The Festive Season Racing Review – Plenty of Cheltenham Festival Pointers

With the weather causing all sorts of problems over the Christmas and New Year period, us poor National Hunt racing fans will have to wait even longer to see if the great Kauto Star can make history in the King George VI Chase. The race has been rearranged from its traditional Boxing Day slot to that of January 15^th where it, along with the Christmas Hurdle will be added to the Kempton Park card.

These two fantastic races were not the only victims of the weather, the Welsh National was also lost but happily that too has been rearranged and included in a cracking looking seven race card at Chepstow this weekend.

It was not all doom and gloom however, over in Ireland the traditional Leopardstown meeting managed to conclude successfully giving punters plenty to cheer about. The meeting threw up several potential winners for the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival, none more so than Hurricane Fly, who was a mighty impressive winner of the Festival Hurdle, where he defeated his arch rival, Solwhit for the third time in four races.

So good was his performance that Bookmakers immediately made the Willie Mullins trained five year old the favourite for the Champion Hurdle, but there are so many potential winners of the Festival’s first day feature, that there will be much more movement before the runners go to post. The betting in fact is so close at the top of the Champion Hurdle market, that there is little to choose between the top three, Hurricane Fly is around 4/1 generally; Menorah is next best at 9/2 with reigning Champion Hurdler, Binocular at 5/1.

Champion Chaser, Big Zeb also put in a solid and impressive performance when winning the Grade 1 Dial-A-Bet Chase. He had only three in opposition which included the Willie Mullins trained duo of Golden Silver and Scotsirish who had to settle for second and third place respectively, while a disappointing Captain Cee Bee brought up the rear. Big Zeb’s trainer, Colm Murphy was well pleased with the performance and confirmed that he will probably have one more run before Cheltenham.

Noel Meade’s Pandorama, who was pulled up when well backed in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Newbury in November, bounced back in good style to take the Grade 1 Lexus Chase. He won the race by a very impressive 6 lengths from the Nicky Richards trained, Money Trix, with Paul Nolan’s Joncol ¾ of a length further back in third. The win has probably earned the seven year a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he is likely to be the major threat from across the water.

Probably the biggest shock at the Leopardstown meeting was the defeat of Zaidpour in the Grade 1Future Champions Novice Hurdle, by the Mouse Morris trained, First Lieutenant. Despite going off as the 1/4 odds on favourite the previously unbeaten Zaidpour did not run smoothly at any time, he still had had every chance in fact after the last flight but failed to get his head in front on the run in. It is possible that the race had come a little too quickly for him after he won the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle just a fortnight previously at Fairyhouse.

Morris was delighted with his horse and will now keep him off track until he lines up in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, for which he looks more than reasonable each way value at 20/1. Zaidpour is the 10/1 second favourite for the Festival opener, behind Cue Card at 5/1.

Fortunately Newbury also got the go ahead to run its card on 29^th December however the fog bound course did not provide fans with much of a spectacle. Nonetheless the Long Walk Hurdle certainly provided a look at a horse which must be regarded as the only Cheltenham Festival banker in Big Bucks, who romped away with the race winning by 6 lengths on the bridle. It was the Paul Nicholls trained superstar’s second win in the race and forced Bookmakers to shorten him once again for the World Hurdle for which he is now the 4/7 odds on favourite in the Cheltenham Betting for the race.

The other Grade 1 winner at the Newbury meeting was the Jonjo O’Neill trained Backspin, who looked a very good prospect indeed when taking the Challow Novices Hurdle over 2 miles 5 furlongs. The five year old was only making his second appearance over hurdles, having won on his debut only two weeks previously at Bangor on Dee, but to win by a massive eight lengths against a good quality field speaks volumes regarding his ability.

The win has earned the 6 year old a 14/1 quote for the Supreme Novices Hurdle but he has been made co-favourite at 10/1 for the Neptune Novice Hurdle for which will be his more likely target.