Cheltenham Festival betting tips: Donn McClean's selections for day two
The Irish trail 4-3 after day one of the Cheltenham Festival, but look to hold strong claims in two of the key races on day two. Donn McClean has more.
By Donn McClean
The Irish have a strong hand in Wednesday’s RSA Chase. Irish-trained horses make up half the 10-runner field, but they take out about 75 per cent of the market.
Three of the five met in the Grade One Flogas Chase at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival last month. Monalee came out on top that day, staying on strongly to get home by three parts of a length from Al Boum Photo in second, with Dounikos less than a length back on fourth.
Both Dounikos and Al Boum Photo came under pressure a fair way out, and both horses stayed on well. Both were a little short of room on the run to the final fence, and Dounikos was squeezed out of it on the run-in before, switched to the stands' side, he stayed on well to finish a close-up fourth.
Both horses could improve for the step up from two miles and five furlongs to three miles on that evidence. There may not be much between the pair of them again.
Al Boum Photo fell at the final fence in a Grade Two contest at Limerick over Christmas on his previous run, leaving Dounikos to go on and win it. There may not have been much between them that day either if the Willie Mullins horse had negotiated the final fence safely.
You can understand why Monalee is a shorter price than both, though. Second in the Albert Bartlett last year, Henry de Bromhead’s horse jumped well when winning on his chasing bow at Punchestown in November, but he had a nasty fall at Leopardstown over Christmas, when he brought down the chasing Rathvinden.
It was a rush to get him back for the Flogas Chase, but he showed his class there, and there is every chance that he will progress from it.
That said, it may be that he will have to progress significantly if he is going to beat Presenting Percy. The Sir Percy gelding provided owner Philip Reynolds and trainer Pat Kelly with their second victory in the Pertemps Final in two years when he landed the race last year, and he has shaped like an even better horse this season.
He was impressive in winning a beginners’ chase at Galway in October that has an illustrious roll of honour and, after disappointing in the Florida Pearl Chase at Punchestown in November, he bounced back to win the Porterstown Handicap Chase over three miles and five furlongs at Fairyhouse in early December off a handicap mark of 145 and carrying 11st 10lb.
Since then he has won the Grade Two Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park and he has run Gold Cup contender Our Duke to a length in the Grade Two Red Mills Chase back at Gowran. He stays well, he has pace, he has class, he should handle the ground, and he has Cheltenham Festival form. It is not an orthodox route to the RSA Chase – a handicap chase and a Grade Two hurdle included in his campaign – but Kelly’s ability to prepare a horse for Cheltenham is beyond dispute.
The Leopardstown bumper in which Blackbow beat Rhinestone at the Dublin Racing Festival could hold a key to the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
There wasn’t much between the pair of them in the end on the day, and Rhinestone stayed on gamely up Leopardstown’s hill to close the gap to one and a half lengths. However, the turn of foot that Blackbow showed at the top of the home straight to go clear was decisive; it was the turn of foot of a talented horse.
Winner of his only point-to-point, Mullins’ horse is two for two now in bumpers, having stayed on well to win on his debut under Rules at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival. He progressed from his first bumper to his second, and there is every chance that he will progress from his second now to his third.
Also, he is trained by Willie Mullins, who has won the Champion Bumper eight times, and dual Champion Bumper-winning rider Patrick Mullins has chosen to ride the Stowaway gelding in front of his four stable companions.
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