Starting on Tuesday is the world’s greatest national hunt racing festival, especially in the eyes of national hunt followers in Ireland.
For four days every March, the normally silent hills of the Cotswolds will ring out with a cacophony of cheers, song, and some (but very few) tears. The festival opens with seventeen entries, only two British runners, in Supreme Novice Hurdle, honouring the late Micheal O’Sullivan. Willie Mullins trains odds-on favourite Kopek Des Bordes at 8/11 followed by Gordon Elliott’s Romeo Coolio, his stablemate Salvator Mundi and Dan Skelton’s The New Lion.
I fancy Romeo Coolio to give Jack Kennedy a winning start to the festival in a race with a good record for Irish runners.
In the Arkle 9 go to post and Marjborough at 8/13 looks a good thing to get JP McManus off the ground in what should be a double for Mullins.
There are 49 still in the Ultima Handicap chase where they go 8/1 the field and this is best left alone. Nicky Richards’ Famous Bridge, in the Trevor Hemmings green and white quarters will have an e/w chance.
There are fifteen in the Mares Hurdle where Mullins has the market leaders in Jade De Grugy and Lossiemouth. Nicky Henderson’s Joyeuse has been supplemented at a cost of £4,800 and JP McManus’s horse must be considered.
I opt for Lossiemouth (who is also in the Champion Hurdle) if she runs here. If not, Joyeuse. Home side is best represented by Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace and Joyeuse.
In the big race of the day, odds-on Constitution Hill at 4/6 heads the 8-runner field with the rest headed by 3 Irish trained horses. Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead, who is missing the Mares to run here, looks the main danger at 2/1 with the WP Mullins’ trained pair Lossimouth who is still in the Mares, 11/2, and State Man, 10/1 also to be considered.
In a race with four of the best horses around taking each other on, Constitution Hill will have to be at his very best to repel the Irish challenge the best of which looks to be Elliott’s charge, who could give Jack Kennedy a dream return to the saddle.
The Juvenile Handicap Hurdle has still 47 left in, 22 Irish trained, and is another to stick a pin in the paper. I like the look of Joseph O’Brien’s Beyond Your Dreams if he runs.
There are 29 in the National Hunt Challenge Cup for amateur riders, 11 Irish. Cromwell runs Now Is The Hour, the favourite. An Irish trained outsider with a chance is 14/1 shot Sa Majeste trained by Mullins for McManus.
My e/w Yankee selection for opening Tuesday is Romeo Coolio, Famous Bridge, Golden Ace, and Sa Majeste.
On Wednesday, there are 52 in the opening Turners Novices Hurdle. Dan Skelton’s The New Lion is 15/8 favourite, and the only home trained horse in the betting under 14/1 with four Irish trained horses behind him, three trained by Mullins and one by Elliott. The New Lion to break Ireland’s stranglehold on this race.
Of the 23 entries in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase thirteen are trained in Ireland with seven of the leading the betting headed by WP Mullins’ Ballyburn at 13/8, with stablemate Dancing City 7/2, 8/1 bar. Paul Townend’s selection to win.
This race is followed by the Coral Cup, a handicap hurdle, with 96 entries, 46 trained in Ireland, and with only 26 runners, this is normally best left alone.
Dan Skelton’s Be Aware heads the betting at 7/1 from Clouston’s Kopeck De Mee at 8/1 12/1 bar two. Kopeck to win for owner JP McManus but an Irish outsider that catches the eye if he gets a run is Lorna Fowler’s Colonel Mustard who never runs a bad race. The Glenfarclas Cross Country handicap Chase has 30 entries, 15 Irish trained but there are only 16 runners allowed. Gordon Elliott runs Galvin but the Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown having won a handicap over the course in November is seeking a four-timer and should win here.
In this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with 19 entered, 12 from Ireland, Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon is one of JP McManus’s hot pots at 5/6 with 5/1 bar. He will get plenty to do from Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale and Mullins’ Energumene. Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge, on his King George run, has a great e/w chance at 20/1. The Grand Annual Chase has 46 entries, limited to 20 runners, and is wide open, and the advice is to leave this race alone. Evan Williams’ outsider Dr T J Eckleberg who is a big price and rarely runs a bad race, is a live chance if he gets in.
There are 33 entered in the Wetherby’s Champion Bumper, 18 of them Irish trained with WP Mullins having 8 and Elliott 5. With 7 of the Irish horses unbeaten there should be an Irish winner of this race again, but maybe not either of the big 2.
Gavin Cromwell, a very successful raider to Britain this season, has Champagne Jury, a winner at Nass in January and had a warm-up race over hurdles where he finished second to the odds-on Honesty Policy at Leopardstown earlier this month. Keep an eye out for top Irish amateurs riding on the card for British trainers; they would have been booked well in advance.
My e/w Yankee selection for Wednesday is Kopeck De Mee, Jonbon, Dr TJ Eckleburg and Champagne Jury.
Here’s wishing all you punters a successful week. There will be a detailed look at next Thursday and Friday’s racing in next week’s edition when all fields will be finalised before assessment unlike this week.
Upcoming meetings
Racing takes place this afternoon (Thursday) at Thurles, with first race at 2.30 pm. Tomorrow evening there is flat racing on the all-weather at Dundalk, away at 4.55 pm.
On Saturday, Irish racing takes place at Gowran Park featuring the Shamrock Handicap Chase and Tetratema Cup Hunters Chase for point-to-pointers, with first race at 2.10 pm. On Sunday, racing will be at the punters graveyard Naas where the card is sponsored by Bar One Racing featuring the Leinster National, a handicap worth €100,000, off at 2.10 pm.
Racing review
At Navan last Saturday, the Grade 3 Flyingbolt Novice Chase was won by the Willie Mullins trained and Paul Townend ridden Champ Kiely at odds-on. No such luck for the connections with El Fabiolo, 4/11, who was beaten by 50/1 shot Senecia in the Grade 2 Webster Cup Chase.
Racing news
Watch out for the Gilligan family from Craughwell in Co Galway, as four members of the family could be in action at the festival.
Trainer Paul sends over three horses and sons Danny, Jack, and Ollie could have rides in Cheltenham.
Danny is one of Gordon Elliott’s jockeys, Jack will ride his father’s horses, and Ollie, a young amateur claimer, could ride his father’s horse Tradonthebay in the bumper. A fourth brother Liam trains point-to-pointers at home in Craughwell. Paul trained a festival winner with his first festival runner in 2017 when Bertie’s Dream won the Albert Bartlett, ridden by Andrew Lynch.
Gabriel Leenders’ French trained Gold Tweet will not run at the Cheltenham Festival next week. The 8-Y-O was a surprise winner of the Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials day in 2023 and finished 8th in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival. He was in three races, the Ultima, the Coral Cup and the Stayers’ Hurdle, for a second time.
