The Champion Hurdle, run over 2 miles
110 yards on the Old Course at Prestbury Park, is the feature race on
the opening day. Encouragingly, the contest has been won by just
three outright favourites in the last ten years, with winners at 16/1
and 22/1 in the same period, so our policy of looking beyond the
market leaders could pay dividends.
A glance at the current ante post
market reveals that the bookmakers 16/1 bar the first four, so we’ve
selected a couple that we think could go well at rewarding odds. Throughout you can check out the latest Cheltenham results at William Hill plus The Gold Guide to Cheltenham is also useful for a good overview.
The one that leaps from the page, as
far as we’re concerned, is Kitten Rock (40/1), owned by J.P.
McManus and trained in Co. Tipperary by Edward O’Grady. The
Laverock gelding was beaten on his sole venture into Grade 1 company
at Punchestown last May, but has resumed his improvement this season,
winning convincingly on all three starts.
Kitten Rock delighted his trainer with
his jumping when winning over 2 miles 3 furlongs on his most recent
start at Naas in January. On that occasion, he took advantage of a
mistake at the last by eventual runner-up, Glens Melody, to win by 3¾
lengths with 18 lengths back to the third horse. It’s worth noting
that Glens Melody is no slouch; in fact, far from it. Willie Mullins’
mare only went down by three-quarters of a length to stable companion
Quevega in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham
Festival and was still on the bridle in the last 150 yards when
winning a Listed mares’ hurdle by 7 lengths last Saturday.
In fact, Kitten Rock is due to run next
in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park on Saturday, February
14, where his trainer is ‘hopeful that going back to two miles with
a faster pace will suit him’. Kitten Rock is the best horse in that
race, according to official ratings but, even so, a win against a
couple of geldings that ran in last year’s Triumph Hurdle, would
surely see his odds cut for the Champion Hurdle.
Of the others, Garde La Victoire (50/1)
never threatened in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle,
eventually finishing fourteenth of eighteen, beaten 18½, but won the
Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November. He also battled back
gamely to beat Jollyallan (a 12/1 chance for this year’s Supreme
Novices’ Hurdle) by half a length at Sandown two weeks ago. Like
Kitten Rock he has about a stone to find with current ante post
‘hotpot’, Faugheen, but the case for Willie Mullins’ charge is
hardly watertight and he heads straight to Cheltenham without a prep
run this calendar year.
So, as just a little ‘taster’ of
what to expect at the Cheltenham Festival, our two against the field
in the Champion Hurdle are, in order of preference, Kitten Rock (40/1
with Bet365, Betvictor, Coral and William
Hill) and Garde La Victoire
(50/1 generally available). Above all, have a cracking Festival and
good luck!
