Cheltenham ´04
(day three - part one)

Analysis & Selections by

ðE` RØøK

Whether it be "the race of the day" or a small prize round the gaffs, we will attempt to use our knowledge of the formbook to highlight the fancied horses participating each day and their characteristics and requirements. Hopefully this ´second opinion´ provides you with a winner or two each day, or even reinforces your own view on a particular may even convince you to back some of those horses which we feel are the "ones to fear", or have decent each-way claims. whichever is the case, we hope the information is of use to you.

SELECTIONS - For each race, we have given you who, in our view, are the likeliest winners; (1er _ THE WINNER?), as well as any runners who could run well at each-way odds; (E/W ALTERNATIVE) . Any runner from our features are shown before each race 's analysis.

Up to the minute racing news.... 

Sports: horse racing news

Cheltenham ´04 Cheltenham _ New Course Thursday, 18 March ´04.

¦¨¨¨¨¨¨Fourteenth¨Race¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--: J.C.B. Triumph Hurdle [gr. I] 2Miles~1f £100,000 - For Novice Four-Year-Olds only. Weights: 11st each. Allowances: fillies & mares 5lb. Entries closed Wednesday, January 28, 2004. Entries revealed Monday, February 2, 2004 (125 entries). Forfeit stage Tuesday, February 24, 2004. Five-day confirmation stage Saturday, March 13, 2004. Final declaration stage 10.15am, Wednesday, March 17, 2004. 
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¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ONE¨Tº¨JUMP´º4¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦ ¬ are there any horses from ONE Tº JUMP ´º4 - our feature which at the beginning of each season, sets out to provide a list of horses to follow during the current national hunt season? ¦ --: Fontanesì, A Toi A Moi (FR), Choc Dee, Kjetil (USA), Made In Japan (JPN), My Will (FR) and Pack Jack (FR)
¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨"ðE´RØøK"¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--: The J.C.B. Triumph Hurdle attracted a huge entry of one hundred and twenty-five juveniles. It´s doesn´t produce future Champion Hurdlers which I believed was it´s original intention, though it has thrown up some good hurdlers like Kribensis (1988, who went on to win the Champion Hurdle) as the well as the likes of Mysilv (1994), Heighlin (1980), Pollardstown (1979), Connaught Ranger (1978), Persian War (1967, who went on to win 3 Champion Hurdles) as well as having launched the careers of future chasers like Katarino (1999), Upgrade (1998), Commanche Court (1997) and Paddy´s Return (1996). Having waded through the field, here is my shortlist:

CHERUB (GER) - trained by Jonjo O´Neill

DALARAM - trained by Howard Johnson

DEFINATE SPECTACLE - trained by Noel Meade

FONTANESÌ - trained by Martin Pipe

GLENCOYLE - trained by Nicky Henderson

HASANPOUR - trained by Charlie Swan

HOWLE HILL - trained by Alan King

IMAZULUTOO - trained by Jessica Harrington

KING REVO - trained by Patrick Haslam

LOCKSMITH - trained by Martin Pipe

MADE IN JAPAN (JPN) - trained by Philip Hobbs

MOULIN RICHE (FR) - trained by Francois Doumen

MY WILL (FR) - trained by Paul Nicholls

PAK JACK (FR) - trained by Philip Hobbs

POP ART (FR) - trained by Christophe Aubert

PROMINENT FEATURE - trained by Dermot Weld

RAIKKONEN - trained by Willie Mullins

ROYAL KATIDOKI (FR)- trained by Nicky Henderson

TARQUE - trained by Venetia Williams

TROUBLE AT BAY - trained by Alan King

TUSK - trained by Henrietta Knight

VAL DU DON (FR) - trained by Guillaume Macaire

WILD PASSION (GER) - trained by Noel Meade

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯SUMMARY¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| --: Far more competitive than the market suggests and this will take plenty of winning. It is by no means certain that the best horse officially in the lineup will come out on top and therefore it may be unwise to take a literal interpretation of the form shown by what we generally perceive to be the leading candidates, Trouble At Bay, Mondiál, Tusk and Power Elite. Each of these have come out on top in the most notable trials for this race, however none of them have yet demonstrated their suitability to a flat out 2m1f gallop-fest. The winner of this race is going to have to demonstrate the ability not only to travel well throughout but also be able to quicken uphill after the sustained pace of the race. Whilst you can argue that Trouble At Bay has most of these attributes, we do note that on more than one occasion he has flattened out before staying on resolutely in the final quarter-mile. Whilst it's possible to do that in a run of the mill novice event, he may not find matters as easy under these circumstances and to be honest if there was a lay in this race, it would have to be him.  I will be looking for horses that demonstrate to me their abilities to travel on the bridle and then we'll allow fate to determine what happens close home. 

