2:05 Cheltenham – Medermit to shade Arkle battle
Published:On paper the Arkle Chase looks arguably like a straight head-to-head between Medermit and Ghizao and slight preference goes to the former, mainly because of the strength of his jumping.
Medermit is 11/4 in the Arkle Chase betting and seems to tick all of the boxes better than his rivals in terms of travelling throughout a race, jumping at speed and staying all of the two-mile trip.
Trainer Alan King was quick to point to Medermit as his best chance of Festival victory and knows what it takes to train an Arkle winner based on the successes of Voy Por Ustedes and My Way De Solzen in the past.
Another feature is that he was the highest rated of all the runners over hurdles, which has been a solid statistic to follow in recent renewals of the Arkle.
Based on their victories over Captain Chris, Ghizao may have the slight edge over Medermit, as he got the job done by a bigger winning margin, despite also conceding weight.
A repeat of this form should see him go close at 7/2.
Finian’s Rainbow is another horse who is well fancied at 4/1 and he certainly has the talent to land victory.
However, the quality of his jumping has been suspect in his latest starts and this weakness could be a massive hindrance if Ghizao ensures a firm pace up front.
At bigger prices, Rock Noir may prove the best for each-way punters at odds of 14/1.
Rock Noir is among the top-rated in the line-up based on his hurdles form and would have been a lot closer to Medermit on his latest start if he jumped more consistently.
The booking of Tony McCoy can also be classed as a positive and he certainly has the talent to finish in the first three.
A £20 stake on Medermit winning the Arkle Chase would return £55. New customers can sign up here for a free £60 bet.
