Festival pointers Newbury’s clues for racing’s showpiece
THE year’s annual pilgrimage to Cheltenham for the Festival is just four weeks away. The hills of Gloucestershire will be alive with the ‘Supreme roar’ in 28 days, and the action at Newbury on Betfair Hurdle Day has provided some interesting clues towards jump racing’s Olympics.
Here is what we learned... » Britain holds a strong Champion Bumper hand Seven renewals of the Cheltenham Champion Bumper have been and gone since Ballyandy landed the final race on the Wednesday of the Festival for Gloucestershire-based trainer Nigel Twiston-davies.
Willie Mullins has taken four home, Gordon Elliott two, and John Kiely picked up success with A Dream To Share in 2023.
Moments after the Grade 2 Future Stars Bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival, jumps fans started to believe that Jeroboam Machin - trained by Willie Mullins’ nephew Emmet - could be the new Irish hopeful.
However, that plan was put to bed after connections confirmed that Jeroboam Machin had unfortunately sustained a season-ending injury.
This news left Jalon D’oudairies, trained by Elliott, at the top of the market, but it could be worth looking towards horses trained in the UK ahead of this year’s renewal of the Champion Bumper.
On Saturday, Dan Skelton’s Royal Infantry made it two from two in the finale at Newbury, though the Alcesterbased trainer alluded to the idea that he would be kept away from Prestbury Park this season ahead of a potential tilt at the Grade 2 Bumper during the Aintree Grand National meeting.
However, Skelton is hoping to be represented in the feature National Hunt flat race of the season, as he said: “Let It Rain is going to go there. She’s a mare so gets the seven-pound allowance. She’s very nice.”
Let It Rain, a five-year-old mare by the late Kayf Tara, is a general 16/1-shot for her intended target in March and is certainly a dark horse that Skelton is looking forward to running.
Add to the race Paul Nicholls’ pair of potential runners, Quebecois (an impressive Exeter winner in December) and Teeshan (a 41-length point-topoint winner who bolted up at Exeter on Sunday), as well as Harry Derham’s Queensbury Boy, and the British contingent in this year’s Champion Bumper could be stronger than people may expect.
» Hitman’s season-long plan
THERE are many great target trainers in our game, none more so than Paul Nicholls when it comes to landing Grade 1 success.
Take Greateteen in the 2021 Tingle Creek, Bravemansgame in the 2022 King George VI Chase, and endless Challow Hurdle winners as examples.
Since the news that Allaho would be missing the Ryanair Chase this year, the market was blown wide open for punters to formulate an opinion.
The master of Ditcheat has won the Ryanair Chase three times since its inauguration, though he could be on for number four this year thanks to his good hand of Stage Star and Hitman.
The latter ran a good race on his second start of the season to finish as the runner-up behind Shishkin in the Denman Chase.
Despite the loss, Nicholls was very upbeat about the performance, as he said: “He hasn’t been targeted for today; he’s been targeted for the Ryanair.
“The Ryanair is what we have solely trained him for and he ran very well today, though he doesn’t quite get three miles - I’ve got a month left to get him really well.”
Although Stage Star has a ‘P’ next to his name having pulled up in handicap company at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, Nicholls said to jockey Harry Cobden pre-race on ITV Racing: “Remember, the big day is in March - we’ll have plenty to work on.”
Although it’s not ideal that he failed to complete his most recent outing, expect to see a completely different horse come the Festival which, hopefully, will give Ditcheat two live chances at Ryanair glory.
» Henderson eyeing up Coral Cup
NICKY Henderson and Cheltenham Festival handicaps haven’t gone handin-hand over the last few years, though this isn’t out of a lack of trying.
Since his last handicap winner with Dame De Compagnie in the 2020 Coral Cup, the boss of Seven Barrows has hit the crossbar a few times, notably with No Ordinary Joe in last season’s Martin Pipe and Mill Green in last year’s Pertemps Final.
This year, Henderson has a strong team of progressive handicappers as shown with his Greatwood and Betfair Hurdle-winning Iberico Lord.
He has been given a nine-pound rise in a handicap for his success on Saturday to a rating of 143 and the County Hurdle was mentioned as a potential target immediately after the race.
Despite the winner taking all the plaudits in Lambourn, faith should be kept with Henderson’s fourth-placed Doddiethegreat who stayed on well in the famous silks of Kenny Alexander.
Post-race, while Henderson and connections of Doddiethegreat were having a de-brief, there seemed to be a wry smile on the trainer’s face when talking about the promising eight-year-old gelding.
Henderson didn’t let on too much, but he said: “Doddie wants two-and-ahalf miles - he’ll be one for the Coral Cup.”
At 16/1, he could be one to keep onside from Seven Barrows as well as his stablemate, Lucky Place, who finished second to the Baring Binghambound Gidleigh Park at Cheltenham on Trials Day.