The experienced commentator has his say

Rebecca Curtis and Haiti Couleurs leading the charge for Wales at Cheltenham Festival


With a national speed limit of 20mph (or so it seems), runners in Wales - even at Ffos Las in the heavy - are in danger of getting fined.

And there are plenty of good horses at the moment in the training yards of the likes of Sam Thomas, Evan Williams and Rebecca Curtis who could provide a much needed government windfall.

Amid talk of English trainers having more chances of beating the Irish at the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival, it is Curtis who might just steal the show when bidding to continue an already impressive record at the meeting with her Irish and Welsh Grand National winner Haiti Couleurs.

A Gold Cup victory for this extremely likeable horse would certainly warrant an outpouring of song in the valleys.

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The Festival highlight has been dominated by the Irish in recent years and not since Native River in 2016 has the race been won by a British-trained horse.

But there are obvious comparisons with Haiti Couleurs as Native River was also a Welsh National winner, and the annual three-and-three-quarter-mile marathon has produced five subsequent Gold Cup heroes since 1983 when Jenny Pitman's Burrough Hill Lad proved stones ahead of the handicapper.

Grinders such as Cool Ground, Master Oats, Synchronised - and Native River - followed suit thus emphasising that stamina is always an essential ingredient come the big day.

Haiti Couleurs proved he has that quality in abundance at both Fairyhouse and Chepstow and, apart from one blip this season when suffering from a sore back in the Betfair Chase, his progress has been relentless.

Haiti Couleurs is in control of the Denman Chase
Haiti Couleurs is in control of the Denman Chase

In a good ground Gold Cup, it's possible that the usual fast pace might find him out but every other factor seems to be a positive.

Haiti Couleurs has won six of his eight chases (always very strong at the finish) and when winning last year's Princess Royal National Hunt Chase, in which he cantered round, he was rated just 135 whereas after his subsequent performances, including a defeat of L'Homme Presse in the Denman Chase at Newbury just over a fortnight ago, the figure is now 166.

That is phenomenal improvement.

Moreover, he is unbeaten in two visits to Cheltenham (having won a handicap hurdle on the course in December '24) while his Pembrokeshire-based trainer, without ever having a string to numerically match far more lauded teams, has sent out five Festival winners in Teaforthree, At Fishers Cross, O'Faolains Boy, Irish Cavalier and, most recently, Lisnagar Oscar in the 2020 Stayers' Hurdle.

That too is an outstanding achievement.

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Another positive about Curtis is bold campaigning and, but for the bad weather, Haiti Couleurs would have taken his chance in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival which, disappointingly, is regarded as too close to the Cheltenham by most British trainers.

A hard race at Leopardstown hasn't stopped too many of the locals from running to their best at Prestbury Park a month or so later.

Thomas and Williams also in Festival spotlight

Other Welsh trainers have chances next month.

The impressive Thomas, who boasts the best strike rate in the country at 34% this season, has his smart, just below top class, hurdler Celtic Dino entered for both the Coral Cup and County Hurdle while the unbeaten chaser Steel Ally (on soft ground) and Vincenzo, second in the December Gold Cup and a winner at Ascot since, will have chances in the Arkle and Plate respectively.

Thomas also has C'Est Different, the winner of his last four races, entered for the Pertemps Final and, more immediately, Katate Dori could well repeat last year's runaway win in Saturday's Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton.

Meanwhile, Williams is bound to run the talented, if sometimes accident prone, Libberty Hunter who has entries in the Grand Annual, Plate and Champion Chase in which he wasn't far behind when falling three out behind Marine Nationale last year.

The yard's best horse performed up to scratch on ratings when a staying-on third behind Lulamba in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury recently and, with a clear round, is capable of a big run whichever race is chosen.

Williams also has Ask Brewster in the Ultima and Kim Muir (which he won in 2008 with High Chimes), Juby Ball in the Jack Richards, and his recent Grand National Trial third Neo King in the National Hunt Chase.

So never mind the confidence of English trainers in serving it up to the Irish this year, what about the Welsh?


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