MY final pre-Cheltenham Festival 2025 piece with five Irish horses to mark up ahead of four days of brilliant jump racing.
It is important to note that Unibet are Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) on all 28 races at The Cheltenham Festival 2025.
I was at the home of jump racing on Tuesday where the sun continues to shine with double figure temperatures. Despite all the rainfall in the early part of the year in the Cotswolds the going is looking likely to be dominated by good to soft today and tomorrow with the consistent good weather starting to dry the ground, whilst a key factor ahead of next week is the amount of rainfall on Thursday evening and Friday as to plans ahead of Tuesday. It was fantastic to be at Prestbury yesterday and the excitement is building all the time. #notlong
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
Tuesday March 11th
1.20 – The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Grade 1 (2m ½f)
Kopek Des Bordes is going to take a lot of beating in Tuesday’s opener and can get favourite backers off to a good start.
It would be fair to say that before the Brave Inca at the Dublin Racing Festival the novice division was looking quite open, and perhaps lacking a star performer, but Kopek Des Bordes lifted himself well above the others with a devastating display in a Grade 1 , cruising clear on the bridle from the home turn and leaving the rest looking like second-raters (which they weren’t) in imperious fashion. It’s hard to find fault with him at the moment, and he should be winning.
Wednesday March 12th
2.40 – Handicap Hurdle (2m 5f)
Colonel Mustard is also entered in the County Hurdle however, let’s hope he takes his chance here as this trip could work well as this might just be what this ten-year-old needs at this stage of his career, given he has looked outpaced late on over the minimum distance.
This looked the case on his most recent start at Punchestown when second to Kitzbuhel on his last appearance in December, having finished a close third to Lucky Place at Ascot in November over 2m 3½f in a Grade 2, with Blueking d’Oroux in second, which was a good run.
Surprisingly, he has only won once over hurdles, however he has finished in the first three in fifteen of his eighteen career starts over hurdles, including a third to State Man in the 2022 County Hurdle, whilst he made a second Festival appearance in the Unibet Champion Hurdle last year finishing fifth behind the same winner.
This race in the last ten renewals has seen three winners aged eight and one nine-year-old, with four winners at 20/1+.
Colonel Mustard has that touch of class coupled with Cheltenham experience and given the forecast will be effective on the ground too.
Thursday March 13th
2.40 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (3m)
Karl Des Tourelles was highly tried last year, when racing in Graded company for much of the season, though he looked a different horse stepped up to three miles at Punchestown in November, finishing second to Franciscan Rock and looking a thorough stayer in the process. He has only been seen the once since then in late December, when finding the drop in trip back to 2m 4f against him (but again shaping well). He’s been saved for this since and is much better off at the weights with Franciscan Rock in the Pertemps, who has franked the form since. A very interesting contender.
5.20 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (3m 2f)
Mint Boy is an interesting one for the Kim Muir, which seems the most likely option for him at present as he is also entered in the Ultima.
A useful staying handicap hurdler when there was cut in the ground, he made a good start to his chasing career when third to Search For Glory at Galway in the autumn but didn’t really build on that at Fairyhouse next time, an early mistake not helping his cause. Neither did a drop back to a trip too short at Leopardstown at Christmas but he looked to have put all that behind him when third at Punchestown last time, jumping much better as the step back up in trip put a bit less pressure on his jumping.
He looks tailor-made for this Kim Muir and has a very workable mark.
Friday March 14th
2.00 – County Handicap Hurdle (2m 1f)
Pinot Gris has a sole entry in the County Hurdle and is overlooked in the market on the back of a game front running performance at Leopardstown over the Christmas period when just pipped near the line by Enniskerry after looking like the winner at the last in a 19 runner Handicap Hurdle. On his previous appearance he cruised up in a Novice Hurdle at Naas when never having to come out of third gear to score his second victory over hurdles on good to yielding. This five-year-old dual-purpose performer has clearly been laid out for the County Hurdle, will handle the non-testing conditions and has the right attitude to run well in a race where 20-1 and above runners have won five of the last ten renewals.
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