El Fabiolo all ready to fly in Champion Chase
By CHRIS WRIGHT
EL FABIOLO can keep the Willie Mulllins’ bandwagon rolling with victory in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (GBB Race) on day two.
The trainer is closing in on 100 winners at the Cheltenham Festival and his star two-mile chaser can get him closer by claiming the Grade One feature at Prestbury Park.
The seven-year-old was a hugely impressive winner of the Arkle Chase over course and distance at last year’s Festival, beating his chief rival Jonbon with ease. He is unbeaten in all six of his chase starts and has only lost once in his career over obstacles – to Jonbon in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at the 2022 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.
This year he has won both starts, scoring comfortably in the Grade Two Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork in December before beating stable-mate Dinoblue by eight-and-ahalf lengths in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase. And although he didn’t jump with his usual fluency throughout, he will be hard to beat back at Cheltenham.
Mullins can also land another Grade One victory with BALLYBURN a hot odds-on favourite to win the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) (GBB Race) (1.30pm).
The six-year-old has looked a cut above his rivals despite starting his hurdling career with defeat to Firefox in a Maiden Hurdle over two miles at Fairyhouse in December.
He cruised to an impressive 25-length victory in a Maiden Hurdle, when stepped up to 2m4f at Leopardstown over Christmas. Although he didn’t win by as far at the Dublin Racing Festival, he was arguably even better back down to two miles on his first try at Grade One level.
He is a strong traveller and jumps very well. Stepping up to 2m5f could see him in a even better light and he looks like he can land another victory.
It may be predictable but Mullins is the man again for the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Registered As The Broadway Novices’ Chase) (GBB Race) (2.10pm) with FACT TO FILE.
Having been smart bumpers, the five-year-old bypassed a chance to go hurdling and was sent straight over fences. He was second to American Mike on his chasing debut, but ran out a 17-length winner next time before beating stablemate Gaelic Warrior impressively in a two-runner event, the Grade One Ladbrokes Novice Chase.
This step up to three miles should be of great benefit to the former point-topoint winner and he can keep the Mullins’ winning machine going.
Dan Skelton’s LANGER DAN can land another Cheltenham Festival victory in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) Cl1 (2.50pm).
The now eight-year-old was second in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Festival in 2021 and won this race 12 months ago. Although he hasn’t been in good form this season, the same in could be said before he won last year. And back down to the same handicap mark off which he scored, it looks like his shrewd trainer has been planning a repeat success.
Former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner MINELLA INDO can win again at Prestbury Park in the Glenfarclas Chase (Cross Country Chase) (GBB Race) (4.10pm) – if the course passes an 8am inspection on raceday morning following significant rainfall overnight. The race has been as a stepping stone to the Grand National in the past and the now 11-year-old Minella Indo can book his place for a crack at the Aintree showpiece with victory in the Cross Country contest.
The Ben Pauling stable is in fine form and HARPER’S BROOK can give the trainer another winner in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (4.50pm).
Mullins can also JASMIN DE VAUX win the finale for a record-extending 13th time with the Grade One Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race) (GBB Race) (5.30pm).
A winner of a point-to-point for Stuart Crawford, the five-year-old was bought by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and switched to the Mullins’ stable. And in the famous two-tone green colours, Jasmin De Vaux comfortably scored in a bumper at Naas in January. Although it’s hard to know what that form amounts to, he looks a hugely promising recruit.
Paul Townend on El Fabiolo
IT’S all about Willie Mullins - again!
The Champion Irish trainer has favourites in the first four festival races today...and three of them are odds on!
If Ballyburn, an absolute banker for many an expert, triumphs in the opening Novices Hurdle together with wins for
Fact to File in the Novices Steeplechase and El Fabiolo in the Queen Mother Champion Chase feature then my pockets will be emptied to the tune of £1m-plus.
Ballyburn has few chinks in his armour and the six-year-old is easily the best novice hurdler around. Regarding the son of Poliglote, Fact to File, well he beat Gaelic Warrior at the Dublin Racing Festival, so enough said.
The only way I have any chance of swerving all those treble payouts at around 3/1 will be if last year’s Arkle winner El Fabiolo is beaten...so come on our top English trainer Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon!
I expect to be on my knees praying for Jonbon, who will probably start second favourite, coming through having overcome the disappointment in the Clarence House Chase in January.
In the Coral Cup, Mullins has the favourite with Sa Majeste but this is going to be a close run thing with Doddiethegreat, Built by Ballymore and defending champ Langer Dan sure to feature in a very open race.
It wasn’t quite all joy for Mullins on day one with the Queen of Cheltenham Rachael Blackmore riding Henry de Bromheadtrained Slade Steel to victory in the Supreme Novices putting Betfred into an early lead in the annual battle with our punters. But it was honours even when Mullins’ Gaelic Warrior romped home in the
Arkle.
Then the most fancied horse in the Festival State Man triumphed for that man Mullins in the Champion Hurdle feature.
So that’s us at Betfred down on day one by at least half a million. Great start for you punters.
