Cheltenham Saturday

DUFFLE Coat didn’t race on the flat, but is making up for that with a prolific start to his hurdling career, making it four on the bounce when coming from well back to land the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

Gordon Elliott’s three-year-old had to cede favouritism to the Paul Nicholls-trained Hell Red, and the 5lb penalty for winning the Listed Wensleydale Hurdle seemed to make his task a stiff one, but the 2/1 shot defied market weakness to win, showing himself a strong stayer in the process.

The pace, set by Cabot Cliffs, was a fast one for the conditions, with Adagio (David Pipe/Tom Scudamore) joining the longtime leader at the second last, but outstayed up the hill by Duffle Coat, who had declined the early gallop and benefited as a result, winning by five lengths. Balko Saint (Jane Williams/Ciaran Gethings) plugged on through beaten horses for third, another four and a quarter lengths away. Hell Red pulled up before the last with a breathing problem.

Tenacity

Robbie Power feels his mount will benefit from longer trips in time, and praised his tenacity: “He was giving 5lb away on soft ground. He is honest and tough. He was flat to the boards the whole way, but he was tenacious and stayed galloping all the way.

“Gordon said to me before the race that he doesn’t show an awful lot at home, but he keeps winning and that’s the kind of horse you want. There will probably be classier juveniles will come out in the next couple of months, but there will be none more tenacious and gutsy than he is.”

Power doubles up

Eldorado Allen (13/2) doubled his chase tally in the Grade 2 From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices’ Chase, although whether he would have beaten Gumball had that rival not crashed out at the penultimate fence is open to some debate.

The latter had jumped boldly and well, but was yet another horse to fall foul of the re-sited second last, and he took a crashing fall. That left the winner clear, and with favourite Fusil Raffles also failing to complete, it was left to Quel Destin (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) to follow the winner home at a respectful distance.

This win signalled an upturn in fortunes for trainer Colin Tizzard, and gave Robbie Power a Grade 2 double on the card. To be fair to the winner, he still had something left to give at the time of Gumball’s departure, although the fact that Fusil Raffles failed by a long way to repeat the form of his chase debut over the course and distance makes it hard to come to a meaningful analysis of the form.

Improved horse

Colin Tizzard – who also landed the novice chase on Sunday’s card with the exciting The Big Breakaway – feels the winner is an improved horse this year.

“Some of Eldorado Allen’s form was outstanding,” he said. “Last year he got real light on us. This year he is a big strong horse who I think is the best two-mile chaser we have had. He will be ready for a run again in about a month so something like the Henry VIII at Sandown will probably fit in nicely.”