And on we go!!! How was the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival for you? If it went well, you will be chomping at the bit in readiness for the start of day 2.
If it was tough going, you will be hoping/expecting your luck to change. 7 races down, 21 to go. Let us stay FOCUSED!!! Here is the rundown of all day 2 action, starting with Willie Mullins’ Ballyburn in the 13:30 Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
Embed from Getty ImagesGallagher Novices’ Hurdle (13:30)
The will he, will not he saga finally came to an end last week with Willie Mullins confirming that his novice hurdling ‘wonder horse’, Ballyburn, would skip the opening day’s Supreme for the Day 2 curtain-raiser instead.
The Gallagher Novices (or the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, to give its official title) is a stiffer test that the Day 1 ‘Supreme’. Run over 2 miles 5 furlongs, so half a mile or so further than the Festival opener. Mullins will be expecting the tougher test of stamina to suit Ballyburn, and who are we to doubt the wisdom of the Irish training legend.
It is yet another Cheltenham Festival race where Mullins has a top-notch record. He goes in search of a super seventh victory in the novices’ hurdle contest and will become the first trainer ever to win it three times in-a-row if/when he does. Over half the field hails from the Mullins yard, as he runs four others aside from Ballyburn. He looks to hold all the aces, with the current front-3 in the betting all his (Ballyburn, Ile Atlantique & Predators Gold).
It will be the first time that the British public will have seen Ballyburn in the flesh. He won three of his four 2023 starts. Following two cosy bumper wins at Punchestown, he would taste defeat for the first time on his hurdles debut at Fairyhouse in December. A mistake two output pay to his chances and despite finishing well, he had to settle for second behind Gordon Elliott’s Firefox.
Is Ballyburn the Real Deal?
Mullins’ 6-year-old responded emphatically though, routing a field at Leopardstown by a huge margin during the Christmas Festival. A positive in a nod to the Gallagher Novices, is that that particular 25-length victory romp was over a longer trip of 2 miles 4 furlongs.
Proof that he should not be lacking on the stamina front. He would head to Leopardstown again for a final Festival prep run at the beginning of February. Racing back over the shorter distance of 2 miles, he smoothly stretched out for a 7-length success.
The stats also back up Ballyburn’s claims with short-priced horses performing well in the event. Five of the last six winners going off at odds of 5/2 or under. Last-time-out winners also score highly when viewing the race trends, with 10 of the last 12 victors having won in their final prep race before the festival.
If looking for a bigger price beast to possibly prevent a second successive Mullins 1-2-3 in the event, Nicky Henderson’s Jingko Blue could be the one. All his career runs have come over approx. 2 miles 4 furlongs, and he heads to Cheltenham on the back of two successive wins.
Pick: Ballyburn (Next Best: Jingko Blue)
Check out the latest Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle prices
Embed from Getty ImagesBrown Advisory Novices’ Chase (14:10)
If Ballyburn flops, there is another short-priced Willie Mullins ‘good-thing’ ready to step up to the plate in the second race on day 2, in the shape of Fact to File. Or if as expected Ballyburn hits the high notes in the opener, the bookies will be sweating, fearing a big double hit early on. Only six goes to post for the Brown Advisory (formerly known as the old RSA chase). 3-mile novices chase contest that has returned winners who have gone on to become Gold Cup stars. That list includes the likes of Lord Windermere, Bobs Worth, Denman and even the great Arkle in the 1960s.
Fact To File has not finished worse than first or second in seven career runs to date. Although his last run in February was a virtual walkover, as his rival unseated in a 2-runner contest. He has Cheltenham experience in his locker. He went off favourite for the Champion Bumper at the Festival last year but would have to settle for second behind the impressive A Dream to Share.
A slight concern for Fact to File backers is that he has not raced over 3 miles since his Point-To-Point debut.
Will Fay Flay His Rivals?
In contrast, his main rival in the betting, Stay Away Fay, is well experienced over that trip, having competed over 3 miles on his last six starts. Paul Nicholls’ 7-year-old also likes it around Cheltenham, having won the Albert Bartlett at last year’s Festival. He had another good swing around Prestbury Park when third in the Cotswold Chase in January. Henry De Bromhead’s Monty’s Star failed to spark on his own Cheltenham start, pulling up in last year’s Albert Bartlett (won by Stay Away Fay).
