Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note on day four of the Cheltenham Festival.
Jango Baie can end Irish domination of Gold Cup
Galopin des Champs has started a short-priced favourite for the last three Cheltenham Gold Cups (16:00), winning two of them, but this year’s race looks much more open. The 2023 and 2024 winner was ruled out of another bid recently, but even if he had lined up again, he’d have been a longer price this time. Last year’s winner Inothewayurthinkin, who denied Galopin des Champs his third win last year, does take his chance, though his participation had been in doubt too for a time given his lack of form this season, and it looks as though a new name will be on the trophy this year.
Irish-trained horses have dominated recent Gold Cups, with the last British-trained winner being Native River in 2018 who got the better of that season’s King George winner, Might Bite, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico de Boinville. The same trainer and jockey – both already successful this week, Henderson having the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag - are represented this year by Jango Baie who can keep the Gold Cup at home and add to Henderson’s previous successes in the race with Long Run and Bobs Worth.
Jango Baie gained an unlikely-looking win in the Arkle at last year’s Festival, taking his record over fences at Cheltenham to two out of two, and it’s no surprise from the way he finished that race that he’s proved suited by stepping up in trip this season. He saw the extra distance out well when winning the 1965 Chase at Ascot on his reappearance, and he ran about as well in defeat on a first try over three miles in the King George VI Chase at Kempton last time.
Jango Baie couldn’t quite emulate Might Bite but was beaten only half a length or so into fourth in a thrilling finish as The Jukebox Man, Banbridge and Gaelic Warrior fought out a finish decided by noses. Jango Baie doesn’t have much to find to turn the tables on The Jukebox Man and Gaelic Warrior, therefore, and given that the track didn’t appear to suit him and that he was keeping on well from the last, it could well be that the Gold Cup distance will suit him better than those two rivals who also tackle their longest trips to date.
A similar story in the Triumph Hurdle?
Willie Mullins has won five of the last six Triumph Hurdles (13:20), and Henry de Bromhead the other one, so it’s a similar theme to the Gold Cup in Friday’s opener. The rules have changed since last year so Mullins won’t be able to produce a 100/1 rabbit out of the hat like Poniros who won on his hurdling debut last year, but that hasn’t stopped him being mob-handed again, being responsible for almost half the field, and with three of his runners having their first starts for the stable. And that’s despite his best juvenile hurdler Narciso Has having to miss the race through injury. That leaves Fairyhouse winner Proactif potentially the pick of the battalion from Closutton.
But this is an open Triumph with the top six in the Timeform ratings covered by just 4 lb and all looking open to improvement. Heading them is Minella Study in what looks the David versus Goliath contest of the week, with Adam Nicol’s small Northumberland yard taking on the might of Mullins. Nicol, who as a jockey partnered smart mare Lady Buttons to most of her wins, is enjoying much his best season as a trainer with 14 winners on the board so far.
Minella Study has contributed a couple of those wins himself and is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles. Successful on his hurdles debut at Tipperary last summer for John Nallen for whom he’d been a maiden on the Flat, Minella Study overcame a bad mistake to make all in the Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby in October and improved again to win the Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle with plenty of authority at Cheltenham’s December meeting, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. Runner-up Winston Junior has franked that form since, including when finishing second again in the Fred Winter earlier in the week, and that gives Minella Study leading claims.
Attack on Mares’ Chase can pay off for Skeltons
All five editions of the Mares’ Chase (14:40) have been won by Irish stables to date, with Mullins winning it for a third time last year with Dinoblue who is back to defend her title. Also runner-up in 2024, Dinoblue won last year’s race in good style and has met with little opposition when taking on her own sex in Ireland since, easily landing very short odds from the front at Fairyhouse and Naas in her last two races.
But this year’s contest looks a deeper renewal than usual and stablemate Spindleberry also comes into the reckoning. She beat Cheltenham Gold Cup runner Firefox in the Grade 1 Willowwarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse last April as part of a five-timer over fences which concluded with a ready win over Telepathique, who she meets again here, in a listed mares’ chase at Doncaster in December. Spindleberry held a Gold Cup entry herself at one stage, though she pulled too hard when stepped up in trip for the Irish Gold Cup last time and will be more at home back at shorter here.
However, the Mullins pair are among those having to give weight to Dan Skelton’s entry Panic Attack who has won all four of her chase starts since joining her current stable. She completed the rare double of the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Coral Gold Cup in the autumn, and having won two of the season’s most competitive handicap chases, she was an impressive winner of a listed mares’ chase back at Newbury last time, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag, even though she was fully entitled to win easily on form, her jumping being particularly good. In her current form, she makes plenty of appeal.
Cheltenham Festival coverage
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