Key events
Greg Wood
4.40 TRUSTATRADER PLATE HANDICAP CHASE, 2M 4F 127YD
A tricky conclusion to the card with two big fields of handicap chasers kicks off with the Plate, over the trip which features in a series of similar races at meetings here from October through to January. Il Ridoto, the winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, is one familiar name in the field, along with Gemirande, who took the December Gold Cup a month later, while both Jagwar and Masaccio, first and third in a race here on Trials day at the end of January – are towards the head of the betting. I fancy that Masaccio, who enjoys a 6lb pull in the weights, might just able to turn the form around but this is never a race where you can be too certain about anything.
SELECTION: MASACCIO
4:40 market movers via Oddspedia
4.40 TrustATrader Plate odds
Odds via Oddschecker
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Jagwar 7/2
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Thecompanysergeant 9/2
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Masaccio 8/1
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Jordans 8/1
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Ginny’s Destiny 10/1
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Personal Ambition 12/1
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An Peann Dearg 16/1
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Path Doroux 22/1
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Fugitif 22/1
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Conflated 25/1
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BAR 25/1 – 20 Runners
Key Race Trends
Crambo and Home By The Lee are both OK, as it stands. Jonny Burke, on the former, took a heavy one. Jack Kennedy was limping as he got off Teahupoo. The Gordon Elliott team keeps rattling the crossbar. Rachael Blackmore meanwhile takes a ginger celebration in the parade ring; she’s had her fair share of knocks, too.
Henry de Bromhead, the winning trainer: “Rachael was brilliant on him. Home By The Lee was unlucky, we got on the right side. She’s an incredible lady. He’s unbeaten round here, he’s incredible, such a dude.”
Such a cool ride by Rachael Blackmore, the queen of Cheltenham. “He was brilliant, he has so much speed. Everyone had the same plan. It either works riding like that or he doesn’t. He’s unbeaten run here. He’s had luck on his side and he’s a very good horse.
Cheltenham 4.00 result
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1 Bob Olinger (Rachael Blackmore) 8-1
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2 Teahupoo (J W Kennedy) 7-4 Fav
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3 The Wallpark (M P Walsh) 7-1
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13 ran
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Also: 28-1 Rocky’s Diamond 4th
4.00 Stayers’ Hurdle
At the last, Teahupoo, Bob Olinger launches a challenge and goes clear for Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead, to make it a three-times winner at the Festival.
4.00 Stayers’ Hurdle
That fall has displaced the rail. Emergency repairs being made. Rocky’s Diamond and Gal Road are at the front. Teahupoo on the premises. Bob Olinger is creeping up at the last.
4.00 Stayers’ Hurdle
Rocky’s Diamond is there with Gal Road. An error from Teahupoo? A wobble, at least. Lucky Place is in third as they approach the stands…Crambo has gone. Home By The Lee is impeded and sets off as a loose horse into the countryside.
4.00 Stayers’ Hurdle
They start in front of the furthest stands, the sounds of champagne corks popping off. Gal Road takes it up at the first. Crambo is well placed, too, for the O’Brien stable – Fergal, not Joseph . Bob Ollinger sits off at the back. Teahupoo is covered up in midfield.
Ken Pitterson, ITV paddock expert, calls out for Lucky Place as looking the best in his coat. Teahupoo goes off 7/4 fav. Gemma Collins was just on ITV, a real tour de force it was, too.
JP McManus spoke to the BBC about Fact To File: “I’m delighted with him. I had a lot of faith in him. It was tempting to go for the Gold Cup and hopefully, we’ll go for that another time. The quick pace suited him and it was a very uncomplicated ride. It was exciting. Anything is possible. It was a close call for this year. The fast pace suited him and he wouldn’t have minded the ground a softer either.”
Here we go in the division that has never quite caught the imagination since the days of Big Buck’s followed Inglis Drever and the great Baracouda.
More detail on that Frankie Dettori story.
If Fact To File aims for the Gold Cup next year, what about this year?
