All systems go for big week
That’s something that my landlord for the week, Nicky Henderson, knows about unfortunately, with Binocular coming out of the Champion Hurdle.
It’s a long journey for the horses and my three arrived at the track at 1.30am yesterday morning. It was 12 hours from door to door but they’ve eaten up, had a good pick of grass and Robert (Power) rode them out so it’s all systems go now.
Thinking about the racing now, I’m definitely getting nervous but I’m really looking forward to it and can’t wait for it all to get started. Robert said that ground was beautiful so there will be no excuses in that regard.
We flew over yesterday and were travelling in good form after Espresso Lady won the bumper in Navan. It was a real family affair as Emma bred her, Johnny is the owner and Kate rode. I’m looking forward to her going jumping next year.
Back to Cheltenham though. Tuesday nearly always provides the best quality racing and today is top class again. Binocular missing out on a chance to defend his crown as champion hurdler is a blow to Nicky and all the connections and it detracts a bit from the race.
Having said that, it’s still a very competitive race. Hurricane Fly is three from three this year. Menorah is unbeaten for the season, Peddlers Cross is unbeaten in his life. There are a few horses that will have a little bit of egg on their faces at the end of the race.
Nicky does have Oscar Whisky running and he is not without a chance having won his two races this year. And then you have Dunguib waiting in the long grass. People seem to forget that he was less than two lengths behind Menorah in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
It’s going to be a great race but if I’m going to stick my neck out I’ll go with Hurricane Fly, especially with Ruby back in the saddle, while at a better price, Oscar Whisky might be a good each-way bet
Cue Card is going to go off hot favourite in the Supreme Novices’ but when you look at it, only one horse has followed up to win this race after winning the Champion Bumper, and that was Montelado in 1993, 12 months after pulverising a strong field in the first ever festival bumper
The three winners of the bumper before Cue Card have all been favourites for the Supreme Novices’ the following year and they’ve all failed to land the odds: Dunguib, Cousin Vinny and our own Cork All Star. So the trends are against him but he has done nothing wrong and is a lot of people’s banker.
Nicky is a lot of people’s banker to be top trainer at the end of the festival and he runs Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre, both of whom are unbeaten over hurdles. Barry has plumped for the former which might be significant.
Willie has Zaidpour, and Al Ferof is a horse who will run a good race off a bigger price, having finished second in the bumper last year, but on all known form, Cue Card should win. One to watch at a long price is Dermot Weld’s Hidden Universe. He finished fourth behind Oscars Well in the Deloitte, he will appreciate the better ground and I’ve a sneaky feeling he’ll be a good each way bet.
The Arkle is another great race. Finian’s Rainbow is obviously talented but he’s only beaten a total of seven horses in his three races this campaign so we don’t know how he’ll cope with being in a bigger field. Medermit and Captain Chris are other obvious contenders but I think Paul Nicholls’ Ghizao might be the best of them.
And just a word on the Mares’ Hurdle. Quevega is going for three-in-a-row but we haven’t seen her since Punchestown last April. If she’s in the same form she’ll win but you’re taking that on trust. The each way prospect and the one most likely to put it up to her is Sparky May, who is unbeaten this year and has the best form of the rest of them.
