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Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Tips – County Connections Can Strike for Second Straight Year

With more than a dozen ante-post tips in his portfolio already, Matty Sutcliffe continues to seek out the 2025 Cheltenham Festival winners. He is looking for connections to strike twice in the County Hurdle with his latest 20/1 selection.

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County Hurdle – Ethical Diamond 20/1 1pt WIN 

It’s safe to say that Willie Mullins hasn’t had the greatest starts to the jumps season, but don’t let that fool you come March. The master Closutton handler has won the County Hurdle on five of the last ten occasions, including with Absurde last season. The Ebor winner subsequently pulled up in heavy conditions on his seasonal debut that year, before being beaten 17 lengths by Ballyburn in Grade One company. The same connections have a similar model in the form of ETHICAL DIAMOND, who was purchased for 320,000 GNS by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins to embark on a dual-purpose campaign. 

The son of Awtaad was well beaten on heavy ground at Leopardstown on hurdling debut last December, before improving chunks for that effort to be beaten five lengths in the G1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle behind Kargese, who went on to have form figures of 221 in G1 company that season. Majborough also franked that form having won the Triumph Hurdle, as did Kala Conti who was only beaten two lengths behind Kargese at the DRF next time out. There wasn’t enough time to get another run into Ethical Diamond to qualify for the Boodles, and little was clearly expected when a 25/1 chance in the Triumph in ground once again too heavy. 

After a 58-day break, he was beaten a nose on handicap debut at Leopardstown by Saturn who later ran in to the subsequent Duke of Edinburgh winner Crystal Black before taking a 26k handicap himself, and Ethical Diamond was far from disgraced when a 7/4F for that Royal Ascot contest when beaten two lengths, faring best of those to race prominently while taking a keen hold. 

In a Sporting Life stable tour, Mullins remarked how he’s likely to miss the first part of the season and reading between the lines he wasn’t quite right at home, “but if I can get him right he’ll pay his way in the second half”. As a result, and taking into the fact Mullins’ were needing the run and not firing over Christmas in general, we shouldn’t read too much into his disappointing reappearance when beaten 41 lengths in a handicap at Leopardstown when barely given a chance in rear, for all he was travelling well enough before descending into the fog. 

With the yard likely to have a flat campaign in mind for him, it’s unsurprising to see him being minded this season, and giving him to time to physically/mentally develop looks the key to unlocking his clear potential. As he still retains his novice status, he’ll need another run into him prior to qualifying to run in the County Hurdle but on the balance of both his juvenile and hurdling form thus far, a mark of 131 (likely to 3/4lbs higher when given a BHA opening mark) looks extremely workable providing this is the plan for him, and a similar hold up ride like last year’s winner Absurde would suit him well off a strong gallop, providing the ground is on the better side.

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