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Cheltenham Daily News: Juveniles, Handicap plots and the Gold Cup all feature on Day 4

Daryl Carter
18 March 2022
4:00 min read

Can Galvin and Davy land the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

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Welcome to the Cheltenham Festival Daily News centre, where Daryl Carter is on hand with the stats, betting info and angles as the curtain falls on another Cheltenham Festival.

"The handicapper has had just one run to judge his ability on - a demolition job of inferior rivals at Limerick in February. There were stacks of promise in that run, and he finished off his race in the manner of a very smart horse."

All week this column will be here updating you with the latest market movers, stats, and info with full focus on the Cheltenham Festival. I will take a look at one race of the day, update the Cheltenham Focus section of the column and offer all the latest info to keep you in the know.

Money Talk

Money Talk continues to highlight the Betfair Sportsbook big-money moves to keep you in the loop. This section highlights market moves between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.

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Mark your card

The Betfair Sportsbook is paying extra places today!

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In the opening 13:30 Triumph Hurdle, owner Rich Richi described Vauban [2/4] as his best chance of the week. Vauban remains at the top of the market and will look to be the first favourite in four years to win this contest and the fourth in the last ten.

Trainer's Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins have won the 14:10 County Hurdle three times each in the last seven years, and they saddle West Cork 9.08/1 and State Man 4.03/1.

Horses that have won the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors "50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff" Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown have finished 2nd, 2nd, 5th and 2nd in the 14:50 Albert Bartlett - Minella Cocooner 11.010/1.

Horses having a second crack (not including the previous year's winner) at the 15:30 Cheltenham Gold Cup have a poor record. Those having their second try today include A Plus Tard, Al Boum Photo, Royal Pagaille, and Santini. Those having their first attempt are usually the ones to focus on, Galvin, Protektorat, Tornado Flyer, Chantry House and Aye Right.

Ten or 11-year-olds have won the last seven renewals of the 16:10 Fox Hunters Chase.

In the 16:50 Mares Chase, jockey Mark Walsh has a 50% record on Elimay 2.47/5.

Only three single figured priced horses have won the 17:30 Martin Pipe in the last ten years. Langer Dan 6.05/1 will bid to go one better than in the race last year when bumping into Galopin Des Champs.

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Horses for courses

This section highlights horses that have won twice or more at today's tracks and could be in with a chance today.

County Hurdle
I Like To Move It - Has won here twice (67%)

Gold Cup
Santini - Has won here twice (25%)
Al Boum Photo - Has won here twice (50%)
Minella Indo - Has won here twice (67%)
Chantry House - Has won here twice (60%)
Galvin - Has won here twice (50%)
Protektorat - Has won here twice (29%)

Mares Chase
Vienna Court - Has won here twice (50%)

Furthest traveller

Today's furthest traveller is trainer Stuart Coltherd with his runner Maid O Malley 151.0150/1 in the 16:50. He has made the 303-mile journey.

Cheltenham Festival Focus

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Well, yesterday didn't go as planned for the column!

Brandy Love came out before the race with a vet's certificate costing us our ante-post bet.

Mister Coffey traded at a low of 1.68/13 before not going through with his effort to finish second in the Kim Muir to scupper what would have been a right result. Sire Du Berlais was badly hampered by a faller mid-race when travelling well. Why did I not tip Stolen Silver each way? He ran a great race to finish fourth, and Janidil did return some each-way money by running an excellent second to Allaho in the Ryanair.

What's left?

Today we have Vauban in the Triumph Hurdle tipped at 11.010/1 and is now 7/4. I wouldn't blame anyone for going in again. I think he could be a special horse.

Eric Bloodaxe will at least have the ground in his favour for today's Albert Bartlett, but he doesn't look like a natural over fences, and his season hasn't gone the way I wanted it to. Just sit and hope on the ante-post position.

Minella Indo tipped at 9.08/1 has a real good chance of landing back to back Gold Cups. I prefer Galvin today, but I am happy we got Minella Indo in the book and covered!

Langer Dan, our three-point selection at 5.04/1 is currently 6.05/1, but I am happy with where we sit with him and hopefully, he can do the business!

Staked = 30.5pts (got this wrong yesterday at 29.5pts)
Returned = 10.5pts
P/L = -20pts
Still to run = 6pts

Race of the day

We look at the 15:30 Gold Cup, where a competitive field of 11 head to post for racing's most prestigious prize.

A Plus Tard was an excellent second in this race last year and stayed on strongly up the hill. He has had a productive season, scored in emphatic style in the Betfair Chase, albeit the form of that is a little suspect, and then ran an excellent second to Galvin in the Irish Gold Cup last time out.

He is very hard to knock, but how much improvement there is to come is up for question, given he had few excuses when finding Galvin too strong at Leopardstown last time. Still, he is solid.

Galvin has improved with every start this term and overcame adversity to score in the Irish Gold Cup last time out to record a career-best effort. He is a thoroughly likeable horse who enjoys Cheltenham and will find drying conditions in his favour.

He is the one who arrives here with few questions to answer and could be about to post another career-best effort now in his prime.

Minella Indo comes alive in the spring, and at this course, the 2021 winner looks set for a bold bid to defend his crown after a more encouraging effort at Leopardstown last time out.

He can easily be forgiven his reappearance and his Kempton flop in first-time cheek-pieces, and all the dominos look stacked today for a big run.

Big race verdict

There are others to give a good mention to. Tornado Flyer won the King George on his last outing and is unexposed at this trip. However, this is a world away from an easy three miles at Kempton, and he needs to prove his stamina. Protektorat is the main hope of the British and arrives here fresh off the back of an Aintree demolition job and has improved all season. Still, Galvin gets the deserved vote and still looks on an upward curve.

Racing review: All the drama from day three

Did we see next year's Gold Cup winner at #Cheltenham today?

Galopin Des Champs has been installed as the 3/1 favourite to win the #CheltenhamFestival feature in 2023.#CheltenhamWithBetfair pic.twitter.com/EMFEb9X6MS
-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) March 17, 2022

Ghosts of Cheltenhams past came to haunt Willie Mullins on day three, but he was soon back in good spirits with the demolition job done by Allaho in the Ryanair. Daryl Carter has all the info...

Read racing review here.

State Man and Langer Dan can end Festival on a high

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Today is my strongest day, and I hope the market has called both handicaps right. State Man 3.55/2 is a horse I have wanted to keep on the right side of for a long while, and there was a hint at the start of the year that this horse was Willie Mullins' Supreme candidate. He now finds himself in a handicap off an opening mark of 141. Still, this horse should of been contesting one of the premium Novice Hurdle events, if not for a fall on his seasonal/stable debut at Leopardstown when travelling strongly.

The handicapper has had just one run to judge his ability on - a demolition job of inferior rivals at Limerick in February. There were stacks of promise in that run, and he finished off his race in the manner of a very smart horse.

Langer Dan 6.05/1 is likely to be overlooked for something at a flashier price in the Martin Pipe. Still, his performance in this race last year when bumping into subsequent Grade 1 winner and all-round monster Galopin Des Champs deserved a big upgrade after having to come from an unpromising position. That is the fear, given horses have not done well from off the pace this week, but he could be so well-handicapped that it might not prove beyond him.

He was remarkably dropped for his "pipe opener" at Taunton and now is just two pounds higher than last season's run, and he is surely worthy of a rating of 145 plus, and this "plot job" can go one better than 2021.