17th Mar 2017 | Cheltenham Festival
Foxhunter Chase Tip: Grand Jesture
Talented but has refused to race. Change of yard and point-to-pointing has hopefully freshened him up.
Irish trainers hold a firm grip on the Foxhunter Chase, winning the last six renewals and I expect them to make it seven on Friday afternoon.
Much is made of past Festival form but that isn’t reflected in the price of Grand Jesture. In 2015, he finished second in the Ultima Chase off a mark of 143 and he’s back at Cheltenham racing off 130.
After the 2015/16 season was a virtual right off, he moved to Jim Dreaper and the change of scenery seems to have freshened him up. He’s refused three times during his career and is obviously quirky but recently he’s been going point-to-pointing and started his races!
A bit like Labaik, our chances will depend if he jumps off with the others but there is plenty of ability if he does. At his peak, he earned a Racing Post Rating of 150 and he is still only a 9-year-old. Back him at 40/1 with BetVictor and get 4 places at 1/5 odds.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 05:12 17th Mar, 2017 but subject to change