Cheltenham Festival 2024: @RoadCheltenham reviews the week's action as Gold Cup hero is defeated
It was a spectacular week of National Hunt racing and @RoadCheltenham is back with an in-depth look back at the last seven days of action with one eye on the Cheltenham Festival in March...
What a weekend. Four was the magic number with small fields lining up for the Morgiana Hurdle, the Betfair Chase and the 1965 Chase at Ascot. However, there was no shortage of drama and excitement for jumps racing fans.
While the Morgiana Hurdle turned out to be a formality for State Man, Bravemansgame got beat and Shishkin – making his 18th start under Rules – refused to race. Oh, and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs got beat in the John Durkan Memorial Chase.
It was a quiet start to the week but it really came alive over the weekend, with Cheltenham Festival ante-post markets flip-flopping from race to race. There was lots to take in, so let’s get on with it…
Harry Fry may have a serious horse on his hands in GIDLEIGH PARK. While he was expected to win, the manner of his success raised a few eyebrows – and he should be an even better horse for the experience and going up in trip. Get him in your tracker if he isn’t already.
Seven-time Grade 1 winner KLASSICAL DREAM made his chasing debut on Thursday and the nine-year-old was imperious. Paul Townend called him “foot-perfect” while Willie Mullins suggested that his stable jockey may struggle to get off him for the rest of the season.
I was disappointed with WELCOM TO CARTRIES at Ascot but on reflection, perhaps I was being a tad harsh. BEAT THE BAT is a good horse in his own right but the vibes out of Ditcheat were that the Paul Nicholls horse is an 'aeroplane'. I’ll give him another chance with a run under his belt.
INTHEWATERSIDE faded late on and finished last of four, with the Nicky Henderson-trained DODDIETHEGREAT making a winning return after 746 days off the track. It was great to see the Kenny Alexander runner back in action and he could be one for a nice handicap later in the spring.
Two weeks after falling at Down Royal, BETTER DAYS AHEAD won like a 2-9 shot should. The race had little depth but it was good to see him assert and he’s a nice type. I’m not sure he will turn out to be a top class novice hurdler but he’ll be tried at Graded level next time out.
MISTER POLICEMAN… hmmm.
Workmanlike would be the kindest way to describe his win at Fairyhouse on Friday, with the much-hyped Arkle contender failing to live up to the billing. I was bitterly disappointed and Mullins was just as pessimistic in his post-race review.
The Fairyhouse bumper saw £225,000 point-to-point winner D B COOPER in action but the star of the show turned out to be JEROBOAM MACHIN. The former will no doubt improve for an obstacle and a trip while Paul Byrne has another nice prospect on his hands. He’s some operator.
Yes, it’s November and yes, he’s only had two starts over fences but CHIANTI CLASSICO is my Ultima Handicap Chase horse. I’m a huge fan of the Kim Bailey runner and the trainer has a decent record in this particular race. He’ll need another run to qualify for a Festival handicap so hopefully we’ll see him out early next year.
And then we have SHISHKIN. Did anyone see that coming? The Nicky Henderson star, winner of six Grade 1 races, decided he didn’t fancy it and refused to race. The race was then at the mercy of PIC D’ORHY, who duly obliged despite some haphazard jumping.
What next for Shishkin? From a punting perspective, he’s never been the most reliable type and his latest antics would certainly put me off backing him. Henderson seems intent on going to Kempton for the King George VI Chase, but you’d need to be more forgiving than I to part ways with your cash.
The Ascot Hurdle was a fierce battle between three very good horses. I like STRONG LEADER most as a prospect going forward, with Olly Murphy recently suggesting he thinks that he could win a Grade 1 race at some point. THEATRE GLORY ran well on her reappearance but needed the run while the winner BLUEKING D’OROUX deserves plenty of praise.
For a four-year-old to produce a performance like that, I was extremely impressed. The team at Ditcheat may find him tricky to place, though owner Johnny de la Hey hinted at a bid for the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. He certainly seemed to relish stepping up in trip at Ascot on Saturday anyway.
BOOTHILL recorded an RPR of 160 as he made it back-to-back wins in the 2m1f handicap chase and the Clarence House Chase is next on the agenda. Meanwhile up at Haydock, GREY DAWNING cemented his status as a novice chaser to follow as he dispatched GAILLARD DU MESNIL and APPLE AWAY for a convincing success.
