Horse racing fans gear up for Cheltenham

NEXT week’s eagerly awaited Cheltenham Festival has been simmering nicely over the past few months with every performance analysed with a view to how a particular horse may fare at the biggest jumps meeting of the year.

Racing fans will journey from all over the world via every mode of transport to converge on the Cotswolds venue next Tuesday with the hallowed turf of Prestbury Park hosting what is now commonly known as the ‘Olympics of Racing’ over the following four days.
The best horses and jockeys will do battle for some of the most prestigious National Hunt prizes available with the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase heading an unbelievable meeting, which features no less than 12 Grade 1 races to thrill the massive crowds.
The annual Irish versus English angle only adds spice to the fixture, with last year’s record haul of 13 Irish winners likely to prove hard to equal or surpass this year.
As always, ground conditions for the festival are vitally important and the news that Cheltenham Racecourse has been watered over the past three weeks seems to indicate the going will not be far from good once the tape goes up for the opening race next Tuesday afternoon.
There are many things to factor in where Cheltenham is concerned, with the top jockeys and trainers always worth keeping on your side. The likes of Paul Nicholls, Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson have been the ‘big boys’ at recent festivals and they are likely to take the lion’s share of the bigger prizes on offer throughout next week.
They have the firepower to be involved in most of the races and the biggest problem they have is sorting out which race to go for with a particular horse to maximise their chance of winning and avoid clashing with a stable companion.
It’s very much the same story on the jockey front, with AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty the leading lights.
Walsh has been top jockey at the last four Cheltenham festivals and with the likes of Big Bucks, Hurricane Fly, Al Ferof, Boston Bob and Quevega among his superb book of rides, it is easy to see why the Kildare man currently heads the market to make it five in-a-row.

Glynn hoping to break festival duck with Becauseicouldntsee
SPANCILHILL trainer, Noel Glynn went ever so close to gaining his first Cheltenham Festival success when his Becauseicouldntsee was cruelly touched off by Ferdy Murphy’s Poker De Sivola in the four-mile National Hunt Chase at the 2010 Festival.
The colourful Glynn is back for more so to speak this time round as he sends the now nine-year-old, who fell at the second fence when well fancied for the Grand National at Aintree last April, back to Prestbury Park in a bid to gain victory in next Thursday’s three-mile, one-furlong Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Chase.
Somewhat disappointing in a few outings in the autumn, Becauseicouldntsee seemed to indicate he was returning to his old form with a very encouraging second to Dermot Weld’s highly regarded Galileo’s Choice over hurdles at Fairyhouse four weeks ago and Glynn is optimistic his charge is ready to turn in a big run.
He said, “I think my horse is back to his best at just the right time. He seemed a bit dull in himself in the early part of the season when his coat was just not right but he’s coming back to himself and appears to be firing on all cylinders again.
“We ran him over hurdles the last day to get his confidence back and he seemed to love it. Davy Condon rode him on that occasion and he was thrilled with him. He bounced him out, made the running and the winner, who is well fancied by his connections for the Supreme Novices hurdle next Tuesday, only got the better of us after the final flight. That was encouraging,” continued the Durra House handler.
Looking ahead to next week, Glynn is confident  his imposing son of Beneficial can make an impact and the news that Nina Carberry, who gets on so well with the horse, is likely to be back on board is also a big plus.
“I’m 99% sure Nina will ride him and, having ridden him in the four-miler and when he was second in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown, she knows the horse well, which is a huge bonus. He goes there with a live chance and has form on the track, which is also a major factor but it’s a very competitive place and you always need that bit of luck in running as well, so we’re hoping for the best,” concluded the Ennis native.
Meanwhile, festival regular A New Story is also set to line up at next week’s bonanza with the now 14-year-old an intended runner in Tuesday’s Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase.
A model of consistency, the son of Fourstars Allstar has been a fantastic servant to his Ennis owners, Sean Moran and Christy Guerin and there is every reason to suggest he can take a hand at the business end again this time round.
A New Story really comes alive at Cheltenham and having won this race at odds of 25/1 when beating L’Ami back in 2010, he is not without a chance in this unique mix of brush and conventional fences over a marathon three-mile, seven-furlong trip.
His trainer, Michael Hourigan, said “A New Story is in tip-top shape and Adrian Heskin will ride him. Next’s week race will be his 99th run and he’s been an unbelievable horse for all of us. His legs are as clean today as the first day he ran and he still retains his enthusiasm.
“I’ve no doubt he’ll be bang there at the finish and may well have won over the course last December were it not for a bit of misfortune when a few horses took the wrong course and he was brought down when he was coming with his run. He has won and been placed in this race many times in the past and he has his chance again this time,” said Patrickswell-based Hourigan, who will also saddle JP McManus’ Dancing Tornado in the same event.
There will also be considerable local interest in the performance of Willie Mullins’ Lambro, who goes to the meeting on the back of a good effort when third behind Last Instalment at Leopardstown last month.
Ennis man, Michael Woods is a member of Byerley Thoroughbred Racing that own the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old, who has a choice of engagements, having been entered for both Wednesday’s RSA Chase and the following afternoon’s Jewson Novice Chase.
Point-to-point fans will be closely following the fortunes of Willie Mullins’ Champagne Fever, who is near the head of the market for the Grade 1 Champion Bumper, which is the finale on Wednesday evening.
This fellow won his sole point-to-point outing at Quakerstown last Easter, when trained by Thomond O’Mara and was subsequently sold to Mullins to race in the colours of his present owner, Rich Ricci.
Successful in his two bumper starts in the interim, the grey son of Stowaway is vying for favouritism around the 8/1 mark and, should he win, it would be a big feather in the cap for the Quakerstown track, which is due to host this year’s County Clare Hunt Easter Sunday meeting on April 8.