Unlike Mullins’s Al Boum Photo, who came up short as a 9-4 shot when attempting a third straight win in 2021, it is very hard to see Galopin Des Champs being beaten.
4.00 market movers via Oddspedia
4.00 Stayers’ Hurdle odds
Odds via Oddschecker
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Teahupoo 2/1
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The Wallpark 5/1
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Protektorat 11/2 -
Home By The Lee 7/1
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Bob Olinger 10/1
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Catch Him Derry 14/1
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Mystical Power16/1
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Nemean Lion 22/1
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Rocky’s Diamond 28/1
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Gowel Road 28/1
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BAR 33/1 – 13 Runners
Key Race Trends
Greg Wood
4.00 PADDY POWER STAYERS’ HURDLE, GRADE ONE, 2M 7F 213YD preview
Gordon Elliott has not been having a week to remember thus far, but he has a very strong hand in the staying hurdlers’ Grade one with both the favourite and last year’s winner, Teahupoo, and the up-and-coming second-favourite, The Wallpark, who has attracted plenty of money today. Teahupoo has had the same light prep that he enjoyed last year before getting off the mark in this race at the second attempt, while The Wallpark has been kept fresh since finishing a running-on fourth in the Long Walk at Ascot in December. The main opposition to the Elliott team seems likely to come from Home By The Lee, third behind Teahupoo last year and a Grade One winner at Leopardstown last time out, and also Nicky Henderson’s Lucky Place, rumoured to have been tearing up the gallops since landing the Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle here on New Year’s Day. The mercurial Mystical Power – by Galileo out of the Champion Hurdle winner, Annie Power – also rates a mention, as he has been woefully out of form this season but would have a fair chance if he could recapture his Grade One-winning form at Aintree and Punchestown last spring.
SELECTION: TEAHUPOO
KEY FORM:
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, 14 Mar 24 (Teahupoo, Home By The Lee)
Long Walk Hurdle, Ascot, 21 Dec 24 (The Wallpark).
Savills Hurdle, Leopardstown, 28 Dec 24 (Home By The Lee)
Relkeel Hurdle, Cheltenham, 1 Jan 25 (Lucky Place).
“He’ll probably be a Gold Cup horse next year, JP [McManus, owner] said he didn’t want him to have a hard race this year,” says trainer Willie Mullins, who has pulled in six winners already.
Cheltenham 3.20 result
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1. Fact To File (M P Walsh) 6-4 Fav
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2. Heart Wood (D J O’Keeffe) 18-1
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3, Envoi Allen (Rachael Blackmore) 12-1
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9 ran
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Also: 5-1 Protektorat 4th
“That was brilliant,” says Mark Walsh. “We’ve run into Galopin de Champs twice. No point trying it a third time. I love it. It’s a dream to ride horses like this.”
Fact To File wins the Ryanair Chase by a street
Fact To File closes in on Il Est Francais. With two to go, Fact To File leads, and he is well clear. He’s well clear, and has the race in his hands. Why wasn’t he in the Gold Cup? Envoi Allen comes in third behind Heart Wood. Il Est Francais came back in the field.
3.20 Ryanair Chase
With eight to go, Il Est Francais is leading, as expected. Seven out, Jungle Boogie boobs but Fact To File is not troubled. Five out, and the French horse stays clear.
3.20 Ryanair Chase
Past the stand, Danny Mullins leads on Jungle Boogie. Djelo sits right off the back. Here goes Il Est Francais as they swing past the Best Mate stand and into open country.
3.20 Ryanair Chase
They go away first time, and it’s Jungle Boogie who leads. Il Est Francais not quick to take it up. Djelo sits at the back. Fact To File sits off the third-placed French horse. He seems happy to sit off the lead under James Reveley.
Money coming in for Il Est Francais, too. Fact To File drifting like a barge?
Fact To File heads to the course. Should he be running in the Gold Cup? We’re about to find out. Money has come in on Djelo – a Venetia Williams plot?
Frankie Dettori files for bankruptcy
News from elsewhere, from the flat, a statement from the legendary jockey.
