Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival features four handicaps from its seven races and numerous big fields across the day. It is the most competitive betting day of the meeting, and GG tipster Joe Napier tries to find you some winners through the card.
1.20 Cheltenham – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
The four-year-old Galileo Dame has been fascinatingly placed here, but of her ten races under both codes, she has six second-placed finishes. Despite being officially 2lb her inferior on the flat, SIXANDAHALF might just have too much for her over hurdles, while she was progressing last term on the level anyway.
Gavin Cromwell’s five-year-old ran in two bumpers last term, and even that form has worked out, as she beat recent Leopardstown Grade 2 scorer Colcannon by 11 lengths at Punchestown in April. She has since reached a rating of 94 on the flat, including a win in a Newmarket handicap in August before finishing third in the Irish Cesarewitch.
Her seamless transition to hurdles occurred in January, where she won by 12 lengths while barely having to come off the bridle. She spreadeagled the field while defeating an odds-on French import of Willie Mullins’, who is also declared here, suggesting that form is pretty solid and she looks the likeliest winner if finding any improvement.
2.40 Cheltenham – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
Whispers, growing to clamour, from Ireland suggest Tiernan Power-Roche may be the next big thing in the weighing room and he may claim a first Cheltenham Festival winner with D ART D ART, who would also be a first winner in Britain for trainer Thomas Cooper. The six-year-old has a very attractive profile for this qualifier handicap.
It has only been this season that Cooper has sent his charge beyond 2m4f, but those have been on his previous two starts, and both runs have been encouraging. He came from a mile back to be third at Navan over 2m6f in November, doing easily the best of those waited with in rear before qualifying for this when a narrow second at Carlisle when travelling like the winner only to get nabbed in the dying strides.
That was over 3m1f on soft though, and the narrowly shorter trip, coupled with the ground here are both positives. Power-Roche’s useful 5lb claim negates the rise given to him at Carlisle, while the third from that race has since won a Grade 2, so there is plenty stacked in his favour.
4.00 – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Teahupoo is the defending champion who goes well fresh, so he is obviously well-respected, especially as there was no disgrace in losing to Lossiemouth on his attempt for a third straight Hatton’s Grace win at Fairyhouse. However, good-to-soft ground would ask again, and there may be more creditable opponents here than have been made out for the majority of the season.
Preference is for stablemate THE WALLPARK, who should get a more thorough test of stamina than was the case in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. He flew home from off the pace that day, but despite the fact the official going description suggested it was good-to-soft that day, it was almost certainly slower, and a better surface will suit.
He had previously racked up four wins on the bounce in handicaps, including one over course and distance in which he beat subsequent Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle scorer Gowel Road giving him 4lb. That horse’s front-running nature should ensure this is run at a good gallop, which will favour the selection late in the day.
5.20 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
Although he has finished second on three occasions here off much lower marks, MIDNIGHT OUR FRED has since discovered how to win and the eight-year-old looks to have improved significantly over the last year, with breaks between his races.
Trained by JP Flavin, he has been a runner-up between 3m1f and 3m4f at this track off a highest mark of 119. He is 13lb higher now, but that is because he finally won a chase at Gowran Park in October, and in some style, before a career peak at Leopardstown at Christmas.
Midnight Our Fred was second in the hugely competitive Paddy Power Handicap Chase behind a JP McManus winner who had long threatened to claim a race of that nature. However, the selection beat Nick Rockett, a two-time Grade 3 scorer since, among many others who have helped to frank that form.