Dan Skelton has been sweet on Grey Dawning for some time and he built on his debut third behind STAY AWAY FAY – who is well fancied for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. Gaillard Du Mesnil, winner of the National Hunt Chase and third in the Aintree Grand National, ran with credit and a return to Merseyside in April looks likely.
The well-backed SLATE LANE picked up a ‘nasty cut’ en route to winning the lucrative Stayers' Handicap Hurdle at Haydock but CRAMBO was the one I took out of the race.
Left with too much to do, he stayed on like a train up the run-in and there’s a big pot in him. Whether he’ll be good enough for the Stayers Hurdle, I’m not sure…
ROYALE PAGAILLE loves it round Haydock and he finally got his Grade 1 victory in the Betfair Chase. It looked like BRAVEMANSGAME was set to go past and take it up but the Venetia Williams runner was gutsy and game and pulled away for a deserved success. The runner up now heads to Kempton Park under a bit of pressure as he bids to defend his King George crown.
It's still a bit early to be focusing on the juveniles but MIGHTY BANDIT was impressive when winning at Punchestown. It was a superb performance from the son of Order of St George and we’ll hopefully see him in a Graded race over Christmas.
Meanwhile, PREDATORS GOLD bolted up in what looked like a hot maiden hurdle and he may have climbed up a few places in the pecking order at Closutton. Paul Townend looked full of confidence throughout and the further he went, the better he looked. He’s not a bad price at 20/1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in March.
The Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase looked some race on paper but it ended up being a messy renewal, with a few underwhelming performances. AFFORDALE FURY didn’t run his race and will hopefully be back to his best next time out while the likes of SANDOR CLEGANE and FLOORING PORTER were no match for the winner, FAVORI DE CHAMPDOU.
He was excellent on the day and the National Hunt Chase looks tailor-made for him. You could say he was the main beneficiary of the soft conditions but take nothing away from the Gordon Elliott runner – this was an impressive performance.
STATE MAN won the Morgiana Hurdle with his head in his chest and connections will hope that he’s improved once again. He’ll need to if he’s going to challenge CONSTITUTION HILL in the Champion Hurdle, but you couldn’t ask for much more on his seasonal debut, dispatching his race-fit rivals with ease.
HALKA DU TABERT had a big reputation last season but things didn’t really go to plan for her in the spring. She’s a big, gross mare and chasing was always likely to be her bag. I can’t wait to see how she stacks up against the rest of the Mares Chase division.
How many Willie Mullins horses get beat at 1/8? That’s exactly what happened on Sunday as TULLYHILL flopped, finishing 24 lengths adrift of Gordon Elliott’s SHANNON ROYALE. While the winner continues to improve for racing and experience, it was a bitterly disappointing effort from Tullyhill.
Last but certainly not least, we have the John Durkan Memorial Chase. The race of the weekend on paper and it didn’t disappoint on the track, with FASTORSLOW confirming the Punchestown Gold Cup form with GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, who finished a two-lengths third.
The winner is an exceptional horse and he remains unexposed over fences. He has now won two Grade 1 races and going back up in trip won’t hinder him one bit. The Savills Chase at Leopardstown is his next target and he should go with a favourite’s chance.
It was great to see APPRECIATE IT run his race, with Patrick Mullins giving him a superb ride from the front. I’d love to see him go for the Ryanair Chase but his trainer may be reluctant to adopt such tactics as they may prove detrimental to ALLAHO and his own front-running style.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK:
GAELIC WARRIOR took my breath away in the 2m3f Beginners Chase, destroying a decent enough field to cement his status at the top of the betting for both the Turners Novices' Chase and Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.
The Rich Ricci-owned gelding has had a huge reputation since he arrived at Closutton and he finally got his Grade 1 success at the Punchestown Festival in April. It looked like the Stayers' Hurdle was at his mercy but connections decided to send him over fences this term…
And on Saturday, we saw why. While he was slightly novicey at one or two, he had the speed to pull away from the field. You look through his rivals in the race and they’re no slouches by any means. On hurdles form, there were some decent yardsticks in there.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gaelic Warrior follow the Galopin Des Champs route and run in the Turners this season. The Brown Advisory can be a gruelling, attritional test and this son of Maxios has the cruising speed needed to win the shorter race at the Festival.
