Cheltenham Festival 2023: Day two talking points

Timeform’s Adam Houghton highlights four talking points on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

Can Impaire Et Passe justify the hype?

Unbeaten in two starts over hurdles for Willie Mullins, Impaire Et Passe probably owes his position as favourite for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle more to his reputation at home than anything he's actually achieved on the racecourse, but his trainer has so much strength in depth in this division that the steady stream of money for this horse in recent days must be considered significant.

Impaire Et Passe followed up his hurdling debut success with another dominant performance in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown last time, travelling strongly throughout and quickly drawing clear on the run-in to win by six and a half lengths with plenty in hand.

Admittedly, the bare form of that effort leaves him with a bit to find with the likes of Gaelic Warrior and Hermes Allen on Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings for the Ballymore, but the feeling remains that we’ve only scratched the surface of his potential and the large ‘P’ attached to his rating underlines that he is still open to significant improvement. The step up to two miles and five furlongs shouldn’t be an issue for Impaire Et Passe and he is a hugely exciting prospect.

Could Gerri Colombe be a Gold Cup horse of the future?

Gordon Elliott relies on Conflated, a general 12/1 shot at the time of writing, as he seeks a second win in Friday's Cheltenham Gold Cup after that of Don Cossack in 2016. Conflated certainly isn't without his chance but, whatever happens on Friday, it's easy to envisage Elliott going into next year's blue riband with a much stronger hand, one which will be bolstered this week if both Gerri Colombe and Mighty Potter can come through their Festival assignments unscathed.

Gerri Colombe is the first to put his unbeaten record over fences on the line in Wednesday's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. He made it seven from seven under Rules with a determined victory in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown last month, still looking far from the finished article but overcoming that to continue his winning run in the style of a high-class staying prospect. He was briefly caught flat-footed when Balco Coastal quickened from three out, but there was plenty to like about the way he rallied to lead again on the run-in, keeping going well from there to win by a length and a quarter.

A sound jumper, Gerri Colombe has comfortably the best form of the 11 runners in the Brown Advisory and it’s to his credit that he’s already shown so much ability over trips which look short of his optimum. Indeed, the step up to three miles at Cheltenham promises to unlock more improvement.

Will the Clarence House form be upheld in the Champion Chase?

Perhaps isn't being given enough credit for his win in the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham in January, with the pair who followed him home on that occasion, Edwardstone and Energumene, both trading at much shorter odds in the betting for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. There certainly didn't appear to be any fluke about the winner's performance in the Clarence House as he set a sound gallop and then found extra when headed by Edwardstone after the last, edging ahead again close home to get the verdict by a head.

However, the simple fact remains that the form Editeur du Gite showed in winning the Clarence House is still some way inferior to the level reached by both Energumene and Edwardstone on their very best days. The Clarence House wasn't one of them, for either horse, but it's far too soon to be writing off a top-class two-mile chaser like Energumene, so dominant when winning this race by eight and a half lengths last year. Beaten just twice in 10 starts over fences, his latest defeat is perhaps best forgiven as an off day and the form he showed in the other – when beaten just a length behind Shishkin in the 2022 edition of the Clarence House at Ascot – identifies him as still the one to beat on weight-adjusted ratings.

As for Edwardstone, a decisive winner of the Sporting Life Arkle over this course and distance at last year's Festival, he emerged with plenty of credit when beaten only narrowly by Editeur du Gite in the Clarence House, making up considerable ground to lead briefly on the run-in before that big effort seemed to take its toll. He is better judged on the career-best effort he put up when previously winning the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in December, quickening clear from two out to land the spoils by nine lengths. Most likeable and tough, he is arguably the most solid proposition in a fascinating rematch for the Champion Chase crown.

Can Elliott maintain his stranglehold on the Cross Country?

Gordon Elliott saddled a one-two in last year's Glenfarclas Chase with Delta Work and Tiger Roll and there must be a very good chance that history will repeat itself on Wednesday. Not only is Delta Work back for more as he tries to emulate the great Tiger Roll – successful in 2018, 2019 and 2021 – by becoming a multiple winner of this race, but Elliott also saddles Galvin, who is a fascinating newcomer to this discipline having beaten the reigning Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown not even 15 months ago.

Galvin is trying something different here having proved a big disappointment on his last two runs over fences, latterly when passing the post around 50 lengths behind the winner in the latest edition of the Savills Chase. He desperately needs to rediscover his form and it's not out of the question that this unique test might help him to do just that, especially as he's reportedly been extensively schooled in recent weeks.

An on-song Galvin is a formidable rival, though so too is Delta Work, who confirmed his liking for this course with a massive effort in defeat in a handicap here in January, showing high-class form to be beaten less than five lengths behind Back On The Lash (to whom he conceded 23 lb). Delta Work is back on level terms today and looks a very worthy favourite, though whether he has things all his own way will likely depend on which Galvin turns up. For context, the two stablemates are rated just 2 lb apart on weight-adjusted ratings and 4 lb clear of the rest.