Newbury winner Bourbon Beauty 'in great order' with conditions to suit

2.40 Cheltenham
Citipost Mares' Handicap Hurdle (Listed) | 2m4½f | 4yo+ | ITV4/RTV

This competitive handicap hurdle is usually won by a mare who is thriving at this late stage of the jumps campaign. That conclusion can be made by using the horse type feature, which is available in the ten-year-trends tab on Raceform Interactive.

The horse type tool separates the last ten winners into six categories: debutant, unexposed, improver, in form, sleeper and exposed. One has dominated this race and that is improver.

Nine of the last ten winners were improvers according to Raceform Interactive, which means the scorers recorded a Racing Post Rating 3lb or more better than her previous best.

It isn't hard to work out who might be considered improvers in this year's edition using a similar logic.

Just three runners come into the race having achieved their highest hurdles RPR on their latest start – Regarding Ruth, Bourbon Beauty and Bannixtown Glory.

Those three are definite improvers, but it’s possible to narrow them down even further if you use the Raceform equation to assess who improved their previous best Racing Post Rating by 3lb or more last time. Only two qualify on that score: Regarding Ruth and Bourbon Beauty.

Regarding Ruth has 3lb in hand of Bourbon Beauty judged on RPRs at these weights, but Bourbon Beauty improved 9lb on her previous best when winning at Newbury last time and Regarding Ruth was only 6lb better for her win at the same course, according to RPRs.

That suggests Bourbon Beauty may be the more progressive of the two and she appeared to improve for the return to better ground last time, too. These conditions should be ideal.

Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

Lucy Wadham, trainer of Regarding Ruth
We've been waiting for this race. She surprised us last time at Newbury, it was a fantastic run. She's had a great season and I suppose coming back in trip is something I'm not completely convinced about, but you do need to stay at Cheltenham.

Regarding Ruth: comes here off the back of a career-best at Newbury last timeCredit: Edward Whitaker

Philip Kirby, trainer of Another Theatre
She's got every chance. When she's in form, which she seems to be, she's very capable and we think she can put up a big show. She'll go on any ground and goes there on the back of a win, so we're hopeful.

Alex Hales, trainer of Bourbon Beauty
Her win at Newbury was a lovely surprise and she's been training well since. The two races are fairly close together so that'd be a worry but ground, track and conditions should suit and she's off a featherweight again. It's competitive and she'll have to improve but she's in great order.

Thursday's race previews:

3.35 Newmarket: Godolphin v Coolmore as top prospects clash in Craven

3.00 Newmarket: Oxted bids for back-to-back Abernant wins

2.05 Cheltenham: Here's the latest Irish raider trying to exploit a failing handicap system

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