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You are > Home > Take Culloty and eight Irish winners to steal the limelight at Cheltenham
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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Take Culloty and eight Irish winners to steal the limelight at Cheltenham
By: Finbarr Slattery
Take Culloty and eight Irish winners to steal the limelight at Cheltenham THE highlight of the racing year in Ireland doesn’t take place at Listowel, Galway or even the Curragh on Derby day. The highlight takes place during the month of March in the town of Cheltenham situated in Gloucestershire, UK.
In Australia, the running of the Melbourne Cup brings that great nation – the only country that is also a Continent – to a halt. Everything stops while Australia’s most famous race is run.
In Ireland there is more interest aroused during the Cheltenham racing festival than at any racing in Ireland during the year. The 2004 Cheltenham festival starts this Tuesday so it is an opportune time to have a look at the races and see if I can pick up a few winners.
In the halcyon days when Vincent O’Brien ruled at Cheltenham he notched up no fewer than 10 Gloucestershire Hurdles, along with four Gold Cups, three Champion Hurdles and five other races. That feat is recognised by the powers that be over there as the County Hurdle of old is now known as the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle which is a fitting recognition for services rendered.
It was Vincent O’Brien that really sowed the seed that made the three-day Cheltenham festival - it will be four days next year - the colossus that it is today. It’s enough to slot it into being regarded as the highlight of the racing year in Ireland.
Tom Dreaper, another master trainer came along to cement that position, aided by the mighty Arkle, the top jumping racehorse of all time.
Tony Sweeney, probably the most successful racing scribe for picking winners in today’s world, picks two against the field - that’s the format he uses in his analysis of each race run in Ireland in The Irish Times. Here, like Tony, I’ll take two against the field in each race and see how I fare.
The Cheltenham festival starts off at 2pm this Tuesday with The Letherby and Christopher Supreme Novice Hurdle (formally the Gloucestershire Hurdle - Vincent O’Brien’s race for a decade) run over two mile and half furlong. Ireland has a great record in this race and we won six of the last 10 runnings, including the last three. A hard race to win, the last two favourites won while the last 10 included a 50/1 shot and two at 25/1. My two here are Sadler’s Wings and Mariah Rollins and I’ll plump for the latter to give Ireland a nice kick start.
The second race at 2.35 is the Irish Independent Arkle Challenger Chase over two miles. This race was well discussed at Killarney Racegoers’ Club Cheltenham briefing at the Dromhall Hotel early this month. That night Jim Culloty was keen on Caracciola which is my selection. Kicking King will be batting for Ireland here.
The third race on day one is the Smurfit Champion Hurdle which is a wide open contest this year. I like Rigmarole in this race. An outsider mentioned by Tom Cooper at the Killarney race night is Paris Creek and might surprise as could Golden Cross my number two here along with Rigmarole. The William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase, over three miles and a half a furlong, could well see the veteran Marlborough score.
Haut Cercy has been installed anti-post favourite and is my second choice. The Fluke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase is for amateur riders and has attracted a massive entry. No Irish trained horse has made the winner’s enclosure in the past10 years. My two here are Gunther McBride trained by Philip Hobbs and the F. Dumen trained Innox.
The Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle (5.20) is the last race on day one. Looking through the entries, Alexandreathegreat for England and GUA Ireland, trained by Francis Flood for Ireland, are for the short list. So much for day one. Hoping there will be a few Irish trained horses to get us off to a nice start.
Day two opens with the two mile five furlong Royal and SunAlliance Novice Hurdle. This is the race that Istabraq won before going on to win three Champion Hurdles. Five favourites scored in this race in the last decade – my two here are Inglis Drever and Brave Inca.
The Royal and SunAlliance Novice Chase, over three mile one furlong, is the second race on day two. Here Lord Sam is highly thought of as well as the Edward O’Grady trained Pizarro - this horse impressed me when getting up to win the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Steeplechase over two miles five furlong at Leopardstown in early February. Edward O’Grady has a great record in Cheltenham and one of his team told me that Pizarro was the best prospect for a winner this year. The three miles will suit him and if he gets the soft ground he likes he will be hard to beat.
