Cheltenham Countdown: All is not lost with Ivanovich Gorbatov for the Triumph

Testing ground at Leopardstown last weekend proved a great leveller for many horses with Cheltenham aspirations, and the markets tumbled in many directions before settling once more in the last couple of days.

One such disappointment came in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, when Triumph Hurdle Ivanovich Gorbatov had to settle for fourth place behind three Willie Mullins-trained horses, headed by Footpad.

The defeat wasn’t entirely unexpected, and the shrewd layers were willing to take a chance against Aidan O’Brien’s gelding on ground that would not have played to his strengths. Had that race been run later on the card, and punters had the opportunity to see just how demanding the conditions were, I suspect he would have drifted to odds bigger than his starting price of 8-13.