THERE was another Annie Power moment yesterday when El Fabiolo was pulled up in the Champion Chase when he was the shortest priced of all the Willie Mullins hotpots.
The other two, Ballyburn and Fact To File, had won easily so El Fabiolo’s failure to finish saved the bookies millions.
However, Mullins did go on to train his 100th winner at the Festival when Jasmin De Vaux won the Bumper, his 13th winner of that race.
All in all, today’s is the best Thursday card since the Festival went to four days almost 20 years ago. All the races are competitive and there are a couple of races where the big-hitters will be coming out to play. There will be fireworks in the betting ring and on the exchanges.
I mentioned earlier in the week that I had a live ante-post bet running on Thursday. Crambo is the horse in question and will pocket me a right few quid if he wins.
I saw him winning at Aintree in October when most of the hurdles were omitted due to low sun. He showed great flat speed then and as racing today and tomorrow takes place on the New Course, which has only two hurdles in the last seven furlongs, that flat speed should put in pole position today.
He beat race regular Paisley Park at Ascot just before Christmas and has been put away since. His trainer Fergal O’Brien has never had a Festival winner but has two real chances today as Dysart Enos is well fancied for the mares’ hurdle later on the card. A case of waiting for a bus...
The other feature race today, the Ryanair, sees last year’s winner and three-time Festival winner Envoi Allen going for a repeat win. He is a classy horse and has won at least one Grade One race every calendar year since 2019.
He hasn’t run since just pipped in the big race at Down Royal in November, but that has always been the plan. It will be interesting to see if they decide to run Banbridge. Kevin Blake, who is race planner for Joseph O’Brien, said at the inaugural Laverys/Toals preview last week that Banbridge was unlikely to run on soft going.
He has ambitious future targets at Aintree, Punchestown and the American Grand National and will not jeopardise those by running on unsuitable ground today.
The opening two-and-a-half mile novices’ chase may give some respite to the home team as both Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny have leading chances. A good run from Ginny’s Destiny will be a big pointer for Crebilly later on the card as Crebilly was about to pass him when he fell two out here in November. I was there that day and Crebilly’s jockey Jonjo O’Neill was distraught following his fall.
Ginny’s Destiny has won here three times this season and I will have a few quid that he makes it four today. If he does win don’t expect a big price on Crebilly. Preview star Johnny Dineen thinks he is the biggest certainty of the meeting.
The apple of Gordon Elliott’s eye, Brighterdaysahead, runs in the mares novices’ hurdle.
Unbeaten in five starts, she faces strong opposition from Jade De Grugy and English hope Dysart Enos. This promises to be one of the biggest betting races of the whole week. All three leading fancies have been well backed and a bookie friend of mine thinks that all three might be beaten, resulting in his bag overflowing. I expect he will be disappointed and think this will be another for Gordon and Jack Kennedy.
I really like Ted Walsh’s Gaoth Chuil in the Pertemps – although half of Cheltenham also fancy this mare too. I backed her last week non-runner no bet at 9/1. She is a lot shorter now so I do not need to get involved again.
Happy punting!
Archie
