Trainers are creatures of habit and that makes me think this 50-1 Cheltenham Festival fancy might just be worth a go

TRAINERS are creatures of habit. Remember that. It was 11 years ago that Jeremy Scott’s Melodic Rendezvous proved the trump card in the Kingwell Hurdle before heading to Cheltenham to take on the best of the best. Ultimately, Melodic Rendezvous wasn’t good enough to land a blow in the Champion, and ended up seventh behind Jezki and My Tent of Yours. The only place to get Templegate's tips first - and at the best prices - is by joining Sun Racing's brilliant Members Enclosure (UK only).

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My Saturday NAP. Armed with a handy 7lb mares' allowance, this Festival-winning star can get back in the winner's enclosure then possibly go onto even bigger and better things at Cheltenham next month. They include Burdett Road, third behind monster Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle, Brentford Hope, who chased home Constitution Hill in the Unibet Hurdle, and Hansard, who once had Brentford Hope back in third in the Intermediate Handicap Hurdle at Newbury in 2023.

It’s a small but relatively select field, but I can’t help but feel Golden Ace is fascinating, and might even be worth a speculative eachway wager at 50-1 in Champion Hurdle markets. She is 16-1 for the Close Brothers Mares’. The reasons for the possible madness are as follows. Golden Ace progressed in style in 2024, eventually landing the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival, defeating a certain Brighterdaysahead.

Now the latter should probably have won that day, and her rider Jack Kennedy is the first to admit it wasn’t his finest four or so minutes. Incidentally, the sidelined Kennedy finds out on February 25 whether he will be back for Cheltenham. That all said, Golden Ace still won. This season, Golden Ace has stepped up in distance at both Ascot and Cheltenham. The daughter of Golden Horn, the excellent stallion at Dash Grange Stud, travelled with class in the first effort before fading into fourth behind the underrated Lucky Place, and then was third to the same animal in the Grade 2 Relkeel.

Again, nothing was going better three furlongs from the finish. But she didn’t see it out. Now of course it might just be Golden Ace is more of a joker and not just good enough, but I’d be fairly sure she’s simply an out and out two-miler. The Kingwell is over 1m7f and there should be a strong gallop, with both Burdett Road and Brentford Hope perfectly able to go from the front. Surely we will find out just how good Golden Ace really is. I’m hoping she’s a Royal Flush.

Saturday's feature race is the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase, which for many features an unlikely raider in the shape of Corbetts Cross, trained by Emmet Mullins. The JP McManus-owned gelding still holds an entry for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, for which he is a 14-1 shot, and for many he would lack the pace for today’s 2m5f event considering he landed the 2024 National Hunt Challenge Cup over 3m6f.

However, he adds plenty of spice to a field of six numbering last year’s 1-2 Pic d’Orhy and L’Homme Presse. The latter was favourite 12 months ago, but not for the first time jumped out to the left which did not help his cause. Pic d’Orhy loves it here and is always hard to beat over this type of trip. Oddly, you might think, I believe L’Homme Presse may reverse the form, and he comes into this on the back of a lovely success at Cheltenham.

If he doesn’t give too much ground away he will be bang there for the talented Charlie Deutsch and Venetia Williams. The other race I want to mention on the Ascot card is the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle, which features recent course winner Altobelli. The one I will take a second look at here is Country Park for the Jonjo O’Neill team. Essentially, Country Park is a little frustrating, but I’d be pretty sure he’s a better horse than his current rating of 121.

He went well through the race behind Belliano at this track recently before falling two out and was beaten by a good horse at this track last time in Jax Junior. First-time cheekpieces are a decent move, and a drop in trip is also something that should suit. It’s not going to be easy for a novice in a race like this, but a price in the region of 12-1 has that built in. So I’ll chance a few quid eachway.