Matt Brocklebank, Nic Doggett, Ben Linfoot and David Ord answer the key questions following the publication of the six-day entries for day three of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
Teahupoo heads 20 left in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – who’s his main danger?
Matt Brocklebank: Definitely stablemate The Wallpark, for me. He’s come from quite humble beginnings this season, racking up a sequence of wins through the summer and into the autumn, including a commanding Cheltenham victory in a Pertemps Qualifier which has worked out really well. Gordon Elliott said he was running him in the Long Walk to find out whether or not he’s a Grade 1 horse and I like that he’s come to the same conclusion as me on the back of that staying-on fourth at Ascot. The Wallpark will be devouring the hill late and I see drying ground as a positive too.
Nic Doggett: The dry forecast. I know they will selectively water, but there is a fair case to make that Teahupoo has been at his most devastating when faced with testing conditions. As a result, I think it helps the claims of Lucky Place and The Wallpark, and it might even bring Mystical Power into the equation too as he clearly has plenty of class and his dam Annie Power was a close second in the 2014 renewal of this race. I’d back him each-way around 14/1.
Ben Linfoot: He does look short to me at even-money on what looks likely to be much quicker conditions than last year. Even at this stage it’s hard to see where the pace might come from, as well, and while Teahupoo does have gears being fully effective at 2m4f, I can see myself taking him on. Stablemate The Wallpark looks a likely shortener in the build-up to next Thursday and I like him, but Home By The Lee is a solid alternative and I think he’ll like the drier conditions.
David Ord: The sexy answer over the last couple of weeks has been Lucky Place, encouraging noises from Seven Barrows, upwardly mobile and knows how to get his head in front. He’s the best of British but good enough to beat Teahupoo? Well, it’s very unlikely if the favourite is operating at the same level as he was in 2024. We’ve no firm evidence to make a case for or against that given Gordon Elliott’s charge has only been seen once this season, being outpaced by Lossiemouth in a Hatton’s Grace run at a crawl. I can see the angle with The Wallpark hitting the frame at least, he’ll be as strong as any at the finish, but Home By The Lee, third last year, looks the most solid option if the favourite misfires. He’s been very good the last twice and looks the second best hose in the race.
No Banbridge or Spillane’s Tower in the Ryanair Chase, how’s it shaping up now?
Matt Brocklebank: It’s cutting up a bit but you’ve got some really classy horses in there and I do think there might still be a tiny bit of juice in the price of Il Est Francais around 100/30 against short-priced favourite Fact To File. However, away from the top of the market I’m drawn to the strong-travelling Jungle Boogie, who was sixth in last year’s Gold Cup and is one from one this season. He’s fragile but also hugely talented and I can see him running a big race, especially if Darragh O’Keeffe rides as he seems to get on well with the horse.
Nic Doggett: Perfectly for Fact To File, you’d have to say. He has the best form behind Galopin Des Champs and should have the race run to suit with plenty of pace in the field as things stand thanks to Il Est Francais, Protektorat and Jungle Boogie. However, there’s no great appeal at 6/4, and I think Envoi Allen is the each-way bet in the race at 14s. You don’t have to be Poirot to find his excellent Cheltenham Festival record, but it’s worth noting that last year’s second behind Protektorat came on unsuitably soft ground and the dry spell should lead to perfect conditions as he bids to regain his Ryanair crown.
Ben Linfoot: Banbridge’s absence looks good for the Gold Cup as expected while Spillane’s Tower’s no-show makes Fact To File an even more likely runner for JP McManus in the Ryanair. He’s assumed favouritism but this looks a deep race with Il Est Francais, Gaelic Warrior, Protektorat, Djelo and more in opposition and he looks another short-priced jolly I’ll be looking to take on. Cracking race though.
David Ord: Very nicely thank you. It looks like this is the target for Fact To File, Il Est Francais will be some sight trying to run them into the ground from the front and Protektorat last year’s winner is there to defend his crown. Throw in Gaelic Warrior bidding for redemption upped in trip and you have an interesting renewal of the race. Wouldn’t be in a rush to oppose Fact To File mind.
