Irish set to cash in on Beast from the East’s legacy
Irish set to cash in on Beast’s legacy
The message from the snow-covered fields and hills and flooding country-wide is to hold your horses at this week’s Cheltenham Festival.
The ground at the climax of the National Hunt season is, as ever, crucial.
And where there is doubt, there is nothing to be gained by betting early.
It has been soft all week, and the forecast is for some rain most days.
So it is almost impossible for the word “good” to be in the description.
That should work to the advantage of the Irish raiders, whose westerly position subjects them to more rainfall than finally arrives on mainland UK.
That points the way to Presenting Percy in Wednesday’s RSA Novice Chase, who should find everything in his favour for trainer, Patrick Kelly.
The seven-year-old is no stranger to Cheltenham, having been a smooth winner of the Pertemps Hurdle last year, over three miles.
Now chasing, Presenting Percy was a comfy 11-length winner at three miles, five furlongs at Fairyhouse in December. So he’ll come up the Cheltenham hill fine.
It was interesting that his County Galway trainer ran him over two-and-a-half miles last time in December, where he was a length second at Gowran Park.
That will have added a touch a sharpness and speed to his proven stamina, and ability to act on whatever ground the Cotswolds produce.
There will be no wailing in the Tizzard family if it rains from now until Christmas, because it can’t be too deep for their Gold Cup contender, Native River.
The feature of the whole meeting this year is that there are gauges connecting almost every runner, directly or through collateral form lines.
Perhaps, then, official ratings will be a more reliable guide than they often are, which brings Might Bite out 3lb better than Tizzard’s runner.
Might Bite still has a quirk or two too many for a test of this kind, and although not blessed with electric speed, Native River will be charging on, when others cry: “enough!”
Redicean showed dramatic acceleration and blinding speed when winning the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton two weeks ago, and should be a good ground animal.
However, he has won on soft, on flat and hurdles, and will be very difficult to deny in the Triumph Hurdle, which opens in the final day on Friday.