Practice English Speaking&Listening with: The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race 2018 preview & tips

Race three on day four at the Cheltenham Festival is the Albert Bartlett novice

hurdle it's a grade one contest over nearly three miles for four-year-olds

and upwards, and this season it's got quite a wide open look to it, and I'm

looking for a bigger priced runner to land the spores and Nicki Henderson's

Mr. Whipped now he made the perfect start since arriving from Irish point to points

when winning at long odds on at Kempton in November and has really progressed

since I liked his attitude when he won at Newbury and he's still green and raw

at Warwick when beating the useful Paisley Park in the Lemmington

Novice hurdle grade two in really deep ground over two mile five. He stepped up to three

miles at Mussleborugh, and finished second behind the really useful Red River.

But I think you need to overlook that form, for all it was a cracking run and he

did nothing wrong. Nicky Henderson sent four up to Mussleborough

that day and they all performed below par, they had 12 hours in the horse

box, I think, and the ground was very loose and he simply failed to pick up

when first ridden he doesn't do anything quickly but I think this three miles on

really testing ground is exactly what he wants and he's definitely over priced at

around 16 or 20/1 and worth supporting, the other one is the rock

solid and progressive Chef Des Obeaux from the same stable Nikki

Henderson, he's won three out of four over hurdles, finishing a cracking second

first time up at Newbury in December behind Santini and that form has worked

out really well, he's then beaten Bob Mahrler, Secret Investor and Upper Town

Prince last time at Haydock in a very strong grade two in February which was a

trial for this race and he was heavily backed there and reveled in the heavy

ground and I think that's the key in it, well, some of the others might have a bit

more speed than the Chef des Obeaux like Santini for instance and I think

the deep ground is going to play to his strengths he's a complete staye, that's

all he does is keep up a relentless gallop, and as they turned for home

coming up the hill, he'll definitely be keeping going while others drop away.