Cheltenham Day 3 Ruby Walsh's fancies: Getting early pace right vital for Allaho
SMILES: Trainer Willie Mullins celebrates after winning with Stattler on Tuesday. He wil have high expectations for Allaho in the Ryanair
T is becoming harder to know which of today’s open Grade Ones. Getting the early pace rightis the feature event. The Ryanair Chase was introduced when Cheltenham became a four-day extravaganza and has thrown up some brilliant winners and great races. On the other hand, the Stayers Hurdle will always have more tradition and does not lack great renewals either.
Both will be fascinating today, and the start of both races could set the tone for what follows. Last year, Mister Fisher and Min went toe to toe with Allaho to the first fence, and Min kept with him until he dropped away from the third. But that early competition set Allaho alight as he steamrolled the opposition.
Today Allaho won’t have a Min to compete with and will be forced to do it all himself. It is never quite as easy on your own, and that could allow Conflated to get into the rhythm he found last time out at Leopardstown.
Paul Townend will need to judge his early pace correctly to put the others on the back foot from the get-go and yet not overdo it and leave himself vulnerable late on. He may well be odds on, but this is not a gimme.
The opposite could play out in the Stayers Hurdle, where two highly strung contenders and one less than enthusiastic rival will face the starter. Danny Mullins, on last year’s winner, Flooring Porter, and Paul Townend, on Klassical Dream, will be at pains to keep away from each other, but eventually they have to meet up, and false starts will only stoke the fires burning in their mount’s minds.
Aidan Coleman will have to be alert to any antics Paisley Park might try because getting left 15 lengths behind today, as he did last time out, won’t be quickly pegged back, especially if Danny Mullins can keep a lid on Flooring Porter in the preliminaries.
Last year’s quiet and eerie enclosures were a massive help to the latter’s cause, but 70,000 spectators won’t be, as the atmosphere heightens in the minutes before race time.
They will also be playing on the nerves of Klassical Dream, and I can see him making a good impression of contemporary dance as he moves towards the starter. How either settles in the first mile will be critical, but there are far too many ifs at play here, including with Paisley Park.
This afternoon starts with a bang. I know it is a small field assembled for the Turner’s Novice Chase, but the horses most people want to see going head-to-head are here: Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs.
OB has only been defeated once in his life, and that was by Ferny Hollow in November 2020. Since then, he has raced five times and blown away decent opposition and built himself a reputation of potential greatness. His chasing debut raised some questions about his jumping technique, but a marked improvement was noticeable on his second start at Punchestown.
However, the question remains whether he will be a better chaser than hurdler or if the larger obstacles have stagnated that upward trajectory. His novice hurdle standard might well be good enough, but Galopin Des Champ was not too far behind him over hurdles and looks a better chaser. Bob is safe, but Galopin is brave, and it will be revealing to see if fortune really does favour the bold.
Emmet Mullins takes up the baton for the Mullins family in the Pertemps Final with Winter Fog, and Gordon Elliott is mob-handed. Still, Fergal O Brien looks to have plotted an excellent path to this series final with Alaphilippe, whose qualifying run was an eye-catching fifth in the Warwick heat.
The Glancing Queen could strike early for the ladies in the Plate before one has to win in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle. Dinoblue was impressive at Clonmel, Brandy Love showed her preference for left-handed tracks at Fairyhouse, and Party Central exploited a lenient mark to win last time at Leopardstown.
The race traditionally suits hold-up horses so that ticks the right boxes for Party Central but Dinoblue left the impression that she could be well above average. The Kim Muir is today’s finale and will be run long after school hours, but School Boy Hours is still the pick, whatever they are.