Kauto scare ahead of Gold Cup
AS if Paul Nicholls hadn’t enough to worry about, following the recent bout of coughing at his powerful Ditcheat yard ahead of next week’s Cheltenham meeting, the news that Kauto Star has suffered a bad fall while schooling will also cause the champion trainer some unnecessary angst.
Apparently Kauto Star shipped a very heavy fall while jumping a few fences under Ruby Walsh at Nicholls’ indoor school recently and he was reported to be ‘stiff and sore’, which is not the ideal preparation for a tilt at the Gold Cup and a clash with his old adversary, Long Run.
Kauto Star has beaten Long Run on the two occasions the pair have clashed this season (in the Betfair Chase and the King George) but Sam Waley-Cohen will be hoping he can conjure up a winning effort out of Long Run this time round, if the expected match materialises.
The vibes from the Kauto camp this week have been a bit more encouraging and while a final decision will hinge upon a vital piece of work at Wincanton on Friday, jumping fans everywhere will be keeping their fingers crossed that the now 12-year-old will get to make what will surely be his final appearance at Cheltenham as he bids to add the 2012 crown to his previous wins of 2007 and 2009.
The opening day’s highlight is the Stan James Champion Hurdle and here it is impossible to look past reigning champion Hurricane Fly.
Willie Mullins’ star made a belated return to action this season when lining up in the BHP Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown six weeks ago, where he was brilliant when trouncing Oscars Well by six and a half lengths.
That was the ideal preparation for Tuesday’s race and while the likes of former champion Binocular and Nicholls’ Zarkandar are worthy opponents, Hurricane Fly looks a good thing to retain his crown.
Wednesday’s feature is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Last year’s winner, Sizing Europe, again heads the market (2/1 favourite) for this two-mile championship and Henry De Bromhead’s in-mate has done little wrong all season.
He was upped in trip to three miles when second to Quito De La Roque in the J.N.Wine.com chase at Down Royal last November before crossing the channel for Tingle Creek over two miles at Sandown, where he turned in a brilliant performance to slam Kauto Stone by eight lengths. His latest outing in the Tied Cottage at Punchestown, where he beat old foe Big Zeb comfortably, will have left him spot-on and Andrew Lynch’s mount is a worthy favourite for a very competitive contest.
Thursday is World Hurdle Day and this looks a foregone conclusion with Big Bucks quite simply in a league of his own in this division.
A seriously good stayer, Big Bucks is bidding for his 16th consecutive win and while Barry Geraghty has been talking tough about the chances of his mount, Oscar Whisky, upsetting the party, it will be the shock of the week if Big Bucks gets beaten.
There are lots of other fancied ones heading into the biggest jumps meeting of the season with the likes of Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle and Grands Crus in the RSA Chase among those who carry the dreaded ‘nap’ tag for a lot of fans but beware, as Cheltenham has a habit of taming lions as they say and the bookmakers will be hoping that results fall their way rather than be kind to punters.