The horse racing broadcaster’s selections for the final day of the Cheltenham Festival include two each-way options in the Gold Cup.
Visit Betway’s Cheltenham betting page for all the lates odds, markets and specials for the final day.
13:20 JCB Triumph Hurdle
Another race where the number of runners has stood up well, but the front of the market sets a good standard through East India Dock and Lulamba. For once, the home team look to have the two leading contenders.
East India Dock has taken really well to hurdling and this is his chance to further advertise the skills of James Owen, who has made such an excellent start to his training career. The owners have largely gone against the grain in transferring many of their Flat three-year-olds to juvenile hurdling and had Liam Swagger finish in the frame in the Fred Winter. East India Dock has had time aficionados purring with both his victories at the track and sets a standard good enough to win most Triumph Hurdles.
Lulamba is based far more on potential. He is a big, imposing horse who will hopefully be around the National Hunt scene for many years. He had been well touted before his stable debut at Ascot where he comfortably disposed of the field. The race has thrown up a couple of future winners but as this stage he is priced on potential and EAST INDIA DOCK 15/8 gets the nod.
14:00 County Hurdle
In contrast to the Triumph, there is a smaller field than usual for the County Hurdle.
Absurde bids to win the race for a second year in a row but is off a higher mark, and last year’s race did not work out well with none of those involved winning on their next starts.
Also 8lbs higher is Lark In The Morning, last season’s Fred Winter winner. He has been lightly raced since but he may need a little bit more cut in the ground.
That leaves HANSARD 9/1 as the selection. It looked as if Newbury in February was his main target but he was forced to miss the race through a bad scope and obviously his last run in the Kingwell behind Golden Ace and Burdett Road could hardly have worked out better. If now given the chance, the handicapper would raise him more than a solitary pound for that run, so a mark of 142 looks appealing and he can win for the Moores.
Kargese got beaten by getting upset in the preliminaries at Ascot, but the winner, Take No Chances, ran well when hitting the frame behind Lossiemouth earlier in the week. With the freshness out of her and a bigger field and stronger pace making it easier to settle her, she is a player. Her second to Majborough in last year’s Triumph proves she can show her form at this meeting.
14:40 Mares Chase
DINOBLUE 11/10 can confirm recent form with Allegorie De Vassy and gain compensation for a defeat by the same owners with Limerick Lace in the race last year.
Dinoblue would have won the race at Naas more easily but for a late error and is likely to get up the hill better than Allegorie De Vassy, a superb-looking mare who seems to find less than expected under pressure, possibly due to breathing issues as she has always raced in a tongue tie.
Limerick Lace has been lightly raced since her win last year and the application of cheekpieces after a defeat at the hands of Allegorie De Vassy leaves her with something to prove.
15:20 Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
It’s traditionally tricky to find the winner of the Albert Bartlett as it represents an unusually stern test of stamina. Horses that come into the race proven at 3m are therefore the best bunch to concentrate on.
THE BIG WESTERNER 5/1 is a half-sister to the 2023 winner Stay Away Fay and looked a smart prospect in her own right when winning the Dorans Pride at Limerick over Christmas. The stable have picked up since that victory and she looks the one to beat.
Derryhassen Paddy did well to win at Windsor as that track would have hardly represented the sort of test he seemed to relish when winning at Uttoxeter over shorter, while Inn At The Park possibly did herself some damage when making a mistake five out at Thurles and represents the connections who won this with The Nice Guy in 2022. He may be best of those stepping up in trip.
16:00 Cheltenham Gold Cup
After all of the jumping travails of leading horses this week, coupled with the fact GALOPIN DES CHAMPS 4/7 had his own disaster three years ago in novice company here, it does seem that only another capsize can stop the best chaser from joining the elite to have won three Gold Cups. He has had things his own way at Leopardstown but has succeeded in scaring away most of his opposition as a result, most notably Fact To File, who instead went for the Ryanair. He is tactically versatile and despite being a bit of a slow burn in terms of public recognition he got a tremendous reception at the Dublin Racing Festival and looks a class apart.
My view of Banbridge’s King George win was that it revolved every bit as much around speed as stamina as he was the only one with a sharp enough turn of foot to reel in Il Est Francais, who had rather slipped the field with the true stayers just not able to bridge the gap. As a result, it may be the supplemented INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN 11/2 who is the best each-way or betting without alternative, and if there is a more rain at any stage that will further increase his chances over Banbridge.
The Real Whacker should ensure no easy lead for Galopin Des Champs, and that the race is run to find out Banbridge’s stamina and allow Inothewayurthinkin, who won the Kim Muir here last year, to outstay him.
The lightly raced MONTY’S STAR 15/2 is the other each-way candidate, having finished second in last year’s Brown Advisory to Fact To File. He did not reappear until New Year’s Day, where he looked rusty when beaten at Tramore and was another to find the steady pace behind Galopin Des Champs in the DRF against him.
16:40 St James’s Place Hunter Chase
Not exactly my area of expertise but Paul Nicholls’ SHEARER 10/1 looks the one to beat based on his defeat of Angel’s Breath at Ffos Las last time.
Nicholls won this race twice with Pacha De Polder and puts up his daughter Olive for what would be a real family way to bring up 50 Festival winners, while trainer Tim Vaughan has been supporting his son Ed in the Hunter Chase and Point to Point sphere in the last few seasons and can get a bit closer to Shearer this time.
Last year’s winner, It’s On The Line, has become increasingly lazy and with the ground less testing than last year can’t afford to get as far behind, and Fairly Famous looks a bigger threat having won round here at the Hunter Chase meeting last May, and is ridden by record-breaking Point to Point rider Gina Andrews.
17:20 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
This race features a horse in Kopeck De Mee who many believe is the best handicapped horse all week. Willie Mullins kept everyone guessing before electing to come here over the County hurdle, His handicap mark has been automatically generated from his French mark with the form working out well after he had been allocated a mark of 136.
He is, however, too short and those with good memories may remember a horse called Ocastle Des Mottes who was thought similarly well in for the same reasons in the 2023 Betfair Hurdle but failed to figure.
This race has a strong roll of honour including both Galopin and Sire Des Champs, Don Poli, Banbridge and Iroko, who in 2023 beat NO ORDINARY JOE 12/1 . He has his third crack at the prize after looking to be unsuited by the testing conditions last year and lines up off a mark below that of two years ago. At the prices, he looks more solid.