Top racing analyst Mark Howard with five dark horses for the Cheltenham Festival who are priced between 20/1 and 33/1.
It is fair to say Willie Mullins has a stranglehold on the antepost market for the Triumph Hurdle being responsible for the top three in the market, including short price favourite and unbeaten Lossiemouth. The Susannah and Rich Ricci owned filly began her career in France, along with compatriots Blood Destiny and Gala Marceau.
The Closutton outfit was strengthened still further in the juvenile department late last year when the once raced GUST OF WIND also arrived from across the English Channel. By the same sire as Lossiemouth, namely Great Pretender, he was trained by Daniela Mele and beat stablemate Jit Langy by three lengths in the Prix Pride of Kildare at Auteuil (2m 2f) in September.
Haut En Couleurs won the same event on his debut in 2020 before finishing third in the Triumph Hurdle on his first start for Mullins. Leading before the second last, he pulled away for a ready win. Triple champion jockey James Reveley rode the runner-up and rates the first two highly.
In terms of the form, the third has finished second since at the same track and the fifth (Jazzy Matty) won for Gordon Elliott in December. By all accounts, the time figure was very good and it is worth noting Gust of Wind has been entered in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival early next month. He is available at 25/1 for the Triumph Hurdle in March.
INDIANA DREAM sported the familiar light blue silks of Lord Peter Daresbury when winning an AQPS Flat race at Fontainbleau in February last year under the tutelage of Emmanuel Clayeux. A length and a quarter winner, the Cokoriko gelding was snapped up the following month by J.P.McManus and given plenty of time to mature during the summer at Martinstown Stud in Ireland. Relocated to Willie Mullins, he is a fine looking gelding and made an excellent start to his new career over hurdles at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day.
Returning from an absence of 313 days and contesting a two and a half miles maiden hurdle, Luke Dempsey’s partner was handy throughout. Taking control before the home turn, Indiana Dream lengthened away after the second last. A fifteen lengths scorer from An Mhi who had previously chased home Facile Vega at the same track over half a mile shorter, he looks a strong stayer in the process and will have no trouble getting further.
Entered in the Grade 1 two miles six novice hurdle at Leopardstown in February, he is likely to be given the option of the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival. The latter is preferable because the further he goes, the better he looks. Related to a two miles six winner in France, he makes plenty of appeal at 20/1 for Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
Having been granted an opening mark of 121 another Mullins trained French import Tekao could be one of the best handicapped four year olds on either side of the Irish Sea. However, the Doctor Dino gelding is entered in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and still needs to race once more before being eligible for the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham, for which he is currently antepost favourite.
Having watched compatriot BO ZENITH make his British debut at Sandown earlier this month and finish a remote third of four behind the 111 rated I Have A Voice, the last venue one would expect to see Gary Moore’s Auteuil winner turn up in mid March is Prestbury Park.
However, it is worth considering his trainer comments afterwards: "Jamie (Moore) said he needed the run but was generally disappointing. He did have a setback and maybe I’ve rushed him to get him here, thinking he could win when he’s 80 per cent fit? He’s grown since he arrived at the yard and I might not have done enough with him. He’s a big, raw horse who has never been away and done a gallop. With hand on heart, I think you can draw a line through that run."
The Zarak gelding was due to make a quick reappearance at Ascot on Saturday but jack frost ensured those plans were postponed. He is entered at Warwick on Wednesday though.
Closer inspection of his win in France in early April suggests he can’t have become a bad horse overnight and, provided he runs well next time, the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle could be a distinct possibility. The Prix Grandak, a conditions event for three year old colts who are unraced over obstacles, at the Parisian track has been contested by subsequent Grade 1 winners Frodon (2015), We Have A Dream (2017) and ill-fated stablemate Porticello (2021).
A three and a half lengths winner from leading Triumph Hurdle prospect Blood Destiny (2 from 2 since joining Willie Mullins), the third (twice), fifth and seventh have won since and the sixth was runner-up in a Grade 1 last time. Available at 25/1 (Unibet), Bo Zenith may be more at home racing left-handed, too.
The entries for the Plate Handicap Chase over two and a half miles on day three of the Festival don’t close until the 21st February. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Venetia Williams is eyeing the race for FRERO BANBOU who has still to race beyond two and a quarter miles.
Rated 138 and three pounds lower than when finishing third in the Grand Annual Chase at the meeting last year, the eight year old gives the impression that he is crying out for a step up in distance. Indeed, he held an entry over two miles five at Ascot this weekend which implies his handler has similar thoughts. Successful at Lingfield’s Millions meeting this time last year (only four pounds higher now), he has been kept exclusively to right handed tracks this winter running respectably at Ascot twice and Sandown.
His form figures at Cheltenham read 33 having also been placed behind subsequent Grade 2 winner Editeur Du Gite in December 2021. Beaten six lengths at last year’s Festival, he became detached early on before staying on behind Global Citizen in attritional conditions. The Grand National winning trainer has won the Plate on three occasions, namely Idole First (2007), Something Wells (2009) and Carrickboy (2013) and Frero Banbou is available at 33/1 with Sky Bet.
Gordon Elliott has won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle twice and it is a race he is particularly keen to win having spent time learning his trade at Pond House Stables as a youngster. Expect the Cullentra team to be well represented once again and it is hoped the lightly raced IMAGINE forms part of his squad.
The five year old needs to have one more run to qualify (novices are required to have run four times over hurdles this year) but is another horse who could be open to significant improvement by stepping up in distance for the first time.
A narrow winner on his jumping bow at Wexford in the Autumn, the Montmartre gelding was beaten less than a length in a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Navan in November. Jack Kennedy’s mount was then reeled in close home by Inotherwayurthinkin in another decent event at Gowran Park – a race which has been contested by Douvan, Sharjah and Galopin Des Champs in recent times – less than a fortnight later.
Off since, he is entered in a couple of Grade 1 events at the Dublin Racing Festival in February and there is still sufficient time for him to have that fourth run over timber. His pedigree indicates that he wants further than two miles – one of his older siblings was runner-up over three miles plus in France.
Best price 20/1 (Sky Bet) for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, he is very much shortlist material for a race his trainer will be mad keen to win for a third time.
Read more of Mark Howard’s thoughts regarding the Cheltenham Festival in his One Jump Ahead February Update, which is due to be published at the start of next month – available via www.mhpublications.co.uk and priced at £8.00.
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