Cheltenham welcomes in 2021 with a fabulous seven-race card at the Home of Jump Racing on New Year’s Day, Friday.
The most valuable race on New Year’s Day is the £50,000 Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase a Gr3 contest staged over an extended two and a half miles.
The Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase is the culmination of a six-week campaign, during which Paddy Power online customers who have backed winners of a designated Saturday race have gone into a draw the following Monday, broadcast live on social media. Each weekly draw winner gained £10,000 and a “Golden Ticket” which will randomly assign them a runner in the Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase.
Winners so far have included one customer who had recently had his golf clubs stolen, one nan working overtime at Argos for Christmas and a very happy punter who was celebrating her 40th on the day of her weekly win. In addition to the current weekly winners, two horses in the final field will also be allocated to Paddy Power retail customers and one to members of the Paddy Power Rewards Club. Any remaining runners will then be allocated by means of a wildcard draw. For full terms and conditions, please go to https://news.paddypower.com/horse-racing
Among the 16 entries for the Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase is Aso (Venetia Williams), who was successful in the equivalent contest back in 2019 before going on to take second behind Frodon in the G1 Ryanair Chase at The Festival™. Also engaged is 2020 scorer Oldgrangewood, who represents the Dan Skelton team.
Oldgrangewood leads the way home in 2020
Heading the market at 7/2 with Paddy Power is Musical Slave (Philip Hobbs), a useful novice last season who shaped well on his reappearance when fifth at Newbury in November. Also prominent in the market are Sully d’OC (Anthony Honeyball), who was third in the same Newbury contest and Good Boy Bobby (Nigel Twiston-Davies), who was fourth in the G3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at The International on 12 December.
Kauto Riko (Tom Gretton) posted an excellent effort on his seasonal return when fourth in the G3 Paddy Power Gold Cup at The November Meeting. On that occasion the gelding, who is from the family of the great Kauto Star, stayed on well from off the pace to eventually be beaten just five and a half lengths. Kauto Riko, who will turn 10 on New Year’s Day, relishes testing conditions and went close to causing a 100/1 upset last season when going down by just three-quarters of a length in the G2 Fitzdares Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon. He is an 8/1 chance with Paddy Power.
Worcestershire-based Gretton said today: “The Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase is very much the plan for Kauto Riko.
“He has come out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup very well and he does need a bit of time between his races. He will also go on the ground.
“He is usually at his best first time out, but we have tried a few different things with him and hopefully he can get it right second time out on New Year’s Day. I am very happy with him.
“The ground wasn’t quite soft enough for him in the Paddy Power Gold Cup but should be fine on Friday. He goes on very soft ground as long as it is not tacky – which it won’t be at Cheltenham with the good covering of grass and it is the same for everyone.”
Others engaged include Cheltenham regular Guitar Pete (Nicky Richards), who enjoyed his finest hour when taking the G3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup back in 2017, last season’s G3 Ultima Handicap Chase runner-up Kildisart (Ben Pauling) and G2 scorer Glen Forsa (Mick Channon).