American Mike has claims considering he’s only ran over 3 miles twice in a 13-race career and won both times. The Gordon Elliott runner impressed at the 2022 Festival when second in the Champion Bumper. He only finished 7th on his return last year, but it was in the 2m5f Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle. He would beat an odds-on Fact To File on his chasing debut at Navan in November.
Pick: Stay Away Fay (Next Best: American Mike)
Check out the latest Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase prices
Embed from Getty ImagesCoral Cup (14:50)
We switch tack for the third race on day 2. No more single figure fields, it is the Coral Cup (a hurdle event over 2m 5f) and there is always plenty of runners. It is usually a minefield for punters, but we are always up for a challenge. If we were being ruthless, we would just scrub out the jolly, Sa Majeste (yet another Willie Mullins ‘good-thing’), as there’s only been one winning favourite of the Coral Cup in the past 20 years, Dame De Compagnie (5/1, 2020).
I will scrub Sa Majeste out of the reckoning though. He looks too inexperienced for my liking with just four runs under his belt, two of them in France when under Yannick Fouin’s stewardship.
Eleven of the previous 12 winners had six runs or more prior to winning the Coral Cup. Doddiethegreat is also on the inexperienced side but has had a good previous Cheltenham run out and was a respectable 4th in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month. He has not tackled this distance since 2021 though, with recent runs all around the 2-mile mark.
Langer Dan Defends His Crown
Martin Brassil’s Irish raider, Built by Ballymore, is at least guaranteed to last the distance. He recorded wins in heavy going at Limerick in December (2m 4f) and Punchestown in January (2m 5f) and was staying on in the latter. Langer Dan returns to Cheltenham looking to defend his Coral crown. The Cheltenham stalwart is having his 7th race at the track (his 5th successive visit to the Festival).
No horse has ever managed back-to-back Coral Cup wins and his recent form is a little concerning. He is not finished better than 6th in four runs since his 2023 Festival success. Though connections will be hoping breathing that Prestbury Park air again will spark some life into him.
A couple of others that caught the eye were Might I and Rambo T. Might I has had some recent run-outs leading up to this and finished a creditable 4th in the Martin Pipe at last year’s Festival. Rambo T may be a little low on the official rating at 131, with most winners of the Coral Cup rated at 140+. However, he has started to climb up the figures, will definitely get the trip and was placed in a 16-runner event at Cheltenham in October.
Pick: Built By Ballymore (Next Best: Might I & Rambo T)
Check out the latest Coral Cup prices
Embed from Getty ImagesQueen Mother Champion Chase (15:30)
And so, to the day 2 feature and a field of experienced and classy chasers. A Willie Mullins favourite (again !!), but this is one I will not be looking to oppose. El Fabiolo has not tasted defeat over fences. He beat Jonbon by 5 ½ lengths when winning the Arkle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, and the pair clash once again. Despite winning well, El Fabiolo’s jumping wasn’t fluent that day, as has been the case in several of his races. It may be a factor that puts some off backing him at such short odds.
Jonbon is the only horse to have beaten El Fabiolo previously. That defeat came at Aintree in 2022 and was El Fabiolo’s final race over hurdles. In terms of prep races, Jonbon blotted his copybook a tad when failing to land the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham in January at noticeably short odds. It’s been plain sailing for El Fabiolo on the other hand, apart from some iffy jumping at times.
He was at his ruthless best at Leopardstown earlier this month. The jockey/trainer partnership of Paul Townend and Willie Mullins are looking for their third straight win in the Champion Chase. If El Fabiolo does the business, it will be the first time that’s happened since Robert Earnshaw and Michael Dickinson did it in the mid-1980s.
Pick: El Fabiolo
Check out the latest Champion Chase prices
Embed from Getty ImagesCross Country Chase (16:10)
Yes, it’s the one with the weird and wonderful obstacles over a twisting and turning stamina-sapping 3 miles 6 furlongs. Gordon Elliott loves the event, with five successes in the past seven years (Cause Of Causes, Tiger Roll (twice) & Delta Work (twice). The big-hitting Irish owners, Gigglestown Stud & JP McManus love it even more, with one of them winning the last 9 runnings of the X-Country.
There are no JP runners this year, but Gigglestown go with Delta Work (again) and Coko Beach. Delta Work goes in search of a third straight win in the event, something that even Tiger Roll could not manage. The equine legend completed X-County & Grand National doubles in both 2018 & 2019, but a 2nd at the Festival in 2020, meant he had to come back in 2021 to complete the X-Country hat-trick. Coko Beach is racing in the event for the first time but does have previous Festival experience (9th in 2020 Coral Cup & 2nd in 2019 Fred Winter).
