Weekend review 28-29 December and Cheltenham 2020 betting
Knowing what day of the week it is can be some form of an achievement at this time of year, but happy to confirm, this is Monday and a chance to review some weekend performances with a view towards Cheltenham in March.
Gordon Elliott enjoyed a Super Saturday at Leopardstown and now has a leading player in the Gold Cup market with Delta Work, while Apple’s Jade proved that talk of her demise remains premature.
- Delta Work 8/1 (from 20/1) Cheltenham Gold Cup with bet365
- Monalee 25/1 (from 100/1) Cheltenham Gold Cup with bet365
- Lostintranslation 7/1 (from 7/2) Cheltenham Gold Cup with bet365
- Apple’s Jade 8/1 (from 33/1) Stayers’ Hurdle with bet365
- Thyme Hill 5/1 (from 8/1) Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with bet365
Delta back on track
The Gigginstown House-owned Delta Work was one of last season's outstanding novice chasers. He narrowly missed out in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham when a better jump at the last might have won it for him but he was peerless at Punchestown on his final start.
This season began with an underwhelming fourth in a five-runner Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal but he was right back to his best in a strong renewal of the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.
Alongside the King George, the Savills is the one of the standout Christmas races and this one didn't disappoint. Kemboy, Presenting Percy, Road To Respect and Monalee joined the likes of Bellshill, Anibale Fly and Jett in a stronger line-up than for the Kempton showpiece on Boxing Day.
It looked as though Rachel Blackmore had bagged a third Grade 1 win in three days when Monalee moved ahead jumping the last but Delta Work stayed on strongly to win by a head.
Runner-up Monalee looked a shade unlucky (Blackmore lost her irons on the flat) and at 25/1 for the Gold Cup, there may still be some value in Henry De Bromhead's charge.
Connections of Presenting Percy and Kemboy (seasonal reappearance) will be content with their efforts too and still harbour dreams of success in the Cotswolds come the spring.
All’s not Lost yet
A quick look back to Boxing Day and there is no doubt Clan Des Obeaux was a deserving winner of the King George for Paul Nicholls.
Stablemate Cyrname didn’t run as expected and would perhaps find 3m 2f at Cheltenham beyond him stamina range.
The winner was impressive and is now 6/1 for the Gold Cup. He ran respectably in March and is a year older but the one to take away from the race might still be Lostintranslation.
Colin Tizzard's charge was never at ease in the race, having to be jostled along by Robbie Power at various stages. His jumping wasn't at its normal level and connections are now considering a wind operation.
That said, he closed up on the leaders menacingly before diving at the fourth last fence and ending his chance instantly. That sort of error would surely have left him short of breath and all is certainly not lost for the Betfair Chase winner, who is now as big as 7/1 to win the Gold Cup, but it’s worth noting that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong at Kempton and he still held every chance when making his mistake.
How do you like them Apple’s?
Apple’s Jade was in danger of being written off completely prior to landing the 11th Grade 1 success of her career on Saturday at Leopardstown. She won the big three-mile Frank Ward Memorial Hurdle for the third year running and did so with a fine front-running performance.
She poured on the pain for her rivals, with Unowhatimeanharry 17 lengths down in second spot and the likes of Penhill and Bacardys having no answer further down the line.
Gordon Elliott retained his faith in the superstar mare and he was proved right. A beaten favourite in the Mares’ Hurdle and Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in the past two seasons, could Apple’s Jade finally tackle three miles around Prestbury Park in 2020?
If she does and brings her Leopardstown form with her, she could be a massive threat to Paisley Park in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Hobbs mulls best way to pass Thyme
Thyme Hill was made to work hard by The Cashel Man to land the odds in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury before landing the first Grade 1 success of his career.
Third in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March, he has made the perfect start to life over hurdles and is three from three now.
He may not have jumped as well as Hobbs and champion jockey Richard Johnson had hoped, but he knuckled down to get the win.
The Minehead trainer suggested Thyme Hill will go straight to the Festival in March, with either the Ballymore or the Albert Bartlett the target.
The ground is likely to prove crucial in deciding which race to target but the spectre of Envoi Allen could also be a mitigating factor.
Thyme Hill has won over 2m 5f on soft going already at Cheltenham and the way he finishes his races suggests the three-mile trip in the Albert Bartlett may suit him better.