“For the last six months, my advisors have been working with HMRC in an attempt to find a solution to my financial situation. Regretfully, I will be filing for bankruptcy.
I am saddened and embarrassed by this outcome and would advise others to take a stronger rein over their financial matters. Bankruptcy is a major decision and its consequences will affect me for many years.”
3:20 market movers via Oddspedia
3.20 Ryanair Chase
Odds via Oddschecker
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Fact To File 13/8
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Il Est Francais 4/1
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Protektorat 7/1
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Djelo 7/1
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Envoi Allen 11/1
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Catch Him Derry 14/1
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Jungle Boogie 16/1
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Heart Wood 16/1
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Master Chewy 40/1
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Hang In There 125/1
Key Race Trends
3.20 RYANAIR CHASE, GRADE ONE, 2M 4F 127YD PREVIEW
Quite possibly the race of the day, for all that it sits in the “No.2” slot on the card, 40 minutes before the Stayers’ at 4pm, and a genuinely tri-nation contest to boot with leading candidates from Ireland, Britain and France. Il Est Francais, who arrives from the Chantilly stable of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, is the potential star turn if he can reproduce the bold-jumping, front-running style that saw him lead the King George field for much of the way at this very different track, while the drop back in trip should also suit Fact To File, a Grade One winner here last year who ran well for a long way behind Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup last time. Protektorat, last year’s winner, is also back for another crack, although this looks like a stronger renewal, while Venetia Williams’s Djelo, who landed a Grade Two at Newbury last time out, has also been popular with the punters this morning. Among the bigger prices, Henry de Bromhead has three runners including festival regular Envoi Allen, the winner of this two years ago and also successful in the Bumper in 2019 and the two-and-a-half mile novice hurdle a year later. Another interesting runner from the yard, meanwhile, is Jungle Boogie, who has had an injury-blighted career but rarely runs a bad race when he gets to the track and went well for a long way in last year’s Gold Cup.
SELECTION: IL EST FRANCAIS.
KEY FORM:
Irish Gold Cup Chase, Leopardstown, 1 Feb 25 (Fact To File).
King George VI Chase, Kempton, 25 Dec 24 (Il Est Francais, Envoi Allen).
Ryanair Chase, Cheltenham, 14 Mar 24 (Protektorat, Envoi Allen).
Denman Chase, Newbury, 8 Feb 25 (Djelo).
Cheltenham 2.40 result
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1 Doddiethegreat (B S Hughes) 25-1
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2 Jeriko Du Reponet (N de Boinville) 11-2 Fav
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3 Catch Him Derry (Harry Skelton) 14-1
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4 Feet Of A Dancer (S F O’Keeffe) 15-2
24 ran
“We all liked Doddie,” says Nicky Henderson. “It didn’t look like he would get back to a racecourse but he has.”
Doddiethegreat wins it, and remember the horse was named after the great Doddie Weir. Another special moment. Brian Hughes, the three-time champion jockey, rarely gets to ride at the Festival. “I’ve had a lot of stick,” he says. “I was lucky enough to meet Doddie Weir, a really special man.”
Doddiethegreat wins the Pertemps final
As the race comes apart, Doddiethegreat leads them out, from Jeriko Du Reponet, a one-two for the Henderson team. Bryan Hughes rode the winner.
2.40 pm Pertemps Final
Feet of a Dancer is struggling to find a way through with two to jump. Will The Wise making ground? American Sniper still leads two out. Can he hold on?
2.40 pm Pertemps Final
American Sniper resumes his solitude out front. Four to jump. Not much is happening in the main field as they take that long, sweeping move to the hill and down.
2.40 pm Pertemps Final
With eight still to jump, American Sniper zips away by many lengths as he takes them past the Best Mate stand after having lead cut to two lengths. Many of the fancied horses in midfield.
2.40 pm Pertemps Final
More chaos at the start…but away they go. American Sniper, bottom weight, goes to the fore. DoddieTheGreat is at the front of the pack, Patter Merchant makes an early mistake.
