Five Cheltenham Festival questions: Does money buy you success? And will the real Goshen please stand up?

On the eve of the Cheltenham Festival, key questions on talking horses hang in the air. Colm Greaves addresses five topics of debate

Al Boum Photo: Might need to win next week to become loved.

1. Will Al Boum Photo finally earn the respect he deserves?

The only horse since Arkle to win three Gold Cups was Best Mate, 2002-4. Like Arkle he too earned himself a statue at the racecourse although for some reason his is three times bigger and twice as prominently placed.

Best Mate was idolised in Britain, a lot of it due to the affection in the sport for his eccentric trainer, Henrietta Knight. In Ireland his reputation was more, ‘ho-hum, decent staying chaser, didn’t run often or beat much. Arkle, he ain’t.

Al Boum Photo, who goes for the three-timer on Friday has one thing in common with Best Mate — and it’s obviously its not an eccentric trainer. He just doesn’t run that often. Willie Mullins happened on to a winning pattern two years ago and he’s not for turning. New Years Day at Tramore, Gold Cup and maybe Punchestown after that.

The Greta Garbo of steeplechasing, Al Boum’s work is exceptional but he’s not seen out and about all that often. If he wins on Friday then the love should flow gushingly from now. He might even earn a racecourse statue.

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2. Can they bridge the missing-year gap?

Aidan Coleman on board Paisley Park in 2019.

Only exceptional champions return to regain their titles after a gap year. In recent years Hurricane Fly and Kauto star re-emerged from a blank Festival to reclaim the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup crowns respectively, but few horses are blessed with their robust ability.

There are three viable candidates bidding to equal these achievements in Grade Ones this week,

Altior in the Queen Mother, Paisley Park in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Native River in the Gold Cup.

Of the three, Paisley Park is probably the most likely to succeed. His bad day at the office last year was caused by a heart rhythm glitch but he looked close to his best again when beating Thyme Hill, (whose late withdrawal makes his task easier) a neck at Ascot in December.Altior and Native River may have problems with both age and ground conditions and are both up against some exceptionally talented young bucks. A win for any of these three and the crowd would blow the roof off in a normal year.

3. Is the sky the limit?

Skyace can be a winner for ‘Shark’ Hanlon.

Money, as the Beatles told us, can’t buy you love. But it can buy you a damn fine racehorse. 

Look for instance at three entries in the ownership of Cheveley Park Stud this week. Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard each cost the guts of €430,000 as unproven young horses and Ballyadam wasn’t far behind them at €350,000. Happily, National Hunt racing still clings tenuously to its egalitarian heritage despite the concentration of ownership in recent years.

Enter Skyace.

Despite being placed in three bumpers when originally trained by Willie Mullins the six-year-old mare was sent to the Ascot November Sales in 2019 where she fetched just €600. The shrewd buyer was Carlow trainer, John ‘Shark’ Hanlon moved him on the Birdinthehand syndicate, Roscommon men based in Dubai.

Since then, she has picked up four hurdle wins and over €52,000 in prize money. Skyace has the chance to double that in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle on Thursday, both the weakest and most open race of the week.

And in case you are wondering, ‘Shark’ picked up his nickname playing club hurling in Kilkenny.

4. A year on, will there be redemption for the Moores?

Goshen’s fall from grace in last year’s Triumph Hurdle.

One of the more poignant images from last year’s Festival was when Goshen unseated at the last when well clear in the Triumph Hurdle and the sheer desolation of his jockey, Jamie Moore, during the aftermath. 

Prior to that, Goshen had won his four hurdle races by a combined total of 75 lengths and that average winning distance wasn’t going to decrease too much if he had stood up.

It got complicated from here.

In his first three races back this season he ran deploringly, dead last in two of them, which worried his fans that he might have a small physical problem or possibly a larger one between the ears. 

Then last month he absolutely hosed up by 22 lengths in a Wincanton trial, theoretically a high 170s performance which would drive him odds on for the Champion Hurdle. 

As it stands, he is the second highest rated horse in the race off 164, he will start around 4-1 and run with the choke out. What happens next is might be a binary choice: Win a distance or finish plum last.

5. Is the new mares’ chase a good idea?

Paul Townend with Colreevy.

Ugh — new stuff! Festival diehards simply hate new stuff. If you think moving to a split season in GAA caused palpitations, it was small beer compared to the introduction of a ‘Mares’ Chase’ to the Cheltenham programme.

In fairness, ‘festivistas’ have only recently come to terms with the addition of a fourth day 16 years ago, so they’ll need some time to get used to the new race.

Unease at the introduction is partly due to regret that the Novice Handicap Chase was dropped as that had gradually become a valued contest, maturing nicely from its original brand as expansion fodder for the extra day in 2005.

The first addition of the new race should be harvested by the doubly-represented Willie Mullins.

Elimay is an obvious favourite but Colreevy has thrived over fences this year could represent better value.

Her penultimate run at Limerick when she beat the useful Pencilfulloflead half a length was her least impressive performance visually this year but in the long term the most pertinent indictor of her class.