Cheltenham Festival Focus: Take a wild swing at 100/1 with Sire in the Stayers

• Daryl takes a small chance on 100/1 shot

• Quiet week but Blazing Khal the standout

• Allaho OUT of Ryanair

Weekly Round-up

There was little to get the teeth stuck into this week, and the only notable race from the mid-week period was the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Odds-on favourite Rare Edition, now out to 25/1 for the Supreme Novice Hurdle, was very disappointing as he failed to cope with Marble Sands in an effectively three-runner race after Kaleb unseated at the first.

I don't see the point in getting in too deep with this, both have run to the mid-130s, and none of these on this evidence will be playing a hand at Cheltenham in any of the Novice contests. This race needs downgrading from Listed status.

On Saturday at Naas, Sir Allen bolstered the claims of Blood Destiny in the Triumph Hurdle by winning the opening-rated Novice Hurdle and is now a 10/1 chance for the Boodles Handicap. He could play a hand in this, will relish a strongly run contest, and showed plenty of stamina after hitting the line hard here. He is very interesting.

On the same card, Magic Daze downed Dino Blue in the Opera Hat Mares Chase to book her ticket for the Mares Chase at Cheltenham, for which she is now a 16/1 chance.

Connections have been plotting a spring campaign, suggesting she was still fresh here. Given her out-and-out front-running style, she is interesting, but it would be disappointing if Allegorie De Vassy wasn't better than her solid 145 rating.

Billaway has tended to need his first run of the season and got back on track on this second outing with a 2/7 victory by 1/2 a length. He is now 12/1 for the Foxhunters Chase. He doesn't appeal.

Funambule Sivola's win was NOT a form boost for Editeur Du Gite

Funambule Sivola boosted the form of Editeur Du Gite's Cheltenham win and enhanced his Champion Chase claims - no, he didn't.

Funambule Sivola is a horse that comes alive in the spring and relishes good ground. His short, sharp stride simply isn't suited to soft ground.

The conditions at Newbury this day were very quick, completely contrasting those at Cheltenham behind Editeur Du Gite. He also loves Newbury.

While it may not be a boost to Editeur Du Gite, you could easily argue that given Funambule Sivola's ideal conditions are fast ground and Newbury the fact that he got within eight lengths of Energumene in last year's Champion Chase on almost heavy ground is a negative for that one.

Funambule Sivola is a 25/1 chance for the Champion Chase, although if he were mine, I would be waiting for Aintree.

The disappointing Greaneteen looks as though he is crying out for a step up in trip to me. He could easily play a part in the Ryanair Chase if connections were to consider it.

The Betfair Hurdle winner, Aucunrisque, will head to the Grand Annual after a gutsy front-running effort at Newbury and is now a 12/1 chance. He will surely go off shorter than that on the day and looks to have a great chance on all known form.

At Uttoxeter, Mister Coffey was partnered by Derek O'Connor in preparation for the Cheltenham Festival and ran an excellent race to finish second.

He has the option of the National Hunt Chase, for which he is a 9/1 chance or a repeat bid (2nd last year) for the Kim Muir 12/1. He certainly has a race in him, but the winner was behind Iwilldoit and Mr Incredable at Warick, and today's faster surface probably wouldn't have enhanced his chances.

Jonbon dethroned as Arkle favourite

Jonbon was pushed out in the Arkle betting to 2/1 and is now back into 7/4 after a workmanlike performance to fend off just one rival in the Kingmaker Novices Chase at Warwick on Saturday. Only two stood their ground, and it's probably lucky for Jonbon backers that there weren't more rivals.

The biggest asset of Jonbon, and the reason many think he will beat El Fabiolo, is because of how well he jumps. That wasn't always the case here. In fact, he was outjumped by the 136-rated Calico over the back five fences, and he adjusted to his right on multiple occasions.

Calico banked the final fence in the back straight after gaining three-four lengths over Jonbon. That error allowed Aidan Coleman to get his mount back into the race. He eventually won comfortably, but he traded at 3.953/1 in the running, and it was far from a smooth success, while his form is easily crabbed.

Cheltenham... Only Bettor w/Richard Hoyles! Watch here!

Luccia in a league of her own

Luccia sauntered to a fourth straight victory with an emphatic success at Exeter on Sunday. We already mentioned in this column previously that Luccia had run up to a rating of 140 which would see her very hard to beat in the Mares Novice Hurdle, and she confirmed that theory today.

She was in cruise control for the entire race.

The only thing that could stop her from recording a fifth victory at Cheltenham would be the daring nature of connections if they opted for the Supreme Novice Hurdle. She is a 10/1 chance for the opening race and a 7/4 chance for the Mares Novice.

