Five 'good' things for the Cheltenham Festival

Success breeds success

Master Blueyes' victory in the Adonis Hurdle could be downgraded by many with Charli Parcs falling and many observers, including Noel Fehily who rode him on debut, believing that the hot favourite would still have won.

The handicapper didn't share that view, raising Mater Blueyes 17lbs to 150, and nor does Nicky Henderson or the winner's trainer Alan King who said: "A lot of people, pundits and that, don't realise how much confidence horses get when they get their heads in front and he certainly has and I'm pleased to say he's come out of Kempton in great form as well. 

"They actually do it themselves, he's just come out of Ludlow like an absolute bull and I'm very excited about him."

Divin-e Intervention

Prior to Ludlow, Master Blueyes had finished second to Divin Bere at Huntingdon when receiving 4lbs and his improvement gave handicapper David Dickinson a real problem.

"Divin Bere was the most difficult horse to handicap in this race because he gave weight and a beating to Master Blueyes and I've got Master Blueyes on 150 so I could easily say that I could make a case, not a very good one, but I could make a case for the fact that he's the best juvenile," he explained. 

Henderson was certainly keen on his chances in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, prior to seeing the weights that is.

"The first one [race] I went to was the Fred Winter to see what would happen to Divin Bere and Domperignon Du Lys," he told compere Nick Luck. 

"And assuming Divin Bere moves across to the Triumph because he'll have too much weight I can even see Domperignon getting in and he's off 133. The race could take a very odd shape. I can see top-weight moving up dramatically. If the topweight were to run, that would be very, very kind of Gordon. 

"I think Divin Bere is improving all the time, we were giving Alan's horse 4lbs at Huntingdon and we have just played with his soft palate since which was part of the plan. He worked at Kempton yesterday and that was good but we'll just have to see."

Luck put an alternative view to Dickinson, arguing that the trainers of those at the top of the handicap 'should be running in this because they're going to force so many of these horses out of the handicap'. 

The handicapper conceded that was a possibility, responding: "That is a possibility and somebody might decide to do that. Interestingly this race has been won by a horse carrying 11-10 but it ran off 133 which is the highest mark ever to win this race and equates to 10-6 [in this year's renewal as things stand]."

A change is as good as a rest

Luck tried to press Jonjo O'Neill for one he was looking forward to running in the handicaps and was met with a stonewall reply of: "They are what they are really, I don't know what else will get in."

The one that will 'get in' is dual Festival winner Holywell who is down to 148 having been second in last year's Ultima from 153, fourth in a Gold Cup (when rated 163) and 145 when winning the equivalent race in 2014.

Now 10 years old, O'Neill has been changing the Gold Well gelding's routine in a bid to bring him back to form and that's something that we've seen work for Don Poli this season who, like Holywell, had been out hunting after disappointing on his debut for Gordon Elliott.

"He's been hunting, he's been doing everything. He's in great form but Holywell's a law unto himself," O'Neill said. 

"He has really run stinking this year but he's done it before so we'll get him tuned up and he is in great form but you're taking your life in your hands taking a chance with him."

The Ultima-te test

Holywell's task could be even harder this year with the BHA head handicapper Phil Smith believing that this is the most competitive renewal of the three mile handicap that he has ever seen.

"This is a really interesting race because the conditions of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir changed five years ago and became a 0-145 from a 0-140 and that has had an affect on the Ultima," he explained. 

"In 2013 you needed to be 132 and last year you only needed to be 131 to get in the race and so the Ultima, I wouldn't say has suffered, but the competition from the Kim Muir has been pretty strong which of course was what was intended by changing the bandings. 

"Looking at this year's race, it's by some degree the best Ultima field I have seen, so basically you are guaranteed a run if you are down as far as Monksland on 11-1. Whereas last year it was 131 to get in, it absolutely will not be that this year and I suspect it will be around 136, 137."

Don't weight for it.....

The quirks of British racing are many but the weight-for-age scale at the Cheltenham Festival doesn't generate much discussion ever since the five-year-old allowance was amended a decade or two ago.

That won't be changing significantly this year although the timing of the meeting means two sets of connections are faced with an unusual set of circumstances when deciding where and when to run their horses.

"Calett Mad is a five-year-old and he gets 2lb weight for age on Tuesday," Smith pointed out.  

"And by Thursday when he's also entered in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir he only gets 1lb even though it's the same distance because that, of course, is the 16th of the month and five-year-olds lose 1lb of their allowance," he explained.

Changes in the weight for age scale take place on the first of the month and at the midway point (usually the 16th) throughout the season and also affects Fox Norton's half-brother Pinkie Brown who would receive 1lb if lining up in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase but nothing in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase.

Five good things

Dino Velvet - Alan King - Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

"I was very worried coming here that Dino Velvet hadn't gone up at the weekend but actually now I've seen the weights I'm delighted; 125, he wouldn't have got in the last few years. I ran him at Ludlow last week and I thought he ran very well in a good, open handicap but they left him where he was and he could be very interesting."

The Druids Nephew - Neil Mulholland - Ultima Handicap Chase

"He won the Ultima off 146 and he's back off 146 at the moment so he's a course and distance winner off the same mark and hopefully he's in good order. We think he's every bit as good. Mark was riding him out the last day. We believe he's every bit as good or maybe even a little bit better. We're very happy with him."

Singlefarmpayment - Tom George - RSA Chase, Ultima Handicap Chase, Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase

"Singlefarmpayment is one that a lot of people are interested in but we haven't decided what he's going for yet. He's in the RSA and the two handicaps. I would say so, definitely [that he's well handicapped] but it's a difficult call. I suppose off 142 you've got to be thinking handicaps very seriously with him and he was impressive when he won his novice chase here and last time he was unfortunately brought down in a novice handicap but I would have thought he was well handicapped."

Sizing Codelco - Colin Tizzard -  Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase

"He disappointed here on his first run for us. We put blinkers on and they sharpened him up over the schooling hurdle and he ran a huge race behind Top Notch. He gets in off 10-4 and hopefully he'll sneak in at the bottom and he's potentially a well handicapped horse."

Western Ryder - Warren Greatrex - Weatherbys Champion Bumper

"I'm quite sweet on the horse in the bumper Western Ryder. He had to give a horse of Nicky's 21lbs [Daphne Du Clos] I think it was and he now has to give her 15lbs for a three length beating and he's improved again and it just seems to me as though he'd have everything you need for it. He's very tough, he's streetwise, he's had four runs and you need that in a race like this. He's tough and hardy and he's got a turn of foot. He's got everything you need."