'His 25-1 Triumph odds could shorten' - four dark horses to note among the Cheltenham Trials day and weekend entries

Cheltenham Trials day on Saturday promises to be informative with clues aplenty for the track's big meeting in March. Here we pick out four horses who could go under the radar at the weekend and strengthen their festival claims . . .

Intellotto

Joseph O'Brien has trained two of the last four winners of the JCB Triumph Trial (12.05) and his Intellotto looks an interesting contender on Saturday.

The son of Lope De Vega failed to score in three runs on the Flat for these connections but posted progressive Racing Post Ratings of 76, 86 and 88.

He was sent off a 10-1 chance on his hurdles debut at Leopardstown last month and produced a strong staying performance to score by a widening four-and-a-half-length margin.

O'Brien won that Leopardstown race in 2018 with the ill-fated Sir Erec, while Ivanovich Gorbatov took the contest in 2015 when officially running in Aidan O'Brien's name but prepared by Joseph. Both Sir Erec and Ivanovich Gorbatov went on to win Grade 1 juvenile hurdles later that season.

Intellotto is expected to take on the best of the British juveniles on Saturday in Burdett Road, Sir Gino and Salver but a big performance will no doubt see his 25-1 Triumph Hurdle odds shorten.

Intellotto12:05 Cheltenham

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Jky: Daryl Jacob Tnr: Joseph Patrick O'Brien

Unexpected Party

The 2m4½f novice handicap chase (12.40) at Cheltenham on Saturday was won last year by Stage Star, who went on to claim the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Chase at the festival and is a general 6-1 chance for this year's Ryanair Chase. Jamie Snowden's Datsalrightgino chased Stage Star home and he's gone on to land the Ladbrokes Trophy and runs in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase (1.50) on the Trials day card.

Unexpected Party finished ten lengths behind those two in third, and with Stage Star now rated 24lb higher and Datsalrightgino 21lb higher he looks interesting as he attempts to go two places better off just 1lb higher on Saturday.

Unexpected Party: back in action on Festival Trials dayCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The Dan Skelton-trained nine-year-old had subsequent Grade 2 winner Knappers Hill behind when scoring on his seasonal debut at Chepstow in October but he has posted regressive RPRs in three subsequent runs, failing to beat a rival home in a four-runner Grade 2 novices' chase at Ascot last time out.

However, he returns to handicap company on Saturday off what is clearly a competitive mark and the Skelton stable is beginning to hit form.

Unexpected Party holds a festival entry in the Turners Novices' Chase, for which he is a general 66-1 chance, and with a victory on Saturday he could bid to emulate Stage Star, although handicaps are also likely to be an option, with the Plate, contested over this same course and distance, likely to come into consideration.

Unexpected Party12:40 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: Dan Skelton

Hitman

Hitman ran no race on his return in the Old Roan Chase, in which six fences were omitted, but he has been given plenty of time to get over that effort and is an interesting entry in the Paddy Power-sponsored 2m4½f handicap chase.

He posted his second-highest Racing Post Rating of 163 when third behind Envoi Allen and Shishkin in the Ryanair Chase last season and his odds of 80-1 for that race could shorten if he is back to his best at the track on Saturday.

Hitman: talented when on his A-gameCredit: Edward Whitaker

Hitman has questions to answer after his last two runs but on the best of his form he could be an each-way candidate for the Ryanair again or potentially contest the Plate in March.

Hitman13:15 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: Paul Nicholls

West Balboa

This talented mare is 2-2 at Aintree but she could be a fair bit shorter for her two festival entries if successful at the weekend.

The Dan Skelton-trained eight-year-old ran too freely when trailing in last as favourite for the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot last time but she has plenty of good form, winning the Lanzarote and a Grand National meeting handicap hurdle last season and finished second to Stage Star in the Challow as a novice.

She is entered in the McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle (3.35) at Cheltenham on Saturday and the Warfield Mares' Hurdle (2.40) at Doncaster on Sunday and is a best-price 20-1 with bet365 for the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle and 50-1 for the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle in March.

Read these next:

Find out the big names who have been entered for Cheltenham's Trials day card on Saturday 

What's on this week: festival clues aplenty before Cheltenham heads a super Saturday not to be missed 

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