17:20 Cheltenham

Wednesday 12 March 2025

All13:2014:0014:4015:2016:0016:4017:20

Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1) (GBB Race)

Off time: 17:20 | Winning time: 3m 59.54s

Copacabana³¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Mr P W Mullins| T: W P Mullins| OR: 123| D

9/2

Looked potentially very smart when making a winning start to his career in Navan bumper. Top Irish yard has a tremendous record in this and he's a big player.

Form: 1

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Dalston Lad⁷⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Tristan Durrell| T: D Skelton| OR: 123| D

66/1

Won sole start in Irish points and 2-2 under Rules, making all in bumpers at Ayr and Aintree. It's likely that there are more races to be won with this son of Ocovango but this represents a big step up in class.

Form: 1-11

El Cairos¹²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Mr D Maxwell| T: G & J Moore| OR: 114| D

28/1

Irish point winner who landed 6-runner bumper at Newbury (good to soft) on Rules debut in November. Lots to like about the way he quickened clear of his rivals that day and improvement should be forthcoming, but he has much more on his plate this time.

Form: 1-1

Fortune De Mer³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 125| BF| CD

20/1

Runner-up completed start in points and filled the same spot starting out under Rules over C&D in October. Went one better back here the following month and excuses when turned over at odds on at Huntingdon last time, pulling hard in a steadily-run race. Still, others make more appeal.

Form: U2-214

Gameofinches²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| OR: 124| D

6/1

Easy winner of second run between the flags and has been to the fore in the ante-post market for this since his stylish Rules debut success in a Punchestown (soft) bumper last month. This strapping 6-y-o looked like something out of the ordinary that day and the sky could be the limit.

Form: F-11

Heads Up⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: S Bowen| T: J C McConnell| OR: 123

33/1

Made it third time lucky in fine style at Punchestown (soft) in November, making all and coming home in splendid isolation. By no means disgraced when chasing home Kalypso'chance in a listed bumper at Navan since but it's hard to envisage him turning the tables on that rival here.

Form: 4212

He Can't Dance³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Mr Harry Swan| T: G Elliott| OR: 123| D

33/1

£300,000 Jukebox Jury gelding from good family and, having won his sole start between the flags, this 5-y-o made a successful Rules debut in a Navan bumper. Subsequent second in a Leopardstown Grade 2 was no backward step but he doesn't appear to be the stable first string on this occasion.

Form: 1-13

Idaho Sun⁵²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Bryan Carver| T: H Fry| OR: 126| D

18/1

Made winning start in 10-runner bumper at Newton Abbot and progressed when following up at Windsor (good to soft) in January. Clearly a good prospect but it's likely that a jolt of improvement will be needed if he's to withstand the challenge of some potentially smart Irish raiders.

Form: 11

I Started A Joke³⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Philip Byrnes| T: C Byrnes| OR: 120| BF

33/1

Just fourth in a point last spring but made a winning Rules debut at Limerick during the Christmas period. Unsuited by the way the race developed when behind some of these in a Grade 2 race at Leopardstown last time and likely greater emphasis on stamina here will aid his cause.

Form: 4-16

Kalypso'chance⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Danny Gilligan| T: G Elliott| OR: 130| D

5/2

Won sole start in British points and has looked an exciting prospect in winning bumpers at Punchestown and Navan. The latter race was a listed event, in which he put 4 previous winners to the sword in good style, so there's substance to the form. Looks the pick of the Gordon Elliott pair.

Form: 1-11

No Drama This End⁷¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Harry Cobden| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 118| D

12/1

Bolted up in a point last February and perfect start to career under Rules when taking a 12-runner Warwick bumper (soft) on New Year's Eve. That form is clearly nothing special but he couldn't be in better hands and improvement is almost certainly on the cards.

Form: 1-1

Shuttle Diplomacy³¹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Donagh Meyler| T: T Cooper| OR: 122| D

66/1

Successful first 2 starts last season, impressive winner of a Limerick listed event on the second occasion. However, he came up short in Grade 1 company when last seen at the Punchestown Festival 10 months ago and a similar fate likely awaits here.

Form: 11-9

Sortudo³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Danny Mullins| T: W P Mullins| OR: 123| D

33/1

Easy winner of a Tramore bumper on Rules debut in November and failed to settle when second in messy race at Leopardstown over Christmas. Bettered that when again finding just one too good in a Grade 2 back at that Dublin venue last time but he doesn't appear to be the stable No 1 here.

Form: 2122

Aqua Force²⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: Mark Walsh| T: W P Mullins| OR: 127

11/1

There probably wasn't much depth to the Gowran bumper she won on debut for Miguel Gunn but she could hardly have been more impressive, running out the 28-length winner of that 14-runner affair. Subsequently bought by JP McManus and now in the care of Willie Mullins. Fascinating contender.

Form: 1

Bambino Fever³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Miss J Townend| T: W P Mullins| OR: 130| D

4/1

Wide-margin winner of sole start between the flags and made it 2-2 under Rules when landing a Grade 2 mares' bumper at Leopardstown (good to soft). Winners of that race don't have a particularly good record when bidding to follow up in this contest but she's clearly very promising.

Form: 111

Caballero Cliff⁷⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: Ben Jones| T: R Stephens| OR: 112

150/1

Related to three winners and showed something when runner-up at Huntingdon on debut in November. Wasn't seen to best effect when fourth in a listed bumper here subsequently and should have races in him but this will likely prove to be a bridge too far at this stage of his career.

Form: 24

Lancelot Allen⁸⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: David Noonan| T: Mrs J Williams| OR: 115

200/1

Half-brother to 3 winners, including smart chaser Enjoy d'Allen and French chaser Hermine Allen. Narrow winner of a small-field bumper at Bangor (heavy) in December and should have a future but almost certainly biting off more than he can chew here.

Form: 1

Non-Runners

Highland Haven³²

Weight: 11-0| Age: 5

T: F O'Brien J: J J Burke

Forecasts

Kalypso'chance (5/2), Bambino Fever (4/1), Copacabana (9/2), Gameofinches (6/1), Aqua Force (11/1), No Drama This End (12/1), Idaho Sun (18/1), Fortune De Mer (20/1), El Cairos (28/1), Heads Up (33/1), Sortudo (33/1), He Can't Dance (33/1), I Started A Joke (33/1), Shuttle Diplomacy (66/1), Dalston Lad (66/1), Highland Haven (66/1), Caballero Cliff (150/1), Lancelot Allen (200/1)

Willie Mullins may dominate this yet again. GAMEOFINCHES looked a really exciting prospect at Punchestown last month and gets a tentative vote over stablemates Copacabana, who created a strong impression when scoring on his debut in recent weeks, and Bambino Fever, who brings winning Graded form from the Dublin Racing Festival. Gordon Elliott has broken the Mullins stranglehold on this a couple of times in the last decade and his Navan listed winner Kalypso'chance looks best of the remainder.