Delta Goes for the Three-Peat
Delta Work may get the backing of the vocal Cheltenham crowd as they cheer him on for the hat-trick, but he is not the bookies favourite. Minella Indo is given that ‘honour’. He has had some amazing memorable days at the Festival.
Winning the Gold Cup (2021) & the Albert Bartlett (2019) and finishing second in the RSA Chase (2020) & Gold Cup (2022). But are his best days now behind him? He pulled up in the Gold Cup last year and was 4th in December’s running of the X-Country.
Gordon Elliott’s third and final runner, Galvin, looks to go one better than last year after finishing second to Delta Work in the 2023 renewal. He is another old Festival favourite, with several runs under his belt including landing the NH Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase in 2021. Though two runs over the X-Country course in November & December didn’t fill anyone with confidence that he would take the crown away from Delta Work.
Of the younger breed, 8-year-old Fameaftertheglory might be worth a look at, at larger odds. It will be his first Festival appearance, but he caught the eye when finishing 3rd over the X-Country course in December and he could be open to further improvement.
Pick: Delta Work (Next Best: Fameaftertheglory)
Check out the latest Cross Country Chase prices
Embed from Getty ImagesGrand Annual Chase (16:50)
The Grand Annual is the oldest race on the Festival schedule, dating back to 1834. It’s another big-field conundrum to try and crack, and with the last three winners priced at 22/1, 28/1, 14/1, it won’t be easy.
None of the last 30 winners carried topweight, so Henry De Bromhead’s Dancing On My Own could well be friendless in the ring. We will not be totally weightist though, as several recent winners have carried 11 stone or more. Last year’s winner Maskada carried 11st 1 and she goes again, but with 7lbs more on her back. She is looking to become the first horse since Dulwich in the 1970s to go back-to-back in the Grand Annual.
Willie Mullins Looking for His First Win
Amazingly, Willie Mullins has never won the race, but his sole-runner this year, Saint Roi, looks to be in with a chance. A well-campaigned 9-year-old who has had some memorable Cheltenham Festival moments in the past, including winning the 2020 County Handicap Hurdle. He was third behind both Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle 2022) and El Fabiolo (Arkle 2023). He could be too classy for his Grand Annual rivals, but will the 11st 10 anchor his ambitions?
Dan Skelton’s Calico is an interesting one, who goes off a handy weight of 11st 1. He also has decent form at Cheltenham and over the 2-mile trip too. Finishing second (twice) and fourth on his three previous non-Festival track runs. Triple Trade is another who might go well with a similar profile to Calico, though may not have the experience required.
Pick: Saint Roi (Next Best: Calico)
Check out the latest Grand Annual Chase prices
Embed from Getty ImagesChampion Bumper (17:30)
The prestigious National Hunt Flat or ‘Bumper’ event rounds off the day 2 action as we hit the halfway mark in the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. A few equine stars have won this and used it as a springboard to greater things, including Cue Card and Florida Pearl. The current top group in the betting: Jasmin De Vaux, Jalon D’oudairies, Romeo Coolio & Teeshan all won last time out, which has been an essential factor for numerous years.
Jasmin De Vaux is just one of NINE runners for Willie Mullins, who has won the race a staggering twelve times, and in four of the last six years. I would have liked Jasmin to have come to Cheltenham Festival with a little more track and trip experience and of the Mullins Nine, I prefer Cantico and Fleur Au Fusil.
It is interesting that Paul Townend takes the ride on Cantico, who has put in two bits of solid form over the trip at Leopardstown and Navan. Fleur Au Fusil is ridden by Paul Townend’s younger sister, Jody.
Of the leading fancies, Jalon D’oudairies, one of three Gordon Elliott runners, gets my pick. He recorded two eye-catching bits of work at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown and may have more track nouse than others. Jack Kennedy is in the saddle for the first time.
Pick: Jalon D’oudairies (Next Best: Cantico)
Check out the latest Champion Bumper prices
The first five races are shown live on ITV Racing, with the 16:50 & 17:30 shown live on Racing TV. Keep up with today’s horse racing results via Racing Post.
Good Luck All
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Image Credit: Deposit Photos
