Five horses to add to your tracker ahead of the Cheltenham Festival

William Henry 

William Henry produced a fine jumping performance to land the Lanzarote Hurdle last time out. That performance at Kempton has earned Nicky Henderson’s raider a quote of 12/1 for the Coral Cup.

The eight-year-old has progressed nicely this term and has the added bonus of being an experienced Cheltenham runner. He’s won there once, finished runner-up twice and was pulled up on his other attempt.

He can handle any type of ground and has shown his quality in fields of varying size. The Irish-bred raider also stays on well and makes significant ante-post appeal ahead of the March meeting.

Black Corton

Black Corton has been a solid performer for some time. But the addition of Bryony Frost in the saddle has lifted the seven-year-old to the next level.

Frost has ridden the gelding to success in six out of seven races so far, including the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day. That triumph proved a landmark triumph for both jockey and horse as the pair combined for a first Grade 1 success apiece.

The duo saw off Elegant Escape, West Approach and Ballyoptic at Kempton. Black Corton’s season may have started last July, but the Coral News Team think there could be more to come for the French-bred hero.

He’s 20/1 for the National Hunt Chase, although the RSA Chase is a more likely target at 16/1.

Waiting Patiently

Waiting Patiently has risen through the classes with the ease of a knife slicing through butter. The seven-year-old resumed this season with back-to-back Class 1 successes and holds entries for both the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair Chase.

Before that, he is likely to be engaged in the Ascot Chase. Unfortunately, any tilt will have to be done without the influence of Malcolm Jefferson, following the trainer’s death at the age of 71.

Jefferson had an impeccable Cheltenham record through successes with Tindari and Cape Tribulation amongst others. Waiting Patiently has the quality to be able to match those and will now be trained by Jefferson’s daughter Ruth.

The seven-year-old chaser is 14/1 for the Queen Mother and 10/1 for the Ryanair. 

Big race previews, Cheltenham betting tips and racing news

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing