For the first time in nearly two decades, the going at the Cheltenham Festival “may well be heavy in places,” less than a week before the Festival meeting, Simon Claisse, the track’s clerk of the course, said on Friday ahead of a weekend that is forecast to see 17mm of rainfall at the course. “If we get what’s forecast, we’ll certainly end up soft,” Claisse said, “but it’s difficult to predict [the effect] because it all depends on the intensity.”
In recent years, good-to-soft ground for the first day of the Festival meeting has been one of the few certainties at Cheltenham and Claisse has often needed to water the course to stop it drying out. Predominantly soft ground at the start of Tuesday’s card is now an odds-on chance, however, while heavy going is as short as 4-1 and good ground a 200-1 chance.
“It was heavy [on what would have been the opening day] when we didn’t run the Festival back in 2001 because of foot- and- mouth,” Claisse said. “By the close of the weekend, we may well be heavy in places. There’s still rain forecast through Tuesday and Wednesday, [but] in many ways, what happens naturally is easier to manage than having to take decisions about any watering that we might do. If nature delivers it, then nature delivers it. It’s entirely out of our hands.”
Soft ground at Cheltenham on Tuesday has been backed from 2-1 a week ago to a top price of 4-6, and punters are also beginning to look for horses with proven form on soft ground in next week’s big races. Definitly Red, who took the Cotswold Chase on heavy ground at Cheltenham’s Trials meeting in January, is 12-1 from 16-1 with Ladbrokes for Friday’s Gold Cup.
The betting for Thursday’s Ryanair Chase has also seen several changes after Waiting Patiently, an impressive Grade One winner at Ascot last month, was taken out of the race at the five-day stage. Un De Sceaux, last year’s winner, is now top-priced at 6-4 (from 15-8 overnight) while the veteran Cue Card, who returned to form when second to Waiting Patiently at Ascot, is 6-1 (from 8-1).
Recent jumps seasons have been quiet for the North Yorkshire trainer John Quinn, who saddled a Triumph Hurdle winner in Countrywide Flame six years ago. Quinn could make his mark in a big race once more through Master Of Irony (2.25) in Saturday’s Imperial Cup at Sandown, the highlight of ITV4’s coverage on this last weekend before the Cheltenham Festival.
With Richard Johnson aboard for the first time and cheekpieces fitted, Master Of Irony looked progressive in victory at Wetherby in October. He was then caught out by the steady early pace when last seen at Newbury, never doing better than at the finish under Davy Russell in the Gerry Fielden.
From the same mark and with Johnson back in the plate Master Of Irony has obvious potential to outrun odds of 12-1. He is not quite proven on such a testing surface but there is enough give in his odds to allow for that risk.
Whatswrongwithyou appears to have had his problems and is not a tempting favourite for this handicap debut. Le Patriote is going the right way, however.
1.50 Sandown In this highly competitive affair Turtle Wars makes most appeal as one who could have a bit in hand at the weights. On the softest surface he has yet encountered Nicky Henderson’s five-year-old ran on pleasingly to break his duck at Huntingdon in January and his opening mark does not look terrifying. James Bowen is an encouraging booking.
2.05 Wolverhampton The best of Dragon Mall in a small field was not seen at Lingfield last time but this should be less tactical and hopefully he will get a clean run through from stall one. He has a low strike-rate but looks well treated and cheekpieces may help.
3.00 Sandown Anthony Honeyball’s bumper runners are always worth a second look and his Urca De Lima may be good enough for this. She won on her debut at Uttoxeter last April despite taking a keen hold and her reappearance in this company suggests there has been is no loss of stable confidence in her.
3.15 Wolverhampton Most of Second Thought’s rivals have had a more recent run but he looks a cut above so long as he is ready to go on this first outing since November. He is unbeaten in five on the all-weather.
3.35 Sandown The recent revival of the Tim Vaughan yard could continue through Tanit River, a winner over course and distance last month. A 5lb rise for that doesn’t even take him back to the mark he had for his previous outing, so there is clear potential for him to go in again in a weak-looking heat.
Sandown 1.20 Eragon De Chanay 1.50 Turtle Wars (nap) 2.25 Master Of Irony (nb) 3.00 Urca De Lima 3.35 Tanit River 4.10 The Last But One 4.45 Morning Reggie
Wolverhampton 1.30 Captain Lars 2.05 Dragon Mall
2.40 Intern 3.15 Second Thought 3.50 Ojala
4.25 Erissiumus Maximus 5.00 Barnaby Brook
Hereford 1.40 Phoebus Lescribaa 2.15 Grace Tara
2.50 Juge Et Parti 3.25 Minella Scamp 4.00 Just Your Type 4.35 Kauto Riko 5.10 Sizing Tara
Ayr 2.10 Uppertown Prince 2.45 The Jam Man
3.20 Ubaltique 3.55 My Old Gold 4.30 Broken Quest
5.05 Harry Topper 5.35 Dr Sanderson
Chelmsford 5.45 Atlantic Jet 6.15 Almanack
6.45 Big Lachie 7.15 Jazirat 7.45 Dal Harraild 8.15 Broderie 8.45 Broughtons Story 9.15 Four Fifty
