The highlight of the final day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Gold Cup. We have previewed that race in full which you can read by clicking here. As with the rest of the week there is an excellent support card to the big race.
We’ll be along with a preview of the two handicaps on the card a little later but there are four graded races either side of the Gold Cup which forms our more immediate attention. We go through them here:
1.20 Cheltenham: Triumph Hurdle
The first race of the day is to crown the top juvenile & it’s normally a race to get stuck into. However, this year there’s a bare 8 runners & it looks a 3 horse race with the trio all priced at 7/2 or less, & it’s 16/1 bar those. Zanahiyr is hard to knock but the same can be said of Tritonic too. However, if pushed, I’d be siding with Quilixios to get Henry De Bromhead & Rachael Blackmore off to another flying start. A race to watch, rather than a race to bet in.
2.30 Cheltenham: Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle
Preview
A true stamina test for the novice hurdlers with a trip of 3 miles ahead of them & there’s 17 lining up here. Denise Foster & Willie Mullins look to hold the key with them saddling the front 3 in the market. Fakiera is the current favourite & is closely matched to Stattler on their running behind Gaillard Du Mesnil last time out but they are both opposable given the winner was no match for Bob Olinger in the Ballymore & neither of them have gone this far in their respective careers. All their form has been recorded on much deeper ground too.
Torygraph is the most solid of the front & has won his last 2 when stepped up to a trip over around 3 miles but all runs have been on ground bordering on heavy so it’s whether he’s as good on a faster pace. Talking of surfaces, it was hard to leave Alaphilippe out, especially at the price, as he won a Grade 2 at Haydock last time in convincing fashion but connections came out afterwards saying ground is key. That same comment applies to Adrimel who is 3 from 3 over hurdles but needs a deluge to figure.
Paul Nicholls has a strong hand with Barbados Bucks & Threeunderthrufive, both 3 from 3 this term & proven over 3 miles but this represents a big step up in grade & neither are proven at the track. Ngolo was well touted early in his career but has gone off the rails & takes a massive step up in distance here whilst Vanillier was progressing well until running no sort of race behind Gaillard Du Mesnil last time.
Betting
Streets Of Doyen is the selection here. He’s 4 from 4 over 3 miles, all on good to soft or better. Given stamina & ground are going to play a big part here, it’s a great sign that he ticks both of those boxes. In addition, the second of those wins is looking pretty good after beating Stayers Hurdle winner, Flooring Porter, by 5 lengths whilst the last of those 4 wins was over course & distance when despite hitting a couple of hurdles, he pinged the last & stayed on in fine style to record a 3 length victory. Kept away from the winter ground, he had a break of 127 days before running in a Grade 2 at Naas. He was 6th that day but had excuses given his track absence, the cut in the ground & perhaps, most important of all, the trip which was just 2 miles. With conditions in his favour, he’s surely going to be hard to keep out of the money at a nice price.
Tips
PLACED at 10/1 – Back Streets Of Doyen (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 8.50 Betfair Sportsbook BOG (⅕ odds 1-5)
Back it here:
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3.40 Cheltenham: Open Hunters Chase
Preview
18 runners for the Foxhunters, also over the Gold Cup but normally for amateur riders. With the Covid restrictions, it takes on a different complexion this year. The previous year’s renewal is usually a good place to start in finding the winner & we see no reason to change that view this time around. The current favourite is Willie Mullins’ Billaway who was 2nd in this 12 months ago & has run well since, winning 2 of his 3 starts. He’s going to be thereabouts again but 3/1 looks a little skinny.
Staker Wallace renews his rivalry with the favourite here, having finished 3rd in last year’s race & 2nd to him last time out in a Hunter Chase at Naas. He’s trading at double the odds but there’s no obvious reason why he’ll turn the tables. Red Indian has won both PTPs this year & has a good each way whilst Bob And Co is the current favourite having won his last 3 hunter chases but does have a tendency to hit a fence or 2. That’s not ideal on his first start at this track.
Betting
It Came To Pass won this race last year & we’re taking him to follow up, albeit it won’t be at the odds of 66/1 he went off at. He was a 10 length winner, stretching away from Billaway & staying on strongly all the way to the line. That was on good to soft & ground appears to be key to this horse; since moving to this yard, his record on good to soft or better reads 1-1-U-1-1 whilst form on ground worse than that reads U-1-7-P-4-U. The number of times he’s unseated is a small concern but with a professional jockey on board, it is hoped he’ll put in a clean round of jumping & if he does, he’s certain to be in the frame in what looks a pretty weak race.
Tips
Back It Came To Pass (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 8.50 William Hill BOG (⅕ odds 1-4)
Back it here:
4.15 Cheltenham: Mares Chase
A new race on the card & it’s easy to overlook with a field of 11, an odds on favourite & a solid 4/1 second favourite. There’s no real value so, along with the Triumph, it’s another race we’ll be sitting out.
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