Colin Tizzard cannot have faced a bigger couple of days than the next two at this Cheltenham Festival. His Cue Card will have to work hard to bag a £1m bonus in Friday’s Gold Cup but first there is the World Hurdle, which looks at the mercy of his Thistlecrack (3.30).
Few horses can have made as much progress over the past year as this one, unplaced in the Imperial Cup last March but now rated more than two stones higher. He has been a runaway Grade One winner on two occasions and could hardly have been more pleasing in the manner of his trial success here in January.
Alpha Des Obeaux is entitled to make him work for it, considering he was only a length down on Thistlecrack when falling at the last flight at Aintree in April. The suspicion, however, is that he has probably not matched the winner for subsequent improvement.
On this drying ground, Cole Harden will once more be dangerous from the front, though his rivals have no excuse for underestimating him this time. Both of Paul Nicholls runners are worthy of respect, while having something to prove. Aux Ptits Soins is the more tempting, as a Festival winner last year on his only British start to date.
Lieutenant Colonel is interesting in the absence of the cheekpieces that lit him up through the early stages of this race last year. He has since had a wind operation and should appreciate the sounder surface he’ll get here than when faring respectably on his return to action last month.
1.30 Narrowly beaten in the Coral Cup here last year after making much of the running, Zabana is one of the few in this field who could really relish the drying ground. He impressed on his chasing debut when scoring at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting and can be forgiven his flop last time in a much hotter race, when the deep going became a factor.
2.10 An exciting talent from his successful hurdling debut at Ascot, Arpege D’Alene failed to make a chaser in the first half of this season at a time when many from his stable were disappointing. Returned to hurdles in handicap company, he did much better at Chepstow last time and would have won more easily but for an ill-timed blunder. He still looks very handily treated here.
2.50 Vautour is without doubt the biggest talent in this field and his brilliant success here last year was over this course and distance. The question is whether one is happy to take such a short price in a hot race about a horse whose preparation has evidently not been straightforward. At the each-way price of 25-1, Josses Hill is an alternative. He has taken time to learn about chasing but looked a lot sharper at Kempton last time out and was good enough to get a place in the Arkle at last year’s Festival. The extra half mile could be the making of him.
4.10 There has been plenty of progress from Stilletto this winter since joining Paul Nicholls, being fitted with a hood and being sent over fences. Given his recent achievements, notably a wide-margin success at Leicester, he could quite easily be higher in the weights.
4.50 The beautifully bred and apparently classy Limini looks absolutely the right favourite for the first running of this race. Her trainer, Willie Mullins, could eventually dominate this race as he has done the Mares’ Hurdle on day one.
5.30 Jonjo O’Neill and Derek O’Connor, who teamed up for day one victory, could do so again with Upswing, a good second here in November who was unsuited by desperate going in the Welsh National last time. Indian Castle, favourite for this race two years ago, is an interesting outsider.
