Alex Hammond answers the big Cheltenham questions
Alex Hammond answers the big questions from the weekend - and has a fancy for the Fred Winter at Cheltenham.
How impressed were you with Redicean at Kempton – how big a player is he in the JCB Triumph Hurdle?
I was impressed with his performance on Saturday, he jumped more professionally than he had in his previous couple of starts and the way he pulled clear of the rest was impressive. With regards the Triumph, you all know by now that my belief in Apple’s Shakira won’t be shaken and he didn’t do enough to change my mind on that one.
However, Redicean’s trainer Alan King is a dab hand at producing this type of horse for the Triumph and he was full of praise for his juvenile hurdler after Saturday’s win. He compared him favourably to his former Cheltenham winners Katchit and Penzance and said he is blessed with plenty of gears and a smart turn of foot. He is certainly a leading player at the Festival, but I hope he won’t quite be good enough to beat the ante-post favourite. Apple’s Shakira is Sky Bet’s 5/2 favourite, whilst Redicean is now 5/1 second best, after that win.
Douvan is seemingly back on track for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase – how big a threat is he to Altior?
I was blown away by Altior in the Game Spirit at Newbury and think in this case a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The good news is that Douvan has been seen in recent action at Willie Mullins’ stables, but his niggly problems keep resurfacing and have kept him on the sidelines so far this season. That is reflected in the market with Altior a 4/6 shot with Sky Bet and Douvan as big as 7/2. That would have been unheard of in the past and reflects the uncertainty surrounding his participation at the Festival. He has, according to Mullins, a couple of serious bits of work to do before the meeting and that will be a real test of his soundness. Sky Bet are non-runner no bet of course, so nothing to lose if you fancy a bit of the 7/2. If he turns up 100% that could look very decent value indeed.
Willie Mullins opened his door to the media on Monday – which of his Cheltenham team excite you most?
Well, maybe Douvan if he gets there! Let’s forget about him for a moment though. I like the look of Getabird in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He could be the horse to get our week off to a flyer and at 6/4 might be a bet. When you look at the ante-post market, he’s favourite ahead of Kalashnikov (11/2) who also has the option of the Ballymore which may well be his preferred target. Next in the betting it’s Apple’s Shakira (6/1) who seems to be Triumph bound. Getabird is unbeaten under rules and is also the winner of one of his two point-to-points. He is such an impressive individual and despite the slight concern about his ability on decent ground, I’m hoping he can start the four days with a bang for his supporters.
Jessica Harrington was upbeat over Sizing John at her media day – can you see him winning a second Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Yes, I love this horse. Actually, I’m a fan of both Sizing John (6/1) and Harrington’s other big hope, Our Duke (8/1), in the Gold Cup. I’m already clutching an ante-post voucher for Sizing John, so hope he can do the double. It’s no mean feat to win back-to-back Gold Cups though as we’ve seen in the past, but he’s a gorgeous horse and hopefully he can put that below par run in the Leopardstown Christmas Chase behind him back at the scene of his most prestigious win. Might Bite is Sky Bet’s 7/2 favourite, with Native River at 11/2, then the Harrington pair and don’t discount Noel Meade’s Road To Respect at 9s. All in all, this is a top, top class championship race and it won’t be easy for Sizing John, but I’m happy to have backed him in what is a wide-open race.
The weights have been published for the Cheltenham handicaps – go on give us a bet in one of them!
I’ve just had a small each-way bet on Oxford Blu in the Fred Winter. Olly Murphy needs no introduction by now as he continues to impress in his first year of training. He has had a superb grounding with Gordon Elliott and it appears to have rubbed off on him. This horse won impressively on debut for the trainer in a little juvenile hurdle at Fakenham in December and whilst he hasn’t won since in three subsequent outings, he put up a decent performance to finish second at Market Rasen on his handicap debut last time out.
He ran off a mark of 125 there and is off 128 for the Festival juvenile handicap hurdle, which looks fair. What attracted me was the way he stayed on last time (all too late) and a track like Cheltenham could be just the ticket for him. He was only ordinary on the level for Sir Mark Prescott, but won over 2m 2f at Chepstow on his final start for the shrewd Newmarket handler so has plenty of stamina. I bet there were a host of the jumps crew that would have loved to get their hands on this horse and I can see him doing his best work up the stiff Cheltenham hill in two weeks’ time.
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