Cheltenham - Day 3

Replays of today's races at Cheltenham on RTÉ.ie are available to watch here (Ireland only)

by Barry McEneaney

Review

The most low-profile card of the four-day Festival ended without a single Irish winner.

That shouldn't come as a big surprise as many of the handicaps haven't been our thing, while we didn't really have a legitimate candidate for the World Hurdle in which defending champion Big Bucks sauntered to an effortless victory.

Tranquil Sea and the Irish challengers in the Ryanair failed to fire, with the notable exception of back-to-form J'Y Vole who claimed third.

David Pipe was the trainer to follow, recording a brace on a competitive afternoon.

Tony McCoy was in the wars on not one, but two occasions during the afternoon. Having suffered an early exit on Jered in the opener, he went on to cement his man-of-steel reputation by winning on Albertas Run in the Ryanair just two races later. A case of fortune favouring the brave perhaps, but the capricious nature of sport meant that he was on the deck just two races later when Song Of Songs fell two out.

Word from the track is that the perennial champion jockey will be back in the saddle tomorrow. Men of steel don't break, they just bend a little.

Today's selections suffered mixed fortunes.

The getting-out stakes proved aptly named as BallaBriggs (that 'B' bothers me) did followers of this column a favour by winning at 9-1.

Sunnyhillboy was second as 6-1F, but 9-1 was available this morning.

The World Hurdle provided a disappointing result from a betting perspective. Sentry Duty was pulled up but that was always a possibility, we now know for sure that he doesn't stay. Back him on his first run next season and then forget about him.

Karabak hit the each-way crossbar by finishing fourth, while valiant second Time For Rupert received a favourable mention in the preview but wasn't advised as a selection. He's got a massive future, despite being well held by Big Bucks.

Tidal Bay ran too bad to be true. If you look at his last run against Time For Rupert it's clear he should have been third at the very worst. A strange, strange run.

Old pal Voy Por Ustedes was hammered from an opening show off 16-1 into 9-1 at the off. Given his optimum conditions, this was always going to happen. The only surprise was that the early prices weren't snaffled up by shop and online punters. The fact he could finish no better than fifth against these animals confirms that he's on a steep decline. He might never win another Graded race and he's one to swerve in future.

Alfie Sherrin never threatened to justify favouritism, but Cross Kennon ran a great race to be fourth at 16-1 (25-1 was available with most firms in the morning). He was a stone above his last winning mark and was the only hold-up horse to make the frame. A progressive horse to follow over extreme staying trips.

The opener saw Rivaliste make a succession of jumping errors and Ruby Walsh's mount did well to claim seventh. Finally, The Midnight Club ran a really good race to take third at 16-1 (20-1 available early doors), given the concerns his trainer had expressed over the lively going. He doesn't require testing going to be seen at his best, but slightly slower ground would have seen him go closer. He should probably have run in the 4m race on Wednesday.

The results indicate you should always seek out the best early price, if you don't already.

Hope to see you tomorrow for Gold Cup day where I'll explain why you should consider opposing Kauto Star.

4.40 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase, 3 miles 1/2 furlongs

The finale isn't exactly punter-friendly and my powder is going to remain dry in this one. BallaBriggs is a most tentative selection, while Galant Nuit looks interesting with Nina Carberry on board.

Avoid the Irish runners in this, we haven't won it since God's dog was a pup.

They're off.

BallaBriggs wins easily, not! Having cleared the last with a commanding lead, he emptied on the run-in. He stopped to a near walk, but Faasel never quite got there. It was mighty close.

It was squeaky-bum time for those that backed the winner at long odds-on in-running, but they live to fight another day.

Cheltenham 4.40
1 BallaBriggs (Mr R O Harding) 9-1
2 Faasel (Mr J Guerriero) 20-1
3 Galant Nuit (Miss N Carberry) 11-2 Fav
4 Ma Yahab (Mr Harry Challoner) 14-1

Khachaturian finished in fifth.

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4.00 Byrne Group Plate Handicap Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs

The next race is a truly awful race for favourites, but those jostling for favouritism look solid.