With this in mind, it's hard not to consider Tusk (who stayed on resolutely to win last time out at Sandown), Power Elite (a listed race winner on the flat in France who overcame trouble in running to win at Leopardstown last time out), Moulin Riche (I've seen all his races in France and he will definitely appreciate the strong gallop here) , Adopted Hero (travelled sweetly when beating Chief Yeoman at Huntingdon last month), Dalaram (a decent performer on the flat last season who fairly sprinted after the last to win at Musselburgh last time out), Made In Japan (has always travelled well throughout his races, both on the flat and more recently over hurdles: he has improved with each of his races over obstacles and outfought Royal Katidoki at Sandown last month), My Will (Ex-Guillaume Macaire who won twice in France before just failing to beat King Revo at Haydock a month ago), Manguier (five times winner over fences in France: lost his confidence after falling in a Grade 2 chase at Auteuil but does travel well in his races and is an interesting unknown quantity), Pop Art (Christophe Aubert 's colt has impressed in winning his last two starts, most recently when stepping up in Grade in Auteuil three weeks ago), Val Du Don (has run well against the leading candidates in two trials over course and distance yet hasn't had the strong early pace he desires) and Wild Passion (decent performer in Germany last season who caught the eye when staying on strongly to get within half a length of stablemate Power Elite at Fairyhouse in February). I believe the winner will come from this pool of runners however with so many still in the race it's hard to pin myself to one runner. I do believe the French hold a particularly strong hand and  therefore I'd suggest a little each-way investment on one of their runners to prevail here.  
|¯¯1ST¯PLACED?¯¯| ¬: Moulin Riche (FR)
|¯2ª¯place?¯| ¬: Val Du Don (FR)
|¯3ª¯place?¯| ¬: Power Elite
|¯4ª¯place?¯| ¬:  Wild Passion (GER)

¦¨¨¨¨¨¨Fifteenth¨Race¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--: Bonusprint Stayers` Hurdle [gr. I] 3Miles~ £140,000 - For 4-Year-Olds & upwards. Weights: 4-Year-Olds 11st; 5-Year-Olds & upwards 11st 10lb. Allowances: fillies & mares 5lb. Entries closed January 14, entries revealed January 19 (33 entries), forfeit stage February 24, £7,000 supplementary entry stage March 13, five-day confirmation stage March 13, final declaration stage 10.15am March 17. 
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¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ONE¨Tº¨JUMP´º4¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦ ¬ are there any horses from ONE Tº JUMP ´º4 - our feature which at the beginning of each season, sets out to provide a list of horses to follow during the current national hunt season? ¦ --: Sh Boom and Galileo (POL)
¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨"ðE´RØøK"¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--:  The Stayers´ Hurdle is one of the newest races at the National Hunt Meeting, having been introduced in its current form in 1972. Before that, it was the Spa Hurdle, now run at Cheltenham ´s New Year Meeting... In that time it has been won by some useful types like Brown Lad (1975), Derring Rose (1981), Crimson Embers, (1982), Galmoy (1987-8), Nomadic Way (1992), Doran´s Pride, (1995), Cyborgo (1996), Anzum (1999), Bacchanal (2000) and of potentially the best of them last year´s winner Baracouda. He is amongst the thirty-two entries trying to win this event and below are the horses who we feel are most likely to figure here;

CALLING BRAVE - trained by Nicky Henderson

CRYSTAL D´AINAY (FR) - trained by Alan King

DAVENPORT MILENIUM- trained by Willie Mullins

HARDY EUSTACE - trained by Dessie Hughes

HOLY ORDERS - trained by Willie Mullins

IRIS´S GIFT- trained by Jonjo O´Neill

PIZARRO - trained by Edward O´Grady

REDEMPTION - trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies

ROSAKER (USA) - trained by Noel Meade

SH BOOM - trained by Jonjo O´Neill

SOLERINA - trained by James Bowe

STORMEZ (FR) - trained by Martin Pipe 

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯SUMMARY¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| --: I could write a long précis outlining the possible: how the race may be run and who will come out on top. However, on the evidence on what we have seen this season, is there really anybody who believes Barracuda will lose ...I don't. He may be given and injudicious ride...he may try and pull himself up in front. However, this season he has arguably put together three of the best staying performances we've seen for a long time and whilst I respect Iris's Gift, Solerina, Sh Boom, Crystal d´Ainay and Rosaker (to name but five) I just can't see them beating him unless something terrible goes wrong.
|¯¯1ST¯PLACED?¯¯| ¬: Barracuda (FR)
|¯2ª¯place?¯| ¬: Iris's Gift
|¯3ª¯place?¯| ¬: Rosaker (USA) (e.W.)
|¯4ª¯place?¯| ¬: Crystal d´Ainay 

