ANOTHER year older and deeper in debt, as the old saying goes.
We can’t do anything about the former but Cheltenham gives us a chance to do something about the latter.
This Festival needs to be a good one as the season so far has been very dull as poor racing, small fields and the interminable tinkering with the whip rules have plagued the sport. It seems almost certain that some of the winning and placed horses this week will be disqualified for misuse of the whip by their riders.
Why they have brought these new rules in on the eve of Cheltenham beggars belief. They should have kept the commonsense approach to the whip which is still operating in Ireland.
Jockey Club publicity for the meeting has airbrushed Rachael Blackmore’s whip out of the photo of her winning last year’s Gold Cup.
They are trying to appease a minority who will not be happy until racing itself is banned and if that happens there will be no horses – simple as.
Anyway, onto the racing. The Champion Hurdle is the headline race and features Constitution Hill, who is being talked about as the best hurdler of all time.
That is a bit over the top for my liking, even if he was enormously impressive when winning the Supreme Novices’ on the corresponding day last year. Those opposing him today can seek some comfort from the stats in that the last horse to win the Supreme and follow up in the Champion the following year was Bula, and that was over 50 years ago.
State Man who won a handicap here last year and was an impressive winner at the Dublin Racing Festival last month is the only danger as the winners of the last three renewals – Epatante and dual champion Honeysuckle – both run in the Mares’ Hurdle later on the card.
The Dublin Racing Festival, run over two days at Leopardstown at the start of last month, was the exception to the poor racing this season. Many of the horses who ran there will feature here this week, particularly those trained by Willie Mullins.
One of those, Facile Vega, who was beaten at short odds there, retains favouritism for the Supreme which opens the card.
The son of six-time Festival winner Quevega was unbeaten prior to that Leopardstown run, a sequence that includes last year’s Bumper here. T
he trainer blamed the fast early pace for his defeat then, but he can expect more of the same today because the Supreme is always run at a ferocious pace as the horses and jockeys get revved up by the roar which greets them at the start.
Marine Nationale, trained by the shrewd Barry Connell, is my idea of the winner here.
He won the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse in December and has been put away for this, while I think Mullins’ second string Il Etait Temps will chase him home.
The Arkle, which follows the Supreme, is another with a Nicky Henderson versus Mullins look to it. Jonbon represents Henderson and is the likely favourite while Willie has both El Fabiolo and Dysart Dynamo in his corner.
The Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, home of the original and recently refurbished Arkle Bar, have put up Jonbon.
I think he might need a longer trip and he has beaten only six horses in his three chase wins to date.
El Fabiolo is prone to mistakes and if he hits a fence in the same way he did at Leopardstown, it will be curtains.
I will take a chance that Danny Mullins can restrain Dysart Dynamo enough early on to make him competitive up the hill.
The Mares’ Hurdle which follows the Champion Hurdle sees the last racecourse appearance of the brilliant Honeysuckle.
She has been beaten on her last two outings but has still produced performances which make her the one to beat here.
Last year’s winner Marie’s Rock is the biggest danger. Honeysuckle and Rachael will get the reception of the week if she wins at her fourth consecutive Festival, and let’s hope she does.
The one trainer the bookies fear most in both Ireland and England is Charles Byrnes and he has some serious chances this week. First up is Byker in the Boodles race at 4.50pm.
Hopefully he can give my Lucky 15 a winning start and give the bookies a sleepless night or two as the trainer also has Run for Oscar, Blazing Khal and Grozni to run later in the week, all of whom have been seriously punted in the past few weeks.
The last race on Day One, the National Hunt Chase for amateur riders, is usually won by either the Mullins or Gordon Elliott yards and always claimed by one of the top jockeys – Patrick Mullins and Jamie Codd each have three wins. I fully expect that trend to continue today.
Patrick rides short-priced favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil and ‘The Coddfather’ rides my fancy Chemical Energy. Gaillard has only won one of his eight chases, while Chemical Energy won here in October and this has been the plan ever since.
This could be a first winner of the week for Elliott who has some serious chances in all the chases over the last three days.
ARCHIE’S FANCIES – ONE A DAY TO THE KEEP THE BAILIFFS AWAY
As usual, I suggest an each-way Lucky 15 on these four fancies which will give you an interest all week.
TODAY
BYKER is the selection in the Boodles at 4.50. He was a real eyecatching third last time at Naas and has been laid out for this by the best plot trainer in the business, Charles Byrnes. He is a big horse who will not be put off by the large field here and he jumps very well.
WEDNESDAY
FINAL ORDERS is the horse for tomorrow. He was entered in the Arkle and would have acquitted himself well in it but trainer Gavin Cromwell has opted to go down the handicap route in the Grand Annual at 4.50 instead. He is very experienced for a novice and has won six out of his last seven races, improving each time, and might take a bit of beating here.
THURSDAY
I will stick with Gavin Cromwell for Thursday. His horse STUMPTOWN runs in the Kim Muir, the last race on the card at 5.30. He has won his last two races in the style of an improving horse and can give sixtime point-to-point champion Barry O’Neill a first Festival winner.
FRIDAY
The fields for the handicaps on Friday are not finalised as of yet so I will put up THREE CARD BRAG for Gordon Elliott in the Albert Bartlett at 2.50. He has been crying out for three miles and the rain which arrived at the weekend and is due to be hanging around all week will do his chances no harm. He could well give Davy Russell a winner on what will probably be his last appearance as a jockey at the Festival after a brilliant career in the saddle.
