The latest Cheltenham Festival ante-post tip from Matty Sutcliffe has landed, as the fields continue to emerge and thin out for every race in four weeks’ time. He looks at the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle today, and selects a 25/1 fancy…
Albert Bartlett – Argento Boy 25/1 1pt WIN NRNB
With entries for the eleven handicaps coming out next Tuesday, I thought I’d focus on the Albert Bartlett prior to turning my attention to the handicaps in the coming weeks, as it’s a race I’ve not yet given too much thought towards.
At this stage, the market has it as a two horse race between The Yellow Clay and The Big Westerner, with Willie Mullins all but confirming Final Demand for the Turners. However, Gordon Elliott has also noted that his camp are leaning slightly the way of the Turners for The Yellow Clay too, for all I’d be amazed if he doesn’t turn up here.
The French raider, Jet Blue, is something of an unknown quantity having won the Bristol Novices’ over C&D in December, with two of the last winners of that contest (Kilbricken Storm, Unowhatimeanharry) landing the Albert Bartlett proper in March. Outside of that quartet, there’s very little that bodes an air of graded class, but that’s often been the case with the Albert Bartlett in recent seasons.
Last year’s winner Stellar Story was one of the rare few with bits of grade one form to win the race, but the favourite last year was Readin Tommy Wrong who pulled up despite winning the G1 Lawlors Of Naas the time before. In 2021, the favourite Corbetts Cross had also failed to finish his race having run out when perhaps beaten at the last, with Stay Away Fay taking the honours despite only having two runs over hurdles, a novice hurdle win and a second in the River Don. In 2022, the favourite Hillcrest had pulled up three out, and Willie Mullins’ The Nice Guy sprinted an 18/1 surprise to remain unbeaten despite coming off the back of two bumper wins and a novice hurdle win that season. Monkfish won the race in 2020 having also graduated from novice hurdles, Minello Indo was second in G3 company en-route after a third in a Limerick maiden hurdle, ex-flat racer Penhill was a G2 winner en-route.
Unowhattimeharry won an Exeter handicap last time out, and Martello Sky was second in a Limerick G2 en-route. The race has become a graveyard for favourites, and the more ‘classier’ types are increasingly being protected as the race has a tendency to be gruelling enough for a novice at this stage of their career. Willie Mullins won’t be running Final Demand based on those beliefs, but given he has won three of the last eight renewals and hit the frame in four of the other five he didn’t win, he’s still likely to target the race with a couple smart types and ARGENTO BOY fits the bill.
In the familiar Galopin Des Champs colours of the Turleys, the son of Jukebox Jury was an impressive bumper winner last January at Fairyhouse with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th all coming out and winning since. He arguably found the Champion Bumper hot enough on just his second start under rules, though he wasn’t entirely disgraced in the Punchestown equivalent, beaten eighteen lengths but finishing close up behind Supreme contender Romeo Coolio.
He was sent off 11/10F on hurdles debut at Punchestown in November and travelled keenly along the rail in behind The Big Westerner, who’s professionalism throughout saw him pulled a length clear of him at the line. The pair pulled ten length clear of the third, and the winner franked the form with a win in graded company at Limerick next time out so the pair are arguably too widely priced on that basis. Willie Mullins’ were all needing the run around that time of year, and not a lot of them were right around Christmas time either so we can surely draw a line through him pulling up at Leopardstown on good ground when an 8/13F.
Argento Boy bounced back from that with aplomb at Punchestown earlier this month when upped to three miles on a softer surface, and given they went hard enough early on I thought it was a very good staying performance for a novice. Paul Townend was keen not to let him run away with him early on, keeping a tight hold in midfield and jumping soundly in the main. He made a deliberate move when travelling downhill to get a more positive position and quickly found himself in third position throughout. I was impressed by the way he travelled in the latter stages of the contest, coming there strongly two out and pulling away powerfully up the run in.
While his jumping was sound, it was perhaps more that of a future chase not quite respecting his hurdles as well as one requiring further experience, and I think a contest like the Albert Bartlett would perhaps play into his strengths in that respect as he can take his time and utilise his stamina toward the business end. He has a similar profile to some of the recent winners of this race, and he’s bred to appreciate such a contest. His half brother Briar Hill was sent off favourite for the Albert Bartlett in 2014 (fell) after winning the Champion Bumper year before, and his dam was a full sister to Boston Bob who was second in the race in 2012 before going on to be a three time grade one winning chaser. I’d say he’s likely to be the mount of Paul Townend if turning up, and he rates a solid outsider contender to provide the proverbial Albert Bartlett upset.
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