¦¨¨¨¨¨¨Sixteenth¨Race¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--: CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP [steeple¨CH´.] - Sponsored by the Tote. [gr. I] 3Miles~2f 110yds £350,000 - For 5-Year-Olds & upwards. Weights: 5-Year-Olds 11st; 6-Year-Olds & upwards 11st 10lb. Allowances: mares 7lb. Entries closed January 7, entries released January 12 (32 entries), forfeit stage February 24, £17,500 supplementary entry stage March 13, five-day confirmations March 13, overnight declaration stage, 10.15am March 17
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¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ONE¨Tº¨JUMP´º4¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦ ¬ are there any horses from ONE Tº JUMP ´º4 - our feature which at the beginning of each season, sets out to provide a list of horses to follow during the current national hunt season? ¦ --: Jaïr Du Cochet (FR)
¦¨¨¨¨¨¨¨"ðE´RØøK"¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¦--: Thirty-two horses were entered for this season´s renewal of the for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, including Best Mate, whose seeks to be recognized amongst the greats including L´Escargot, successful in 1970 and 1971, Arkle (1964, 1965 and 1966), Cottage Rake (1948, 1949 and 1950), Golden Miller (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936) and Easter Hero (1929 and 1930), who have won this race. There are currently twenty horses left in the race, however for the first time, there is a supplementary entry stage five days before the race, which might allow a horse to be added to the field at a cost of £17,500. Here anyway are my thoughts on the potential line-up;