It's hard to argue against the credentials of Watch My Back and Sunnyhillboy. They're trading at 12.5 and 9.4, with slight preference for Sunnyhillboy.

Sunnyhillboy could have ran in the first race on the card but bypassed it for this. That may prove significant as that race was sponsored by Jewson, who also sponsor trainer Jonjo O'Neill's yard. O'Neill must feel the conditions of this race suit better.

He's been allotted a fair weight of 10-3 and talented young rider Richie McLernon takes three pounds of his back.

The worry is that this trip could prove on the short side.

Venetia Williams has a good record and saddle Atouchbetweenacara.

They're off.

Great Endeavour wins from Sunnyhillboy in second. From Dawn To Dusk was third with the veteran Mister McGoldrick in fourth. Gwanako finished fifth.

Cheltenham 4.00
1 Great Endeavour (Danny Cook) 18-1
2 Sunnyhillboy (R P McLernon) 6-1 Fav
3 From Dawn To Dusk (R Johnson) 20-1
4 Mister McGoldrick (J M Maguire) 33-1

Sunnyhillboy was 9-1 this morning and his second place saved bookmakers a fortune, although many will have backed him each-way. He hit a flat spot in his race, but finished well and will be better over an extra couple of furlongs.

That's a double for David Pipe on the day.

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3.20 Ladbrokes World Hurdle

Short-priced favourites have been getting turned over all week and Big Bucks just might be vulnerable on this ground.

Tidal Bay should run a huge race, Karabak could go well, while Sentry Duty is interesting if he stays the trip. That's a big 'if'. Time For Rupert is the other outsider with claims.

Big Bucks is 5-6F after he drifted out to evens. Plenty of money for War Of Attrition.

They're off.

Big Bucks wins easily, from Time For Rupert. Powerstation finished third.

Cheltenham 3.20
1 Big Buck's (R Walsh) 5-6 Fav
2 Time For Rupert (W Kennedy) 16-1
3 Powerstation (A J McNamara) 33-1

Big Bucks is the second-odds on favourite to win the race, but the first to prevail at this year's Festival.

Time For Rupert has a huge future as a six-year-old and found an incredible amount under pressure, but the winning margin didn't reflect Big Bucks utter dominance.

Tidal Bay was a big disappointment.

Bookmakers are already quoting prices for next year's race, but it's crazy to expect punters to tie up their money on an evens shot for 12 months when he returned 5-6F this afternoon.

Big Bucks could return to fences if something untoward was to happen to Kauto Star or Denman. At ten they're getting a bit long in the tooth and this variable should be factored into the price.

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2.40 Ryanair Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs

The results section of the website is now working again after technical problems earlier in the day.

Poquelin has been well backed, while Tranquil Sea is drifting like the proverbial barge.

Voy Por Ustedes has been hammered in the betting and he's now 10-1 from 16-1.

They're off.

Albertas Run wins back on his favoured good ground. Poquelin was second, while J'yole was third.

Cheltenham 2.40
1 Albertas Run (A P McCoy) 14-1
2 Poquelin (R Walsh) 11-4 Fav
3 J'y Vole (D J Condon) 28-1

A stewards enquiry has been called, but it only concerns the second and third home.

It's all about the ground this week, if you fancied Voy Por you had to fancy Albertas Run, although the winner was never quite as classy as that one.

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2.05 Pertemps Final (Handicap Hurdle), 3 miles

Hard not to fancy Alfie Sherrin, but also hard not to think he's awfully short at 7-2.

This has been a race for outsiders, but finding them isn't easy. Fredo and Cross Kennon are interesting, while Jonjo O'Neill's 33-1 shot Don't Push It (bigger on exchanges) is not necessarily a no-hoper. O'Neill has already saddled two massive price winners in this race.

They're off.

Buena Vista wins at 16-1 for Hadden Frost and David Pipe. First-time blinkers (how many people missed that) worked the oracle. Alfie Sherrin was too short and sank without trace. Cross Kennon finished fourth.

