Cheltenham Festival tips: Six handicappers of note including Eden Du Houx and Deyrann De Carjac
Ben Linfoot and Matt Brocklebank join forces to highlight half a dozen fascinating handicap entries at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.
DEYRANN DE CARJAC – Alan King
When I think of Alan King and Cheltenham handicaps I think of Bensalem.
Who can forget how he tanked his way through the 2010 William Hill Trophy (now Ultima) before falling at the second last when likely to prevail?
He'd won on his chasing debut before being beaten by good horses on his way to an opening handicap mark of 143. And, while he failed to deliver in 2010, he got punters their money back a year later off the same mark in the same race.
So, I'm always on the lookout for a King-trained Cheltenham handicapper. This year’s could well be DEYRANN DE CARJAC who has entries in both the Novices' Handicap Chase and the Brown Advisory Plate.
I love his Huntingdon form where he beat Pym and Whatmore and Erick Le Rouge. I love his form with Champ at Newbury and then again at Cheltenham where Nicky Henderson’s RSA Chase favourite fell and Deyrann De Carjac stayed on for a close-up third. I love how he jumps and I love his handicap mark of 145.
There’s lots to love and I love his Brown Advisory entry, too. He’s on the radar for the novice race if King takes that option, but I’d prefer him taking on more exposed company on the New Course later in the week than a bunch of Irish Grade One hopefuls on the Old Course on the Tuesday.
Either way, Deyrann is firmly on the radar. (Ben Linfoot)
EDEN DU HOUX - David Pipe
Not many jumps horses will be able to match EDEN DU HOUX's current salvo of entries with the Coral Cup, County Hurdle and Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle now added to the Paddy Power Imperial Cup (Sandown, March 7), the Sky Bet Supreme and the Ballymore.
It’s a clear indication of the regard in which he’s held by David Pipe and the reputation is perfectly justified based on his perfect 3-3 bumper campaign last season.
That came to a head with a Listed success over the now 140-rated Imperial Alcazar at Ascot so, currently operating from a mark of 130, it could be we’re looking at a really nicely-treated Pond House runner for the spring.
He’s only won one of his four starts over hurdles this season but has looked a work in progress and was far from disgraced when third to Nordano on handicap debut at Ascot earlier in the month.
The Imperial Cup entry seems particularly interesting given the Pond House yard’s rich history when it comes to plotting a quickfire Sandown-Cheltenham double and when you boil down all the possible Festival options, the race for which he realistically looks most likely to make the cut is the one named in honour of his trainer’s father.
He’s 25/1 in places for that Friday handicap which will obviously look big if all goes to plan in the next three weeks. (Matt Brocklebank)
FAIRE PART SIVOLA - Nick Williams
Nick Williams does well with his handicappers at Cheltenham and it’s worth remembering that both his Flying Tiger and Coo Star Sivola won handicaps at the Festival off just two-to-three-week breaks.
That brings this weekend’s runners into play as this Saturday is precisely 17 days before the big show begins and with that in mind FAIRE PART SIVOLA could well ensure his place at the Festival at either Chepstow or Kempton.
Currently rated 131, he might not need to go up at all to take up his County Hurdle entry (last year’s bottom weight was 127) but a little nudge up the rankings to make sure would be ideal.
He has options in the Sky Bet Dovecote at Kempton and a handicap at Chepstow on Saturday, but he'd be strongly fancied if taking up the Welsh option as there looks to be some mileage in his current handicap rating.
He'd be two from two over hurdles were it not for bumping into Paul Nicholls' Calva D’Auge at Wincanton, a good horse that has gone in again since at Plumpton.
On that evidence an initial mark of 131 could be a tad lenient, so it will be fascinating to see how he fares this weekend with a tilt at the County Hurdle in mind. (Ben Linfoot)
SEMPO – Joseph O'Brien
It may all come down to the handicap mark with Sempo and just how the BHA have assessed Joseph O’Brien’s charge on this season’s evidence over hurdles will remain unknown until the official unveiling of the weights next Wednesday.
It’s also well worth pointing out he has alternative Grade One engagements in the Ballymore over two miles, five furlongs and the Albert Bartlett over three, but it does look pretty significant he’s been entered in the Coral Cup.
Connections are clearly keen to have a look after the three spins over obstacles this term, culminating in a wide-margin win in a Thurles maiden hurdle on February 6. He was 8/11 there and clearly entitled to win as he did after good placed runs behind Conflated (third) and Cobbler’s Way (second) at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown respectively.
Cobbler’s Way has since run a great race behind Latest Exhibition in Grade One company at the Dublin Racing Festival so Sempo’s whole body of form is starting to look strong.
At Cheltenham last year he finished sixth to Envoi Allen in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper so it’s clear he handles the course as well and he’ll be very much on the radar for the Coral Cup with a British rating in the region of 142-146. (Matt Brocklebank)
RELEGATE – Colm Murphy
Ireland has been the place to find Pertemps Final winners in recent years – the past four have all qualified via the races at Leopardstown (December) or Punchestown (February) - and Relegate caught the eye at the latter track on Wednesday.
Like so many others, she has a bunch of Festival options including the Mares’ Hurdle and the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, but she’s been put in the Coral Cup and qualified for the Pertemps with a staying-on fourth behind Mary Frances earlier this week.
The 2018 Weatherbys Champion Bumper heroine has obviously had her issues and it’s clear she remains a fairly quirky customer, but that’s some pretty significant back-class on her CV and the recent spin was her first public outing since signing off for Willie Mullins with a Grade One fifth at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival.
Now with Colm Murphy, the seven-year-old daughter of Flemensfirth still has time on her side if her new trainer can rekindle the flames and the early signs are encouraging.
She could absolutely thrive being buried away in a huge field (flew home from the back of the pack to nail Carefully Selected in the Bumper two years ago) and, providing the BHA shift her up a bit from her current Irish rating of 130, could sneak in at the foot of the weights if pointed towards the Pertemps. (Matt Brocklebank)
TRONADOR – Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott might have the Fred Winter favourite in the shape of Aramax but he has a very interesting second string for the race in TRONADOR.
Elliott has had great success with the three-runs-in-a-season-before-a-Cheltenham-handicap prep, winning five Festival handicaps with such a regime including the Fred Winter twice (with Flaxen Flare and Veneer Of Charm) at big prices.
Tronador was a moderate 60-rated horse on the Flat for David Lanigan but he’s improved for seeing a hurdle and highlighted his aptitude for his new discipline as early as his first race for Elliott.
Sent off at 66-1 for a big-field Leopardstown maiden hurdle on his stable debut over Christmas, he was a fast-finishing fourth after being hampered and he duly hacked up at Thurles after that.
His qualifying run, last time out at Navan, wasn’t a step forwards, but he was outdone by the small-field tactical nature of the race and he looks the type to thrive in a big field and strongly-run tempo scenario.
Rated 125 in Ireland, he’s likely to have a nice British rating with the Fred Winter in mind when the weights are revealed next week and he’s well worth keeping an eye on. (Ben Linfoot)
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