The first real banker of the meeting is to be found in race three on day two of the festival - the two mile Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Moscow Flyer (1/1) trained by Jessica Harrington is that banker. Judging by the racecard we got at the pre-Cheltenham preview, this seems to be a two-horse race with Azertyuiop (7/4) trained by Martin Pipe the only danger to Moscow Flyer. It is 20/1 bar those two.
The Coral Cup, over two miles five furlongs, is the fourth race on day two. Irish trained horses have won four in the last 10 Coral Cups. Last year’s winner, Xenophon (4/1f) was trained by AJ Martin and ridden by Mick Fitzgerald. My two against the field here are Starzaan and Emotional Moment.
Next on the card is the four mile National Hunt Chase, the longest race of the festival. JJ O’Neill won the last two runnings of this race with Sudden Shock 25/1 last year and Rith Dubh 10/1 in 2002. There were only two Irish trained winners of this race in the past ten years and the last of these were the Michael Hourigan trained DeeJaydee (13/2) ridden by Mr A J Martin. My two here are Boneyarras and Bous Hurray.
The Mildmay of Fleet Chase over two mile four and half furlongs is the sixth race on day two. Martin Pipe has won this race four times in the last six years and if he keeps up this same strike rate, the race will get to be known as Pipe’s Benefit. He tends to saddle plenty runners in the race but only one of his four winners was with stable jockey AP McCoy. Ross Moff and Jackari are my two here.
The last race on day two is the Weatherbys Champion Bumper run over two miles and half a furlong. Last year there was a talking horse in this race and Liberman duly obliged at 2/1F. There is a taking horse also in the race this year which differs from Irish Bumpers in that professional jockeys can ride in the race. This year’s talker is Martinstown, called after JP McManus Irish abode. Fran Berry, a son of JP’s manager Frank Berry, gets the ride. My second for this combat is Master Albert with John Magnier’s son on board.
If we are still afloat for day three then the JCB triumph Hurdle, the toughest race of all to win, will provide great entertainment. This is a mad race with a large field all out glory right from the off. Last year the race provided Barry Geraghty with his fourth winner at the meeting on the JJ O’Neill trained Spectroscope 20/1. Tarque and Imazulutoo are my two against the field here.
The second race on the last day is the Bonusprint Stayres Hurdle which provides the second banker of the meeting – Baracouda to make it three in a row. This is an odds-on shot and a value bet here might by Solerina. The big banker of the meeting is in the big race of the meeting, the Gold Cup. Here Best Mate, with Killarney’s Jim Culloty on board, is confidently expected to complete ahat-trick of wins. Who will be second is the big conundrum. I’ll go for First Gold to be a value bet at 20/1.
The Foxhunters’ Chase at 4pm gives us a lot of unknowns. Here I’ll take a chance with Ted Walsh’s Never Compromise and Eddie O’Sullivan’s Artic Times.
The Grand Annual Handicap Chase, over two miles and a half a furlong, has provided some good winners in the past, amongst them Edredon Bleu and Space Trucker. I’ll go for Nickie Henderson’s Got One Too and H.D. Daly’s Palarshan to do battle.
The second last race of the meeting is the Cathcart Cup Chase over two miles and five furlongs. This usually has a small field and the last two favourites have won. Here, I have a soft spot for Willie Mullins’ Adamant Approach and Impek doing duty for the Henrietta Knight and Jim Culloty combination.
Harchibald, from the Noel Meade yard, could well raise an Irish flag in the last - the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle over two miles one furlong. He won his race at Leopardstown on Hennessy Gold Cup Day - the day after the weights for the race were calculated and only got a nominal penalty so he must have a few pounds on hand.
Mughas is my number two.
So how many Irish trained winners will we have? Ladbrokes betting on the exact number last week was as follows:
• None: 20/1 • One: 8/1 • Two: 11/2 • Three: 9/2 • Four: 4/1 • Five: 9/2 • Six: 13/2 • Seven: 12/1 • Eight: 25/1 • Nine: 33/1 • Ten: 66/1.
I have a soft spot as far as Irish trained winners go, andI’ll go for eight at the odds of 25/1. Here’s wishing you all well for three day’s punting.
Best Mate - best bet: Jim Culloty is tipped to make it a memorable three Gold Cup wins in a row at Cheltenham on Thursday.
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