Cheltenham 2.05
1 Buena Vista (H Frost) 16-1
2 Prince Erik (R M Power) 16-1
3 Chamirey (W Hutchinson) 28-1
4 Cross Kennon (A O'Keeffe) 16-1

Many bookmakers pay fifth and Kayf Aramis filled that berth.

An emotional win for those at Pond House, as co-owner Jean Broadhurst is no longer with us. Just discovered they weren't first-time blinkers, so don't feel bad if you missed the winner.

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1.30 Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs

The four I liked here were Rivaliste, Nicanor, Kings Forest and The Midnight Club.

Rivaliste and The Midnight Club look the strongest of the four, with the latter particularly interesting. His hurdles form behind Weapons Amnesty was franked in no uncertain terms yesterday. He's a solid trends pick as the previous winners of this race had won only once over fences, finished in the first two last time out and a number of the winners had fallen over fences which probably protected their handicap mark and prevented trainers aiming for a more prestigious target.

The ground could be a worry though.

They're off in the first.

Copper Bleu wins the first for the Hobbs-Johnson team. Othermix was second, The Midnight Club was third, while China Rock was fourth.

Cheltenham 1.30
1 Copper Bleu (R Johnson) 12-1
2 Othermix (P J Brennan) 50-1
3 The Midnight Club (Paul Townend) 16-1
4 China Rock (N P Madden) 9-1

The placed horses fitted very much with recent trends.

The Midnight Club needs a greater test of stamina and could develop into a National type in a few years time.

Tony McCoy fell on Jered, but got up fine after being tended to by medics.

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Pre-race build-up

11.45am Hi, and welcome to our third day of live text commentary on the 2010 Festival.

The bookies are still ahead of the betting public at the halfway point and punters face a devilishly difficult task this afternoon with two Grade 1 races and a plethora of competitive handicaps up for decision.

Click here for Day 1 as it happened

Click here for Day 2 as it happened

Click here to watch past races

The action gets underway with the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase at 1.30.

Live video streaming here on www.rte.ie/racing for users in Ireland, with live audio streaming for users worldwide from RTÉ Radio 1.

A preview of today's Grade 1 action is available here.

Going

12.00 The official going is good to soft, good in places.

Simon Claisse's decision to water overnight is a questionable one.

Cheltenham's clerk of the course instructed his groundstaff to lay down three to four millimetre on selective parts of the course - namely down the hill, on the turns away from the stands and on the home straight.

Like most punters, I hate artificial watering. It can affect different parts of the course in different ways, robs a course of its consistency and can ultimately shatters the confidence of racegoers and the betting public.

Fans following the Festival have no sooner crystallized the view that good-ground horses are the way to go than the goalposts have been unceremoniously shifted. Oh, and were getting rain today, just not enough, and the weather forecasters never get it wrong. Ever.

One of the reasons many punters have had such an arduous two days is down to the beaten bankers. We're used to bottomless ground and cancellations in Ireland, but a harsh winter in Britain has seen many meetings lost and others run on heavier ground than normal in years past. That winter form is now starting to unravel as good-ground performers come into their own. This happens to an extent every year, but it' definitely more pronounced this time around.

This situation could have been avoided if drainage hadn't been 'improved' a number of years ago.

The safety of jockeys and horses is paramount, but nobody suggested the ground is unsafe and the sport will go ahead over far quicker terrain during the summer.

Schedule

1.30 Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs
2.05 Pertemps Final (Handicap Hurdle), 3 miles
2.40 Ryanair Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs
3.20 Ladbrokes World Hurdle, 3 miles
4.00 Byrne Group Plate Handicap Chase, 2 miles 5 furlongs
4.40 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase, 3 miles 1/2 furlongs

Selections

1.30 The Midnight Club, Rivaliste
2.05 Alfie Sherrin, Cross Kennon
2.40 Voy Por Ustedes (Win & ½ win stake place)
3.20 Tidal Bay (2 points each-way), Karabak (1 point each-way), Sentry Duty (3/4 point win only)
4.00 Sunnyhillboy
4.40 BallaBriggs

A preview of today's Grade 1 action is available here.

Non-runners

None to report, which is nice.