UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS
The Festival inside track
OUTFOXED BY A WOLF
NeoN Wolf, favourite for the opening Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, is a rare talent to slip through the net of trainer Willie Mullins.
When the gelding won his debut point-to-point at Ballyragget a year ago, he was ridden by Mullins’ son Patrick and trained by his sister-in-law Mags.
But he clearly did not do enough to impress a transfer to Ireland’s champion trainer. Since being bought by Harry fry, Neon Wolf has won three times and earned a reputation as one of the best novice hurdlers in Britain.
It will be galling for Mullins if he beats one of his four runners.
DOUVAN’S TREBLE BID
DouvaN will try to become the 12th horse to follow success in the arkle Novices’ Chase with victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The Mullinstrained unbeaten chaser might go close to being the shortest priced favourite in the race, matching the 1-5 odds of 1966 winner flyingbolt. Having also won the 2015 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Douvan will also be trying to win a third different race at the festival.
CAUSE’S CHASE IS ON
DouvaN is not the only horse attempting to land a third different festival contest this afternoon. Gordon elliott’s Cause of Causes runs in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, having won the 2015 National Hunt Chase and the 2016 fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase.
ONE OVER THE EIGHT
MullINS has turned the Champion Bumper into his own personal property. If one of his two runners, favourite Carter McKay or Next Destination, can win, it would be his ninth win in a race being run for only the 25th time.
A BITE OF ALL RIGHT
SIMoN PHIlIP, who will become chairman of Kent County Cricket club this year, is hoping for an elusive Cheltenham winner as part of the syndicate which owns Nicky Henderson-trained RSa Chase favourite Might Bite.
Philip was part of the original syndicate which sold Henderson’s My Tent or Yours before it was sold to multi-millionaire owner JP McManus. The group decision to sell Tent, according to Philip was ‘not unanimous’. Tent has gone on to finish second at the festival four times — three times in the Champion Hurdle including yesterday’s running.
EASING THE PAIN
veTeRaN any Currency would be an especially emotional winner for trainer Martin Keighley and his owners.
They were devastated when the gelding, at 14 the oldest horse at the running at the meeting, won the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase here last year only to be stripped of the victory when he tested positive for a pain-killing medication that is permitted during training but not allowed in a horse’s system when it races.
Keighley, was absolved of blame by the BHa disciplinary panel, as the gelding had a trace of the painkiller in his system 41 days after treatment. veterinary advice is a withdrawal period of 14 days.
BRING HOME THE BACON
DavID versus Goliath. Peter atkinson is taking on the big operators with unbeaten Irish Roe in the Champion Bumper.
atkinson and wife lucinda combine training with running a pig farm at Northallerton and Irish Roe, who cost £2,000 and is ridden by Henry Brooke, is half of his string.