Right, it's time for Day Two! I've had an early look at the racing for the second day at the Cheltenham Festival and shown my hand for my tactics in the Betting Tournament. Remember to opt-in you can play in the Betting Tournaments this week and download the Tote app for the best experience when playing!
13:30 – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
HERMES ALLEN won the Challow Hurdle in comfortable fashion at Newbury on New Year’s Eve and though winners of that race don’t have the greatest record in the Ballymore, most were facing much faster going than they had at Newbury. Reve De Sivola – a horse I part-owned – went close in 2010, finishing second after trading at 1.36 in-running. Hermes Allen is now three from three under Rules bit makes little appeal at relatively short odds.
IMPAIRE ET PASSE made it three from three in his short career (two from two for Willie Mullins) when comfortably justifying odds of 1-3 in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in mid-January. That was over 2m on heavy ground, but his earlier Naas win came over 2m3f and the step up in trip should suit. He jumped out to his left at Punchestown and he’s likely to be happier at left-handed Cheltenham.
GOOD LAND made the transition from maiden hurdle winner to Grade 1 hurdle winner in a single step – a rare feat – landing the 2m6f Grade 1 novice at the Dublin Racing Festival. Keen in the early stages, he showed a good attitude to repel Absolute Notions and has to be high on the shortlist.
GALEIC WARRIOR has been raised 10lb to 153 after landing the 2m handicap hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, despite jumping out to his right on the left-handed track. That tendency cost him victory in the Boodles at last year’s festival and I’m happy to oppose him on this track.
The return to forcing tactics saw CHAMP KIELY back to winning ways in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas in early January. He resented patient tactics, pulling hard as a result, when only fourth (10-11f) to Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond and now has form figures under Rules of 11141 (4-5). He could prove tough to pass.
Point-to-point winner INTHEPOCKET got the better of subsequent scorer Three Card Brag in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle in December (2m4f, soft) and certainly shaped as though the return to further were needed when runner-up to Il Etait Temps at the DRF. He’s another for the shortlist.
Selection: Champ Kiely
14:10 – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
GERRI COLOMBE arrives here with a perfect seven-from-seven record under Rules and heads the market at around 13-8. However, all those runs took place on right-handed tracks and perhaps left-handed Cheltenham won’t play to his strengths. I could just be clutching at straws in the hope of getting the favourite beaten but when taking a short price in a Grade 1 contest I want all boxes ticked.
Aside from seasonal debuts, THE REAL WHACKER has form figures of 1211 (3-4), including two wins from two starts over fences. Both those came here at Cheltenham (one on each course) and this exciting front-runner continues to be underrated in the betting.
THYME HILL has plenty of Cheltenham festival form to his name, doing best of the British-trained runners when third in Envoi Allen’s bumper, repeating that trick when a close-up fourth to Monkfish in the 2020 Albert Bartlett and finding only Flooring Porter too good in last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle (he missed the meeting in 2021). He goes well when fresh and has been rested since his Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase win at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Selection: Thyme Hill
14:50 – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
The higher-weighted horses have done well in recent years and had we simply bet the to six in the weights we’d have found seven winners in the past ten years (from 72 bets) and made a profit of £108.00 to a £1 level stake at SP.
Top weight WINTER FOG comfortably defied a mark of 136 in a competitive 2m handicap hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas on his sole start for Willie Mullins. He’s 13lb higher this time around but he has Cheltenham festival form – finishing fourth of 22 for Emmet Mullins in last year’s Pertemps Final – and should go well now back up in trip.
SAINT SAM, a stablemate of Winter Fog, often fails to settle in his races, especially in small fields. That would explain his defeat at odds of 4-7 at Leopardstown last time and it’s worth remembering that his full record in fields of ten or more runners stands at 1121U1 (4-6), with the runner-up effort at the 2021 festival when 9-2 favourite for the Fred Winter.
Gordon Elliott has a good record in this race and the consistent FIL DOR has form figures over hurdles of 11122221 (4-8). Seven of those eight runs took place in Graded company, and he holds each-way claims on his handicap debut.
My first instinct was to dismiss the claims of SPORTING JOHN but the return to hurdles could suit and he’s not out of this at a huge price.
HAUT EN COULEURS, yet another from the Willie Mullins yard, will be having his first outing over timber since his Grade 1 Punchestown festival third to Jeff Kidder in May 2021 if he takes this route instead of running in Magner Plate Handicap Chase on Thursday. He’s a shorter price for Thursday’s contest but I’d respect his chances if running here.
Selection: Fil Dor
15:30 – Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase
ENERGUMENE won this by eight and a half lengths from Funambule Sivola last year, but that form has taken plenty of knocks. Odds-on favourite Shishkin was pulled up after reportedly ‘never travelling’ and, Chacun Pour Soi unseated and has failed to score subsequently. Energumene won the next twice but could only finish third in the re-arranged Clarence House Chase here on Trials Day and could struggle again.
Sandown 3.12.22
EDWARDSTONE impressed in the Arkle last year and possibly found the race coming too soon when runner-up to Gentleman De Mee at Aintree just 25 days later. He unseated in the Tingle Creek on his comeback but returned to form with a narrow defeat to Editeur Du Gite in the Clarence House and looks the one to beat.
EDITEUR DU GITE has a fantastic record at this trip on left-handed tracks, aside from seasonal debuts, of 5111141 (5-7), with the latest defeat on heavy ground in last season’s Grand Annual. He’s improved this term and looks sure to give a good account.
GENTLEMAN DE MEE came good in the second half of last season, winning a beginners chase at Thurles in February before Graded wins at Navan/Aintree in the spring. This season, his form looks to be following a similar pattern – he showed little in three runs pre-New Year but bounced back with an impressive victory over 1-4 favourite Blue Lord at the Dublin Racing Festival. He’s only seven and remains open to further improvement.
BLUE LORD was almost eight lengths behind Edwardstone in last season’s Arkle and a similar margin behind Gentleman Du Mee at Leopardstown on his latest outing. He could sneak a place but makes no appeal from a win perspective.
GREANATEEN hasn’t won on a left-handed track for three years and that was when the 2-5 favourite at Fakenham. However, he finished a fine 50-1 fourth in this race two years ago and he also made the frame at the 2020 festival, running fourth of 18 in the Grand Annual. He was a comfortable winner of the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on his reappearance, and I wouldn’t read too much into his subsequent Tingle Creek defeat to Edwardstone as he usually has a trouble following up a win when racing in the same season and that run might have come too soon. When racing in the same season, his record following a defeat reads 113411513 (5-9). He’s ideally served by good or good to soft going and could reward each-way support at a big price.
NUBE NEGRA has a fine record when fresh and had an easy task in the Shloer Chase over course and distance on his reappearance, as Edwardstone was withdrawn, and he went off as the 1-10 favourite. Patient tactics/soft ground were no help at Kempton next time where he was 13 lengths behind Editeur Du Gite in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase. His chase record on the Old Course reads 211 (2-3), with the defeat by half a length in the 2021 renewal of this race. He’ll arrive at Cheltenham a fresh horse and can’t be ruled out.
Selection: Edwardstone
16:10 – Glenfarclas Chase (Cross Country)
Key Stats and Trends
Trainers
Gordon Elliott has trained four winners (7-1, 4-1, 5-2 and 5-4), five seconds (33-1, 14-1, 10-1, 3-1 and 8-11) and a third (33-1) from 16 runners. Tiger Roll was under the care of Denise Foster when successful at odds of 9-2 in 2021. Paul Nicholls (0-13) and Willie Mullins (0-14) have not fared so well.
Rating
Six of the last seven winners were rated 150+, with the past two winners rated 160+.
Irish runners
Since this race was first run in 2005, 14 of the 18 winners were trained in Ireland, three in Britain (including the subsequently disqualified Any Currency in 2016) and one in France.
Course Form
14 of the 18 winners had run on the course before.
The shape of the Glenfarclas Chase has changed significantly since its move to a level weights contest from a handicap in 2016, with the winner becoming easier to find. Although it’s a unique course, it’s not hugely challenging, and park chase form often comes to the fore. Nowadays we’re looking for a class horse, with the last two winners rated 160+, and it will probably pay to stick with those near the head of the betting.
DELTA WORK was the pantomime villain of last year’s race in which he got the better of stablemate Tiger Roll to score by three-quarters of a length. This five-time Grade 1 winning chaser looks to hold all the aces after his course and distance handicap third under a big weight on Trials Day and rightly heads the betting.
Galvin ridden by Davy Russell jumping the last fence to win The Irish Daily Star Best For Racing Coverage Steeplechase
GALVIN, last year’s Gold Cup second favourite and the National Hunt Chase winner in 2021, is clearly a very talented individual. He has yet to compete over these fences but has to be high on the shortlist given his connections.
Henry De Bromhead’s consistent seven-year-old GIN ON LIME has gone slightly under the radar for this race, but it is apparently the target before the Grand National. She produced a useful performance when fourth in the Kerry National in September and has to be respected in receipt of her 7lb mares’ allowance.
Martin Keighley has a good record with his cross -country runners and BACK ON THE LASH had Delta Work almost five lengths back in third when landing a course and distance handicap on Trials Day. His record over these fences now reads 15P31 (2-5), with the non-completion excusable on account of heavy ground at last year’s festival. He’s going to struggle to confirm the form with Delta Work now that he moves outside of handicap company but could still reach a place.
Selection: Galvin
16:50 – Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase
SAINT SEGAL ran with credit in the Fred Winter at this meeting last year, finishing tenth of 21 despite pulling very hard in a first-time tongue-tie. His full record over trips of about two miles reads 12106112 (4-8), improving to 112 (2-3) over fences only, with the defeat by just half a length at Doncaster in late January when the ground was quicker than preferred and the winner – Malystic – got first run. He’s young to be tackling a race of this nature but five of the 13 five-year-olds to run this century made the frame (8-1 winner, places at 16-1, 11-1, 7-1 and 3-1) and the expected number of winners from that sample was only 0.96.
Selection: Saint Segal
17:30 – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
A DREAM TO SHARE has been purchased by leading owner J P McManus since his impressive victory at the DRF. The unbeaten five-year-old is clear of his rivals on RPRs (Racing Post Ratings) and holds strong claims.
British trainers have almost given up on this race, but Oliver Sherwood’s QUEENS GAMBLE could go well in receipt of the mares’ allowance. She was hugely impressive when making her debut on the New Course here last spring, romping home by ten lengths, and followed up in similar fashion in Listed company on the Old Course in November. She lost her unbeaten record when a one-length second ay Market Rasen last month but her yard was out of sorts at the time and she wasn’t helped by racing on the inside of the track where the ground was slowest. This will be her first run outside of mares’ company but she’s a big price.
Selection: A Dream To Share
