The Cheltenham Festival is now just two weeks away, so I thought I’d give you something a little bit different for this one. I’m going to give you four favourites I’m taking on.
Maughreen
We’re going to start with the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, where I’m taking on slight favourite Maughreen with the second in the market sixandahalf. Now Maughreen is going to have to be something very special to be winning this on the back of just one bumper win and one hurdle win. So just two career starts, one over hurdles, and she may well be good enough to remain unbeaten, but I would just rather have that experience on my side at this stage of these mares’ careers. So instead I’m siding with sixandahalf who, yes, only has one start over hurdles, but it was also a winning one to go with two bumper runs and six flat starts. She’s now won four of her nine career starts, and I did think it was interesting that Gavin Cromwell, who’s having a fantastic season, named her as his best chance of the week as it currently stands. So I am more than happy to row in with her trainer.
Now Is The Hour
I’m also taking on Now Is The Hour in the National Hunt Challenge Cup for Novice handicap Chase. It’s difficult for me to envisage a horse breaking the maiden tag over fences at the Cheltenham Festival, unless they are a highly-rated performer who has simply been butting heads with some of the best around in their respective division. I’m not sure that’s the case for Now Is The Hour, and even with this race being converted to a handicap, I wonder if he’s classy enough. Running off of an official rating of around just 135. He’s had four chase starts yet to get his head in front over the larger obstacles. He was a grade-two winner over hurdles, but is yet to reach those heights over fences. He will stay all day, but he does need very testing conditions, which he may not get on the first day of the festival. Instead, the price for The Changing Man might just entice some for a horse who has got a welcome confidence booster by gaining his own first chasing success at the 10th time of asking at Ascot, so has plenty of experience to boot.
Fact To File
Now this one might be a bit of a controversial one, however, at the current prices, I’m taking on Fact to file in the Ryanair Chase. He’s the real class act of the field. There’s no doubting his ability or his attitude. However, I think the market is underestimating last year’s winner, Protektorat to try and do what he did last year again. Now that’s being ridden prominently, getting a good pace to see his stamina really coming to the fore and to be able to kick clear of his rivals. Now he is a ten-year-old, so it’s a big enough ask for a horse of his age. But with the likes of Il Est Francais likely to come here, there is sure to be plenty of pace on again and Protektorat appears to be as good as ever.
McLaurey
Finally, I’m taking on it the current County Hurdle favourite McLaurey for Emmett Mullins. Now he may look to have an obvious chance for his very shrewd trainer. However, Emmett is the wrong Mullins to have on side in this race. His uncle Willie and Dan Skelton hold the keys to this race and have done so for nine of the past ten renewals. Only Peter Fahy having a winner of the race in that time with Belfast Banter, who turned out to be a graded horse in a handicap, winning a grade one at Aintree on his next start. So the first port of call for the County Hurdle is to look at Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton trained runners. Now I’m happy to keep Kopeck De Mee and Valgrand grand onside as one apiece for the Masters of the County Hurdle.
So what do you think? Which favourites do you think are worth taking on? Let me know in the comments below.
