The horse named Champ was living up to his name before falling at Cheltenham on New Year's Day. He is still the favourite to win the RSA Chase back on the track at the Festival. However, there is now a chink in the armour and there will be more pressure on Champ's jumping at Cheltenham In March. The horse is best-priced +350 with Bovada to win the novice's championship chase.
Summerville Boy was an impressive winner on the same card this Wednesday. The horse won the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle in a manner that suggested he is back to his best. Summerville Boy won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2018. Little has gone right for the horse since that famous day but he is back in the mix for the Champion Hurdle, at +1400 with Bovada.
Lalor was another horse that produced a great performance at Cheltenham this week. In retrospect, he was a blot on the handicap in the Paddy Power Chase. Lalor is Grade 1 novice hurdle winner who impressed on his chase debut in a Grade 2 novice at Cheltenham in November 2018. The horse was narrowly beaten into third place on Wednesday but at this stage his Festival target is not known.
A horse for the notebook who ran at Cheltenham on New Year's Day is Goodbye Dancer. The form book will record that he fell in the handicap hurdle over three miles on the New Course, although the race analysis states: “Held up in last, headway approaching 2 out, challenged still going ok when fell last”. In fact, Goodbye Dancer looked all over the winner and should be backed next time out.
The bumper that closed the card was a listed race worth over £14,000 to the winner. It was run over one mile and six furlongs on the New Course. It is a major trial for the Champion Bumper at the Festival but that is on the Old Course and two and a half furlongs further. Audacity won the contest but Grand Roi is the horse to take out of the race in the context of the Festival bumper ( +4000 with Bovada). Willie Mullins often has a strong hand in the race.
Meanwhile, at Tramore in Ireland Al Boum Photo ran close to the level that saw the horse win the Cheltenham Gold Cup this March. His jumping was not fluent throughout the Grade 3 Chase, but he kept on under hands and heels to record a comfortable win by six lengths. Customers with Bovada can now back Al Boum Photo at +600 to win the Gold Cup again.
The most significant race over the coming weekend with regards the Cheltenham Festival could be the Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle on Sunday. It is a Grade 1 race over two miles and four furlongs and often features horses that run at Cheltenham in March. The most famous winner is Rule The World in 2013 because that horse won the Grand National three years later. Envoi Allen probably won't win the National but the Champion Hurdle is a distinct possibility.
The Gordon Elliott trained runner won the Champion bumper at Cheltenham last season. He has gone down the novice hurdle route but a convincing win at Naas will bring the Champion Hurdle into the equation. Envoi Allen is the long odds-on favourite for the race on Sunday but currently on offer at +1600 with Bovada to win the Champion Hurdle. Ante post punters who think the horse has the potential to win that race should be betting before Sunday.