The Mandarin’s New Year’s Day Selections for 1st January 2025

The Mandarin’s New Year’s Day Selections from Sha Tin & Cheltenham

Sha Tin

Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (Group 3 Handicap) 06.00
Howdeepisyourlove
The chance is taken on Howdeepisyourlove for this Sprint Trophy Handicap. Although he takes on this sharp 5 furlong trip for the first time, there’s plenty of toe about this Australian bred gelding. Having been last seen competing against the brilliant Ka Ying Rising in the Hong Kong Sprint Cup, this looks a tad easier, but as a handicap Howdeepisyourlove does get assigned top-weight for his Group One endeavours. That said, Howdeepisyourlove will be firing out of Stall 1, and has the superb Zac Purton on board to make the most of the track position. Every chance.

Chinese Club Challenge Cup (Group 3 Handicap) 08.10
California Spangle
The second of the Group 3’s on Sha Tin’s New Year’s Day card can go to California Spangle. Once the conqueror of the great Golden Sixty over the mile trip, he’s been mostly plying his trade over 6 furlongs this year, but might find this intermediate trip just the ticket. Beauty Joy is likely to be on the premises, as is last year’s winner Taj Dragon from the plum inside Stall, but California Spangle is a class act and can defy top-weight.

Cheltenham

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 In Cinemas Now Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 12.20
Kalif Du Berlais
Just the three runners for Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day opener, so a trappy race to get things under way. The marginal preference is for Paul Nicholls’ Kalif Du Berlais, who lacks course form, but did fight off a game Tedley at Newbury last time out, and if taking to this undulating track should have the measure of Sam Thomas’s Vincenzo and the re-opposing Tedley, who has now hit the bar in three successive runs. As Tedley has had a busy time of it, with four chase starts in the last two months, Vincenzo rates the main danger, but Kalif Du Berlais gets the vote.

Betfair Handicap Chase 1.30
Broadway Boy (nap)
Another small field for the second Chase on Cheltenham’s card, but it’s hard to ignore the appeal of top-weight Broadway Boy. He remains far less exposed over fences than all his rivals here, and has a superb course record at Prestbury Park, with five starts yielding three wins over both the chase and hurdles course, and a second and a third completing the form book. Sam Thomas’s Our Power is another regular visitor to this track, and his runners-up spot to the impressive King Turgeon last time out gives him solid claims. Venetia Williams has been in great form, so although Cloudy Glen is entering the veteran stage after twenty-five starts over fences, has to be considered, while Nicky Henderson’s Chantry House hasn’t won for nearly two years, but has great course form and the Seven Barrows Yard is in top form. That completes the shortlist, but it’s hard to get away from Broadway Boy.

Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 2.05
Gemirande (nb)
It should pay to side with Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch, as they bid to repeat a win over course and distance with Gemirande. Though it’s just short of three weeks since Gemirande’s success in that Premier Handicap, the way he finished suggested this French bred gelding is at the top of his game, so we think that the hat-trick is on the cards. Top-weight Hitman is a classy sort for Paul Nicholls, but does tend to save his best for flatter tracks such as Newbury and Aintree, so Jonjo O’Neill’s Springwell Bay rates the main danger and is unexposed over these handicap chases. Gemirande to score for the in-form Venetia Williams yard, with Springwell Bay making a fight of it.

Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle (Grade 2) 3.15
Golden Ace
The feature can go to Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace, whose fourth of five in the Ascot Hurdle in November was a closer result than it looks on bare paper. With super course form, Golden Ace looks set up for a big run in receipt of weight all round, and after her Grade 2 win at the Cheltenham Festival has form at this level. She had no less a light than Brighterdaysahead behind here in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in March, so that looks like very well franked form, with that rival lowering the colours of State Man in a Grade 1 Hurdle last Sunday. Gary & Joshua Moore’s prolific Salver should come on for his seasonal reappearance at Newbury, while Nicky Henderson’s Lucky Place won the Ascot Hurdle last time out, but Golden Ace is taken to continue her fine form around Prestbury Park.

Raceridecheltenham ‘Jumior’ National Hunt Flat Race (Listed) 3.50
Marhaba Prince
Plenty here that make appeal for the closer at Cheltenham, but Marhaba Prince caught the eye when scoring at Wincanton for Owen Burrows. Has since changed hands and now runs out of Anthony Honeyball’s yard, and the notable booking of Harry Skelton adds to the appeal. Stablemate Walk In The West is well bred, as is Our Boy Stan from Ben Pauling’s in-form string, while there’s been money down for Ralph Beckett’s Gnomon this week, but Marhaba Prince gets the nudge.

The Mandarin