■ The gender pension gap – or the difference between the amounts that men and women have saved for retirement – can be tough to overcome, with females often bearing the brunt of caring responsibilities and earning lower wages.
A new survey found six in 10 (60%) of women haven’t done any pension planning beyond making sure they’re enrolled in their workplace scheme – higher than the 46% of men surveyed who also said this.
Less than half (44%) of women with a workplace pension say they know how it is performing, compared with six in 10 (60%) men, the research for at-retirement adviser My Pension Expert has found.
Women in the Opinium survey of 2,000 people in January were also more likely to say they contribute only the minimum amount required into their workplace pension pot (19%) compared with men (15%).
Lily Megson, policy director at My Pension Expert, says: “Our research casts a daunting shadow over the financial futures of British women as the gender pensions gap once again rears its ugly head.”
The research follows a recent report from pensions provider NOW: Pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), which indicates that women face needing to work for an extra 19 years to retire with the same pension savings as men typically.
There may be some steps women can take to at least narrow the gap.
Jackie Leiper, managing director at Scottish Widows says: “One of the most important things women can do is to always keep in mind their own personal finances, including their pension. We know that around one in five women plan to rely at least in part on their partner’s income during retirement.”
Jackie advises keeping pensions “in the discussion” – including if a couple decide to call it a day and get divorced.
IF you’re considering booking an Easter break, it’s time to get cracking. Perhaps you fancy a holiday overseas and are looking for locations where your money may go further.
Or maybe a break closer to home, which could involve packing a bucket and spade for a seaside trip or heading for the bright lights of a city you’ve always wanted to explore.
If a staycation is on the cards, Bev Dumbleton, chief operating officer at Sykes Holiday Cottages, suggests saving money by swapping welltrodden tourist hotpots for lesserknown alternatives.
Bev says Sykes’ own weekly rental prices data suggests that locations such as Holmfirth and Staithes in Yorkshire, and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd, Wales, often offer particularly good value.
She adds: “Savvy travellers can also look out for areas with low-cost activities and days out, be it exploring Blackpool’s numerous attractions, or getting lost in the Welsh valleys with hikes or adventures.”
While there may be last-minute bargains, Bev says that booking earlier could help to guarantee your top choice.
“Late deals will of course crop up, but if you wait too long you might miss out on some of the more affordable options that will likely be particularly popular this year,” she says.
Alternatively, being flexible and open-minded about your destination could also help.
“If you’re open to where and when you travel, keep your eyes peeled for discounts or offers,” advises Bev.
Families with school-age children often see prices surge during busy holiday periods.
But there may still be ways to find cheaper options.
“If you can’t travel outside of school holidays, then keep an eye out for mid-week breaks which tend to be cheaper,” Bev suggests.
“Holidaying towards the end of the school holidays can also be more affordable.”
It could also pay to bear in mind the timings of school holidays in the location that you’re planning to travel to, in case they slightly differ from where you live.
If you’re considering a holiday rental, Bev suggests teaming up with family members or friends to book a bigger property and split the cost.
“This will likely be a much cheaper option than individual hotel rooms or multiple holiday lets, while also making it much more fun,” she says.
“And if you’ve got pets, also look out for any pet-friendly accommodation options. That way you can avoid paying for any kennels or catteries whilst away – and it means you can bring any furry friends along with you.”
Going self-catering can shave costs down further.
Bev suggests: “Take it in turns to be chef, cutting back on the need to go out for dinner every night, while also saving on the costs of breakfast and lunch by preparing it yourself.”
If you’re travelling overseas at Easter, there’s some good news from M&S Travel Money, which said in February that sterling has made gains in value over the past year against many currencies used in popular overseas destinations.
Sterling had made gains against the euro, the Thai baht and the Japanese yen, as well as the US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand also dollars, M&S Travel Money recently found. Currency movements fluctuate, so make sure you keep up-todate with the latest rates.
Give yourself plenty of time to plan buying your currency and shop around for the best deals, rather than leaving it until the last minute at the airport.
And don’t forget to factor in all the costs when setting your holiday budget that may be overlooked, such as snacks, transport and tipping.
Also, to avoid a costly mistake, there are also some insurance pitfalls that should be avoided.
Make sure you shop around for the best deal to suit your needs and remember to take out insurance as soon as you book. This will protect you if something goes awry with your plans before you travel.
Lucie Hart, policy adviser, general insurance, at the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says: “The first thing you should do after booking your holiday is to take out travel insurance. This will ensure that you are covered immediately if the worst happens and you have to cancel your trip. Travel insurance is not a ‘nice to have’ but an essential. Not least as it will cover the potentially jaw-droppingly high costs of needing any emergency medical treatment while abroad.
“Shopping around can help you get the right policy for your needs at the most competitive price, but we always recommend not basing decisions on price alone. You should also always remember to disclose any pre-existing medical conditions.”
Lucie adds: “Travel insurance for overseas trips is designed to cover your travels starting from and finishing in the UK. While it may be possible to buy specialist postdeparture travel insurance when you are already abroad, it is always best to play it safe and buy your cover before departing.”
If you’re open to where and when you travel, keep your eyes peeled for discounts