	ALEXANDER BANQUET - trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland ¬: A useful steeplechaser a few seasons ago who seems to have had the edge knocked off of him due to injury. Although he has run respectably in handicap company of late, he is going to have to improve appreciably on recent form to figure here if all leading contenders were to run their respective races.
	ARTIC JACK (FR) - trained by Sue Smith ¬: A former useful novice chaser who has returned from a year off to show improved form in victories at Haydock, most notably when lowered the colours of Kingscliff two months ago. Ran well considering his weight in the Da Vere Gold Cup behind Jurançon II three weeks ago and may well be a lively outsider if connections are bold enough to let him run.
	BEEF OR SALMON - trained by Michael Hourigan in Ireland ¬: A hugely talented chaser who would be almost certainly place material if you could guarantee a clear round, however he was an early casualty when a novice last year and despite demonstrating that he retains his ability this season, most notably when chasing home Édredon Bleu at Thurles. His lack of technique has been ruthlessly exposed at the highest level, particularly when only coming third to Best Mate over Christmas. Beef Or Salmon sustained a back injury which has kept him off the course since that run. Whilst that isn´t an ideal preparation, he would have to be respected were he to line up on the big day.
	BEST MATE - trained by Henrietta Knight ¬: In most people´s eyes, this is a penalty kick for the dual Gold Cup winner, however we do not subscribe to that view and there are lots of reasons to believe that this assignment will be far harder to secure than the last two renewals of this race. There is a lot of unnecessary hype surrounding this horse which has been used to ´spin´ excuses for his defeat in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last November. However, if you examine the actual excuse given which was the unsuitability of the ground, it is surprising that more questions were not raised of this comment, particularly after his win at Leopardstown over Christmas. In our view, the Peterborough Chase demonstrates the two fundamental flaws in Best Mate´s armoury: a) He is very vulnerable off of a slow pace and; b) Good horses with gears who take the initiative and strike first have a good record against his final burst. Jacques Ricou inadvertently probably used both of those against him at Huntingdon and as a result, always held the initiative. Tactically, would it be logical to do the same at Cheltenham, especially when there are no real valid excuses for that result (the ground at Huntingdon, though soft would not have been much worse than the ground Best Mate won on at Leopardstown at Christmas)? Secondly, for a horse who is so lightly raced, there surely can´t have been a significant amount of condition on Best Mate. To run him unfit would be totally illogical. If you feel he is a foregone conclusion, at least consider that before visiting the bank manager to extend your mortgage.
	CYFOR MALTA (FR) - trained by Martin Pipe ¬: I would love Cyfor Malta to run well in the Gold Cup and were the horse that won the Tripleprint Gold Cup 18 months ago to turn up, he would have solid each-way chances here. However, like a lot of Martin Pipe ´s horses, he hasn´t run particularly well this season, certainly not anyway enough to give him a major chance....that said, he has at least been given the perfect preparation as he does run best fresh.
	FIRST GOLD (FR) - trained by Francois Doumen in France ¬: On the face of it, First Gold looks as he missed his best opportunity to win this when he was ´robbed´ of a chance to run during the 2001 season lost to the foot and mouth outbreak and that can be argued from his second to Édredon Bleu in a muddily King George at Kempton in December. Whenever I think that, I immediately remind myself of the statements the emanate from the Doumen camp which suggests that they have got him back to almost near that level of form and were connections bold enough to attack from flagfall, who knows what he might be still capable of achieving?
	FLORIDA PEARL - trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland ¬: Well this would be a story and a half, wouldn´t it? Ireland´s best finally managing to get up the hill to land the ´big one´. It would probably top Édredon Bleu´s win in the King George for raw emotion. However, although it has been lovely to see him in such great form this season - most notably when winning his fourth Irish Gold Cup last time out at Leopardstown, he is still going to have to be able to up his game (certainly on recent visits to the Festival) to be competitive here.
	FONDMORT (FR) - trained by Nicky Henderson ¬: Conclusively failed to stay in the King George behind Édredon Bleu and even though he has a good record at this venue, I would be amazed if he was good enough to figure in the placings.
	HARBOUR PILOT - trained by Noel Meade in Ireland ¬:A potential each-way candidate who looked to be in the process of running a big race in the Irish Gold Cup and falling at the second last (there are some observers who feel he was going better than Florida Pearl when he fell). I would have to respect his chances here, however the form still suggests he would have to find a little more to make the frame on the big day though he does have the ability to do that.
	IRISH HUSSAR - trained by Nicky Henderson ¬: A decent Novice Chaser from last season who was denied an opportunity to win the Racing Post Chase a couple of weeks ago. Although he ran respectably in the Aon Chase last time out, recent evidence suggests that at the moment, handicaps are more his level, although you wouldn´t be totally surprised if he finished in the frame in the Gold Cup.
	JAÏR DU COCHET (FR) - trained by Guillaume Macaire in France ¬: It would be nice if the horse merited more column inches than the jockey, however despite a sumptuous display in the pillar chase, I do feel that the pilotship of Jacques Ricou is going to dominate matters rather than the horses merit. As far as we are concerned, Jacques Ricou has more than proven to us that nobody understands this talented dummy better and we don´t believe that this is going to be the determining factor to this horses ability to win...what might is the tactics employed. There are a lot of commentators who believe he is happiest when allowed to stride on from flagfall, however we disagree. The best way to ride this horse is by settling him initially allowing him to use his enormous stride once he has settled into a natural rhythm. Were he to jump off at the head of the field, there is every likelihood that he is going to be going a stride or two too quickly early on which might seem him getting into trouble from an early stage, effectively putting him out of the race. So let´s hope that Jacques and Guillaume are brave enough to settle in and get competitive by the end of the first lap. If they do this, this combination has every opportunity to maximise its potential.
	KEEN LEADER - trained by Jonjo O´Neill ¬: Granted soft ground, this son of Supreme Leader doesn´t have many betters as demonstrated by his win at Haydock earlier in this campaign. Like Beef or Salmon, he is not a natural jumper and there isn´t much doubt in our mind that it was sloppy jumping that cost him a realistic chance in the Aon Chase. The booking of Barry Geraghty who got him to jump so well at Haydock has to be a good omen and it definitely would be unwise to dismiss his chances completely out of hand.
	KINGSCLIFF - trained by Robert Alner ¬: Last season´s leading hunter chaser has captured the imagination of many a shrewd punter ever since his ´bridle-less´ win at Ascot in November. However, seems to have been dismissed after defeat at the hands of Arctic Jack in January. Considering how much scope for improvement this horse had, that would seem to be illogical especially as connections have confirmed that he sustained ligament damage during that race. Although the Alner stable have been worryingly quiet of late, it would not surprise us if he ´ran a big-un´.
	LA LANDIERE (FR) - trained by Richard Phillips ¬: A progressive handicapper last season who has failed to build on that level of form this time around. Isn´t good enough on what she has shown so far this season, and in any case is more likely to go for the Cathcart Chase.
	RINCE RI - trained by Ted Walsh in Ireland ¬: A Grand National candidate who has run well behind Cheltenham Gold Cup hopefuls Jaïr Du Cochet and Florida Pearl in his most recent starts. That alone isn´t enough, however and he will need to improve to figure here.
	SHOOTING LIGHT - trained by Martin Pipe ¬: No longer with us after paying the ultimate price in the Racing Post Chase...R.I.P.
	SIR REMBRANDT - trained by Robert Alner ¬: Looked so promising when winning the Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow, however has run atrociously since and is almost certainly going to bypass this.
	THEREALBANDIT - trained by Martin Pipe ¬: Connections of Therealbandit must be debating long and hard about whether they should take up this engagement as they will be asking this talented novice to win this race in only his fourth run over fences. The early indicators were very promising. He posted a decent time on the first occasion over 3m1f and then won head-in-chest over 2m5f on this course in December. They boldly ran him in the pillar chase and he seemed to be travelling well when coming down at the trappy fourth-last fence. It´s pure speculation about what would have occurred next, however it is worth remembering that he is 6lbs ´wrong´ with Jaïr Du Cochet for that run today and whatever your view, this is going to be that much harder on that point alone, never mind the likes of Best Mate, Beef Or Salmon et al. I do however believe he should have a go. I don´t think he has anything to lose in not doing so.
	TOTO TOSCATO (FR) - trained by Martin Pipe ¬: Martin Pipe has produced some magical training performances throughout his career, however none of these would better Toto Toscato who hasn´t raced for three years and probably would need to have improved on previous form shown.
	TRUCKERS TAVERN - trained by Ferdy Murphy ¬: Last season´s second has been aimed squarely at this prize and he has to be considered as connections will surely have him spot on for this assignment today, however it is difficult to imagine the horse that was so readily out-pointed by Jaïr Du Cochet in the Pillar Chase repeating that feat this time around.

