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| Punter's Diary by Malcolm Heyhoe |
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| Updated: 1st March 2007 - GG.com |
Festival Madness In March
When racing fans think of March, they think only of the four days
of the Cheltenham Festival and the start of the new turf Flat season
at Newcastle. The build-up to the former begins in November and never
lets up. Barely a day goes by without a bookmaker supplying a story,
or a trainer talking about the tricky road to Cheltenham. The Festival
defines the entire jumps season like no single event in any other sport.
Thankfully March’s racing programme starts quietly enough on
the 3rd of the month with Newbury’s VC Casino.com Gold
Cup, a classy two and a half mile handicap chase that is now
in its third year. Trainer Paul Nicholls may well have the answer to
this year’s race with the hat-trick seeing Nozic.
This would be nothing new because the same stable won the race a year
ago with Cornish Sett.
The following Saturday, March 10, sees Sandown stage its traditional
eve of Cheltenham fixture and the Sunderlands Imperial Cup takes
centre stage. This race is usually won by a lightly-raced youngster
that has managed to hide its talents in the current season and is often
to be found taking a step up in class. David Pipe will be seeking to
emulate his father’s terrific record of four wins in the past
ten runnings while any Irish raiders should also be respected.
The Sandown card also plays host to the EBF “NH” Novices’ Hurdle
Final and this is always a race to watch for future chasing
prospects. Some smart types have collected this prize down the years
and backers should look out for Nicky Henderson’s Sir Jimmy
Shand, who might just turn up here in preference to a tilt
at a Cheltenham Festival prize.
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The 2007 Cheltenham Festival kicks off on Tuesday March 13 with the Champion
Hurdle occupying prime position. Once again all eyes
will be upon the powerful quintet of Irish hurdlers that have dominated
this race in recent years and include Brave Inca,
the reigning champion and Hardy Eustace, a dual
winner in 2004 and 2005. Throw into the mix a precocious talent such
as Iktitaf, who can be forgiven his latest dismal
run on the grounds of a virus infection, and the Irish challenge
looks as strong as ever.
Twelve months ago many among the Irish raiding party would not have expected
to perform as well as they had done one year earlier. Nine Irish trained
winners in 2005 had been hailed as a special achievement but that figure
was swiftly eclipsed by a total of ten victories for the Irish in 2006.
I doubt whether they will be able to emulate either of these figures
in 2007.
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They certainly look up against it in the Champion Hurdle with home-based
challengers Detroit City and Straw Bear putting
down a serious challenge to the Emerald monopoly on the hurdling crown.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see either of the aforementioned
horses give the British their first Champion Hurdle winner since Rooster
Booster in 2003.
The two-mile speed machines enjoy their place in the spotlight on Wednesday
March 14 when the Queen
Mother Champion Chase pits reigning champion Newmill against
the powerful talents of Well Chief, Nickname and Voy
Por Ustedes. The former looked back to his
very best when landing Newbury’s Game Spirit Chase on his first
start for two years the other day.
Providing he isn’t hit with the ‘bounce’ factor that
can often see a horse perform below-par on its second star back after
a long absence, he should go well but rising stars Nickname and Voy Por
Ustedes will be no pushovers. Nickame has looked unbeatable over two
miles on soft ground and if those conditions prevail at Cheltenham, he
might be the one to give Ireland its second successive Queen Mother title.
On Thursday March 17 the Festival features its quietest day for championship
races with the World
Hurdle and the Ryanair
Chase combining to put substance into the creation of an
extra day for the modern Cheltenham. In the former contest the disgraced Black
Jack Ketchum will attempt to put his season back on track after
a dismal capitulation in last month’s Cleeve Hurdle at the same
course. He seemed not to stay a testing three miles that day and connections
will be looking for better ground this time around. Otherwise he may
not run.
Decent rivals lay in wait and they will include Mighty Man,
last year’s World Hurdle third who also requires a sound surface,
and the Francois Doumen-trained Kasbah Bliss, who handles
cut and is a live outsider. In the Ryanair Chase the Nicky Richards-trained Monet’s
Garden will never have a better chance of winning a Festival
race and laying his cautious trainer’s Cheltenham hoodoo. This
is a weak race.
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Friday March 16 sees the Cheltenham Festival climax with the Gold
Cup and it is hard to see beyond Kauto
Star in what looks a below-par running of chasing’s
Blue Riband. You know that this is an ordinary renewal when a plodder
like The Listener features in the top six in the betting. Exotic
Dancer aside, there seems no reason why Kauto Star shouldn’t
add this race to the King George he secured at Christmas. Much has
been made of his last-fence demolitions but he’s still been
standing and his canny trainer will adopt more enterprising race
tactics in the Gold Cup, thus playing to his horse’s strengths
and inconveniencing his rivals.
At the end of Gold Cup week on March 17 Uttoxeter stages the Midlands National and
watch out for Nil Desperandum, the current Grand National
favourite in this marathon four-miler while March ends on the 31st with
the Lincoln Handicap at Newcastle that features Willie
Knight’s recent Dubai winner Illustrious Blue among the market
leaders while over in the desert kingdom, Discreet
Cat and Invasor could clash in the Dubai
World Cup at Nad Al Sheba. Isn’t it great to have the
Flat back?
Malcolm Heyhoe is GG.com's resident tipster contributing a daily "Best Bets" column and a weekly feature called "The Weekend File". He is also a tipster for the Racing Post Weekender, contributor to The Guardian and has written on racing for Sporting Life, Racing Post, Irish Examiner and The Independent newspaper.
Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips
Archive February 2007