Anything on the radar in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle?
Matt Brocklebank: Willie Mullins and JP McManus have a fairly obvious one in Karoline Banbou but a market move for either of their other French imports Kom Tu Voudras or Venusienne would be fascinating as well. Elsewhere, Galileo Dame was an eyecatching second in the Grade 1 Juvenile race at the Dublin Racing Festival and some of her Flat form is really strong so she might appreciate the decent weather and prevailing ground. She gets a weight-for-age allowance in this race too.
Nic Doggett: Opposing Gavin Cromwell runners is a dangerous business, but Sixandahalf hasn't had her form franked in a major way, a point of note for a few who are prominent in the betting including Maughreen. In contrast, Air Of Entitlement had her Down Royal win boosted when the runner-up Ballybow won in Grade 3 company at Clonmel last month. Given Air Of Entitlement’s yard wasn’t in great form at the time, the emphatic nature of that win - where she travelled very strongly - caught my eye. She looks overpriced at 16/1.
Ben Linfoot: Not really, it’s not a race that gets the punting juices flowing considering the alternatives to have a go at next week. Sixandahalf has been really well backed and you can see why but she’s only had the one run over hurdles and you do wonder if inexperience will catch her out.
David Ord: Another for JP McManus and Willie Mullins here with Karoline Banbou. She was useful in bumpers in France and showed bundles of promise despite being turned over when odds-on by stablemate Baby Kate on her Irish debut. That left many at Closutton scratching their heads, but she came forward plenty to win at Fairyhouse next time, travelling like a very smart mare, and with more improvement to come I expect her to give favourite Sixandahalf a proper race.
Give us something on the shortlist for any of the day three handicaps please?
Matt Brocklebank: Seemingly bound for either the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase or the Trustatrader Plate, Jordans has the makings of a well-treated horse for Joseph O’Brien. He ran on from near the back to be second to Impaire Et Passe in the Grade 1 ‘Faugheen’ at Limerick when last seen, and his earlier form with Monbeg Park was given a late boost last weekend. He’s got experience (over hurdles and fences) from his time in France and looks obsolutely made for the novice event here, but we’ll see which way connections decide to go.
Nic Doggett: I like Asian Master in the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase. He’s a former point winner over three miles – he also chased home Fact To File at Belharbour back in 2022 – but showed plenty of speed over hurdles last season, including when fourth in the Supreme. Obviously that race hasn’t worked out well, but his third-placed finishes behind stablemates Majborough and Mistergif over fences this term have plenty of substance to them. I think he’s well up to a mark of 144 now stepping up to a trip that should suit on breeding (dam is from the family of strong stayers Cup Final and Quantitativeeasing).
Ben Linfoot: The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase on Trials Day is often a pointer to the Festival and not just the winners of it. I expect it will be a key race again and it looks the form to concentrate on going into the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase with Jagwar and Masaccio on the radar for most punters I expect, although the latter would arguably be more interesting if he steps up in trip in the Ultima, as expected. We’ll need the final decs for the novice handicap chase but Catch Him Derry is firmly on the shortlist for the Pertemps for Dan Skelton, who said he wasn’t ready fitness-wise two starts ago at Cheltenham. He won well at Exeter and he might get his ideal ground.
David Ord: He’ll be on most people’s but Nurburgring’s season looks to have been totally built around the Jack Richards Novices Handicap Chase, and he’ll be an entirely different proposition to the horse we’ve seen in three small-field novice chases over two miles in Ireland this winter. He was very impressive when winning the Galway Plate in the summer and is three pounds higher on Thursday. What's Up Darling doesn’t have a dissimilar profile in the Trustatrader Plate and is interesting. He has the option of the novice race too but is another who promises to been in a completely new light upped in trip in a big spring handicap. This could well be the one and there was a lot to like about his previous run at the meeting, a solid sixth in the Martin Pipe last year, again on handicap debut.
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