SUPPLEMENTARY ENTRIES

OUR VIC - trained by Martin Pipe ¬: Top-class novice chaser who could not have been more impressive when winning the Reynoldstown steeple¨CH´. at Ascot last time out. That form is a long way short of what is required here, however he probably possesses more potential than most of these

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯SUMMARY¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| --: This race has been robbed by the tragic loss of Jaïr Du Cochet who I sincerely believed had the ability to beat Best Mate. In his absence, I'm not sure what strategy we should now adopt: do we select the obvious or go for broke? I can't support Best Mate. Not because I don't believe he isn't a good horse. Actually it's more to do with the notoriety that goes with him. I can think of several of the recent winners of the Gold Cup who if they were priced up at  1/2 having beaten three horses who have not won a race between them since that race, there would probably be a stampede on the betting exchanges to lay said animal. I'd have to do the same. A fitting testimony to my faith in Jaïr Du Cochet would be if Therealbandit were allowed to take his chance and them for him to finish in the frame as I'm almost certain Guillaume Macaire 's fallen star would have done. That form gives him the beating of a lot of these rivals and a bold sortie may pay off. If the ground is dead or has some juice in it, I would also consider taking a chance with keen leader despite his disappointing effort at Newbury last time out. IN terms of price, First Gold probably is the longest priced horse I'd consider and although he has yet to show his true worth at this venue, his form at the back end of last season would appear to make his current price of around 33/1 to be particularly generous. If there is a shock result, the two candidates would be Beef Or Salmon (mainly because many people believe he doesn't jump well enough to win a Gold Cup: I'm not convinced of that argument) or Our Vic (who of course has only run twice over fences but looks to be from the top drawer and if he had been campaigned in the same manner as The Real Bandit, would have probably warranted even closer scrutiny).   
|¯¯1ST¯PLACED?¯¯| ¬: Therealbandit (e.W.)
|¯2ª¯place?¯| ¬: First Gold 
|¯3ª¯place?¯| ¬: Keen Leader
|¯4ª¯place?¯| ¬: Our Vic 

This page was last updated on Saturday March 13, 2004 at 11:37:31 PM

THE FEATURE MEETING

POSTING TIME
Selections for Monday - Friday should be available after 9:30pm the previous evening, however on Saturday and Sunday due to other commitments won´t be posted until after 8:30am those respective mornings unless otherwise stated. Hopefully this helps

DEDICATION

GEORGE E. ROBERTSON
1936 - 2003

FURLONG TO GO would like to convey our condolences to the rØøk, whose father; George Edward Robertson passed away on  16th April 2003. 

Mr. Robertson nurtured the rØøk´s enthusiasm for this sport, and it was this inspiration, which is probably behind the creation of this website. As a permanent tribute to his memory, all the meetings covered under the "feature Meeting" banner will be dedicated to him...

"Big George"