter has her third run in relatively quick succession having struggled in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle late last month.

Wodhooh is interesting for Gordon Elliott. She travels over from Ireland to make her seasonal reappearance and is perhaps a little overpriced given she was unbeaten in five runs as a juvenile, but this is a lot of weight for a four-year-old filly to carry under the circumstances.

None of the others are completely without a chance, but for me Joyeuse will be very tough to beat taking on fellow mares in a handicap.

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