Looking ahead to Cheltenham: what are the races to watch this weekend for Festival pointers?

The final Cheltenham Festival trials have been taking place since the turn of the year and we don’t have too much longer to wait for the main event.

We’ve got loads of intriguing action taking place across the weekend, on both sides of the Irish Sea, and it’s always sensible to watch it with one eye on Cheltenham.

With that in mind, we’ve picked out some of the races you shouldn’t miss this weekend, as they could have a major impact on next month’s Festival.

Denman Chase (Newbury, Saturday)

A disappointing field of four has been declared for this race, after Nicky Henderson decided against running Gold Cup fancy Jango Baie Haiti Couleurs bounced back to win the Welsh Grand National last time out and will need to win this impressively if he’s a Gold Cup horse.

Venetia Williams is badly out of form at the moment so it’s hard to know what to expect from L’Homme Presse but he’s a very useful horse on his day. Rebecca Curtis’s gelding isn’t the best horse on ratings but very much needs to be if connections have big dreams.

Game Spirit Chase

Traditionally a Champion Chase trial, trainer Nicky Henderson has turned it into more of an Arkle trial and he runs potential superstar Lulamba Altior won this race as a novice and Lulamba could follow suit.

He’s done absolutely nothing wrong in two starts over fences so far and was very impressive at Sandown in December. Connections decided against running him against novices at Warwick but it’s a weak Grade 2 and victory should be on the cards.

William Hill Hurdle (Newbury, Saturday)

This very valuable and prestigious handicap doesn’t often have much bearing on the Festival, as winning it tends to blow a horse’s handicap mark. It’s always interesting when novices line up though and Un Sens A La Vie could go close.

He’s already a two-time winner over hurdles, scoring under a penalty at Ludlow last time, and there was no shame in his three-length defeat at the hands of Old Park Star Fellow novice All In You is also worth taking a closer look at.

Boyne Hurdle (Navan, Sunday)

This Grade 2 event is run over 2m6f and there are a couple of potential runners worth keeping an eye on with regards to Cheltenham. Honesty Policy was a progressive novice in the spring last season and he’s currently 4/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle.

A close up third on seasonal debut at Ascot, he’s likely to improve for the run and will need to win here in order to be considered as a serious candidate at Cheltenham. Liverpool Hurdle winner Hiddenvalley Lake is also among the entries.

Ten Up Novice Chase (Navan, Sunday)

One novice chaser who’s definitely going the right way is Connor King’s Oscars Brother The eight-year-old won a Grade 2 at Punchestown when last seen and it would be interesting to see how he fares, as he’s 25/1 for the Brown Advisory. Gold Dancer is also among the entries and it’s possible that the new trip will suit him. If he doesn’t make it to the Brown Advisory, perhaps connections would consider a handicap at the Festival, as there are many options open to him in that sphere.