Greg Wood
2.40 PERTEMPS NETWORK FINAL HANDICAP HURDLE, 2M 7F 213YD
Sponsors come and sponsors go elsewhere on the festival programme, but the Pertemps Final – first run in 2002 – keeps marching on towards a quarter-century and more. It is a fascinating contest, with runners obliged to qualify via one of more than a dozen races in Britain, Ireland and France, which also means that punters should have plenty of form in similar races to work with when it comes to today’s Final. But it remains a daunting challenge, with no end of possibilities and plotlines for backers to consider including the near-certainty that at least one of the JP McManus-owned runners – Jeriko Du Reponet and Win Some Lose Some – has been steering towards today’s race for months. Dan Skelton, probably the smartest trainer in the British ranks these days when it comes to readying one for a festival handicap, also has a live contender in Catch Him Derry, while Tom Cooper’s D Art D Art, who has not raced since his qualifier in December, has emerged as favourite since I put him up at a few points bigger yesterday. Since my tips here often seem to go the other way in the market, I can only think that the fact that Tom Segal and Paul Kealy, perhaps the two most high-profile tipsters in the Racing Post, have also tipped him up is the main reason for the money.
SELECTION: D ART D ART.
2.40 pm market movers via Oddspedia
2.40 Pertemps Network Final odds
Odds via Oddschecker
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D Art D Art 6/1
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Feet Of A Dancer 8/1
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Jeriko Du Reponet 8/1
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Win Some Lose Some 9/1
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Will The Wise11/1
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Catch Him Derry 14/1
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Karl Des Tourelles 14/1
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Patter Merchant 14/1
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Henri The Second 20/1
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One Big Bang 22/1
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BAR 22/1 – 24 Runners
Key Race Trends
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Only 2 of the past 12 favourites have won this race.
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Only 3 of the previous 12 winners have won their race before winning this one.
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8 of the last 12 winners have won carrying 11st4lbs or less.
Two huge outsiders there in second and third. Fav backers are still struggling.
Cheltenham 2.00 result
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1 Caldwell Potter (H Cobden) 7-1
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2 Anyway (D J O’Keeffe) 125-1
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3 O’Moore Park (S F O’Keeffe) 66-1
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4 Nurburgring (J J Slevin) 9-1
19 ran
Also: 4-1 Fav Firefox
Non Runner: 19
Sad news: Springwell Bay sadly lost his life in that race. More news to follow…
“It’s irrelevant what they cost, but we got him right,” says Nicholls. The late John Hales bought this horse to replace the lost Hermes Allen. Someone’s just given Fergie a congratulatory slap across the chops. The old boy looks happy enough.
It won in the John Hales colour, and as a grey. An emotional win. “He’s been a difficult horse to train,” says Harry Cobden. “Paul and Clifford (head lad) have done a great job with him.”
That’s Paul Nicholls’ 50th festival win. “When you don’t have the horses, it’s a difficult job…he’s cheap now, isn’t he?”
Caldwell Potter wins the Jack Richards’ Handicap Chase!
Moon D’Orange is one of the first to struggle. Caldwell Potter is challenged but with two to jump he goes on and on, and off a kick. Can they catch him? Over the last he goes. And he’s got this licked. Sir Alex Ferguson has a diamond of a horse. Paul Nicholls is back! What a training performance. Great ride from Harry Cobden.
2.00 Jack Richards’ Handicap Chase
No mistakes, good jumping all round as they reach eight to go. Caldwell Potter is seeing a good stride. Firefox sat waiting. Nurgburgring is sat patiently Caldwell Potter still leads at five to jump.
2.00 Jack Richards’ Handicap Chase
Caldwell Potter is keen, maybe he is a machine. Moon D’Orange in midfield. They are being quite well strung out. Caldwell Potter leads them past the stands with 10 to jump.
2.00 Jack Richards’ Handicap Chase
There’s yet another false start – to boos. Not enough of them were straight. A standing start, and a couple are caught flat-footed. Caldwell Potter is the early leader, Firefox to the inside.