Cheltenham Festival 2021 - Day 4

 

It was nice to get a big priced winner on the board with Mrs Milner (14/1) yesterday and head into the final day with a bit of confidence. A couple of no bet races today with the focus on the handicaps again for me.


13:20 - Triumph Hurdle 2m1f

Zanahiyr and Tritonic have been battling for favouritism in the last couple of weeks for this contest but it is probably dangerous to rule out Quilixios for the bang in form combination of Rachel Blackmore and Henry De Bromhead. They very much look the three to focus on but none of them tempt me in for a bet so this will be a watching brief.


13:55 - County Handicap Hurdle

Another massive field for this handicap hurdle and plenty of extra places on offer (8 at Skybet and 7 at Paddy Power). I’ve had a horse in mind for this race for some time in the shape of MILKWOOD, who is still a big price and definitely one I want onside each-way. He ran in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at the start of the season and that’s a piece of form which has worked out nicely since. Neil Mulholland’s gelding was then desperately unlucky at Newbury when hampered but ran on well to finish third, then was poorly positioned in the Betfair back there last time. This drying ground is a plus and I think he is very well handicapped off a mark of 140 here. Another from that Betfair hurdle is FIFTY BALL who also wasn’t best placed, but ran best of those held up to finish a solid second. He’s up another 4lb for that run but had improved with every run this year and could still be ahead of his mark, I’ll be having an each-way play on him here.

ECLAIR DE BEAUFEU looks to have been given a bit of a chance by the handicapper racing off a hurdle mark which is a whopping 14lb lower than his chase rating. His form figures are hardly inspiring but he did make some eye-catching late headway when sixth last time out and has that all important festival form, courtesy of finishing 2nd in the Grand Annual last year off 149. He’s off 139 over hurdles here and granted luck in running should be worth backing each-way. 

MILKWOOD 33/1

FIFTY BALL 16/1

ECLAIR DE BEAUFEU 10/1


14:30 - Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 3m

This race has a habit of throwing up big priced winners and I couldn’t find an angle this year so I’m happy to sit this out.


15:05 - Gold Cup 3m2f

Although the price has shortened up considerably I really like the claims of A PLUS TARD in the big one this year. The trainer jockey combination could hardly be in better form and the way he finished off his race in the Savills chase at Leopardstown over Christmas suggests these extra couple furlongs shouldn’t pose a problem. Al Boum Photo is going for his third win in a row in this race and has had exactly the same prep as last year, he will be a hard nut to crack but the selection could well improve past him.

Champ has had an unorthodox preparation for this having run over two miles on his most recent start, but his jumping was much better then and the way he finished off his race when landing the RSA last year would suggest he’s a big player. Frodon would be a very popular winner but he’s unlikely to get his own way up front with the likes of Native River and Kemboy in the lineup. Santini is a slow old boat but that’s the type of horse you often need to grind out in the closing stages in this race, as he so nearly managed last year when second.

A PLUS TARD 3/1


15:40 - Hunters Chase

Not a race for me this so won’t waste words, no bet.


16:15 - Mares’ Chase 2m4f

This is another race where I have some multiples involving the favourite so won’t be backing her, especially as her price has shortened significantly since. I’m happy to have a fresh interest in SHATTERED LOVE, who was behind the favourite last time out but will be much more suited to todays longer trip. She has Cheltenham form in the book courtesy of her win in the JLT back in 2018 and although she might like a bit more cut underfoot, she does have some form in the book earlier in career on good to yielding. Given the top two in the betting carry penalties today I’m happy to play her each-way against them to small stakes.

SHATTERED LOVE 15/2


16:50 - Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle 2m4f

An absolute bamboozler of a finale here with just the 25 runners to work through. MARTINHAL was the first to catch my eye at a big price for David Pipe (son of Martin). He’s an improving novice who comes here in search of hat-trick and the form of his recent win at Exeter has worked out nicely with both the second and third winning races since. There’s a chance this step up in trip could eek out more improvement and he’s 2lb well in near the bottom of the weights.

A slightly more obvious option is LANGER DAN, who raced only six days ago at Sandown when comfortably landing the Imperial Cup. He will bag a £50,000 bonus if he wins here, similar to the Shunter yesterday, but is a much more bankable price at around 7/1. 5lb well in at the weights with plenty of extra places available he’ll do for me in the final race of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival. 

MARTINHAL 33/1

LANGER DAN 7/1

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