Blazing Khal simply sublime in Boyne Hurdle

He could have been called the winner from a long way out as Blazing Khal returned to action to score in excellent style despite the absence of 14 months off the track. He stepped into an open-graded company contest for the first time and won going away with plenty in hand.

This was a career-best performance by some margin. The one noticeable thing was his high knee action which suggests some cut in the ground would be preferable but should also give punters solace that he will handle any conditions.

You could easily knock the form of this race, but he won't face many better rivals in the Stayer's Hurdle, and his price of 11/4 is very fair indeed.

He is probably not one you want to back ante-post at this stage, but he should be firmly insight for a bet on the day. I like him a lot for this.

Hunters Yarn threw his hat into the Supreme Novice Hurdle mix and is now a 12/1 chance after a Listed victory at Navan on Sunday. The form looks solid rather than extraordinary, but he won with any amount in hand.

The third Iknowthewayyourthinkin was beaten nine lengths by Champ Kiely last time in the Lawlors Of Naas and stuck on well, suggesting the drop in trip here was an inconvenience. There's something wrong with American Mike still. He set a very steady early tempo; courtesy of that, he should have finished his race stronger than he did. Imagine is a solid 130 performer.

It will be interesting to see what the handicapper does with Hunters Yarn. He looks hard to rate, but I suspect a mid-130s mark could see him end up in the County Hurdle for which he is 12/1.

Flanking Maneuver must be of interest!

The Ten Up Novices Chase is one of the final opportunities to qualify for the National Hunt Chase, with horses having to have had at least two runs over fences and finishing in the first four over 2m7 1/2 furlongs or further with a BHA rating of more than 120.

Winner Churchtownwarrior showed a good attitude to give already favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil a form boost after finishing second to that one on his penultimate start.

The winner had been behind The Goffer and Thedevilscoachman also in recent outings, and he wasn't winning out of turn. There's little to separate many of these in this division, but Churchtwonwarrior's 6/1 makes no appeal and only enhanced the claims of Gaillard Du Mesnil as the stand out for me.

That big eye-catcher was the strong travelling Flanking Maneuver for Noel Meade. He doesn't qualify (yet) for the National Hunt Chase and was returning to the track after 760 days off and was making his first start over fences. He could be anything. This was a really taking performance.

In regards to Cheltenham, the Ultima Handicap could be a possibility, as could the Brown Advisory (will need supplementing). Still, with his trainer seemingly lukewarm regarding the Cheltenham Festival, it's hard to have an ante-post view.

Allo Allo, Goodbye, Goodbye - Allaho OUT

I mean, is anyone surprised? It was confirmed today that Allaho would miss the Ryanair Chase after some suspect movement on the Betfair Exchange.

Perhaps the longest ongoing saga of the season, but this news is more delayed than unexpected.

Here is the comment from connections,

"Having worked pleasingly this past Saturday, Allaho was found to be uncomfortable after working and was then taken to the Fethard Equine Hospital, where he was found to have suffered some sort of abdominal bleed.

"Although a very rare condition, this was obviously of great concern. However, following treatment his condition appears to have stabilised

Fakir D'oudairies now heads the betting at 3/1.

It's a wild swing, but 100/1 will look silly should he line up

I quite fancy the chances of Blazing Khal in the Stayers Hurdle, but his price of 11/4 is correct at the time of writing, and I just don't think he will be much shorter than that on the day. I can see this cutting up, though, with many of the outsiders defecting.

One of those outsiders is Sire Du Berlais, who is completely the wrong price should he line up here, and at 100/1, it's worth taking the chance that he doesn't get qualified for the Pertemps.

There are just two qualifiers for the Pertemps left. Haydock this weekend, which would surely come too soon and at Chepstow on the 25th.

However, it wouldn't be like Gordon to enter one at Chepstow, and with Champ not running in the race this year, JP McManus doesn't have a representative (although he may purchase Gold Tweet).

Because Sire Du Berlais is now 11, connections may decide to let him take his chance, especially given that Gordon Elliott has a strong hand in the Pertemps.

He is not the force of old, but outside of Blazing Khal, this is not vintage renewal either. This is surely his best chance at winning a race at the festival - if they decide to go.

Sire Du Berlais has always been a horse to come good in the spring.

Backing him in the months of March or April, where he was typically aimed through his career, would have yielded three wins from eight starts and a second in this contest behind Flooring Porter in 2021.

He caught the eye when looking as though he would drop out of the TV screen in the Boyne Hurdle behind Blazing Khal and stayed on well over a trip short of his best. He could be coming to the boil, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he can run into a place.

For all this may be a longshot, he does have excellent course form, and his Aintree Grade 1 victory over Flooring Porter last year still is the strongest staying form on the table.

Take a very small each-way chance at 100/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook (he is 80 on the Betfair Exchange).