ELEVEN of the 28 winners at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival began their careers in Irish point-to-points. The same source is responsible for a formidable team of horses set to race at this year’s meeting, many of whom are still trained in their native country by messrs Elliott, Mullins and de Bromhead. What price they produce even more winners this time around? Here are 10 of the best who are due to compete next month.
Appreciate It
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Points handler: Pat Doyle
Purchased for €60,000 as a three-year-old at the Tattersalls Derby Sale, Appreciate It raced in two points for Pat Doyle. Having finished a distant third behind Envoi Allen on his debut at Ballinaboola, the gelded son of Jeremy won next time at Dromahane before he was bought privately to join Ireland’s champion trainer.
A dual bumper winner at Leopardstown last winter, he couldn’t match stablemate Ferny Hollow’s turn of speed late on in the Festival bumper, filling the runners-up berth. The seven-year-old has looked even better over obstacles, winning at Cork (beat subsequent dual winner Master McShee) and Leopardstown.
A nine-length scorer at the latter venue in Grade 1 company over Christmas, he is a warm ante-post favourite for the SkyBet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Mullins is seeking his seventh win in the Festival opener and it will take a very good one to beat him.
Bob Olinger
Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
Points handler: Pat Doyle
Another exciting prospect who began his racing career with Pat Doyle. A 15-length winner on his sole start ‘between the flags’ at Turtulla in November 2019, the Sholokhov gelding was snapped up soon afterwards by Brian Acheson of Robcour fame and readily won a point-to-point bumper at Gowran Park by 10 lengths the following spring.
Like Appreciate It, the six-year-old found the sidelined Ferny Hollow too strong on his hurdles bow when returning to Gowran in November. Beaten a length, he hasn’t looked back since being stepped up to two and a half miles though. Despite a couple of clumsy leaps, he proved in a different league to his 13 opponents in a maiden hurdle at Navan shortly before Christmas, streaking clear by 14 lengths.
He then made a seamless transition to Grade 1 company when outgunning the likes of Blue Lord by upwards of six and a half lengths in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle. That two-and-a-half-mile event unearthed the subsequent Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner Envoi Allen 12 months earlier. It would be no surprise to see a repeat in 2021.
Brandy Love
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Points handler: Colin Bowe
Purchase Price: £200,000
Colin Bowe is responsible for producing some of the finest jumping talent of recent times including the brilliant Envoi Allen. The Co Wexford based handler trained this unbeaten mare to win a two-and-a-half-mile maiden point at Cragmore in February last year before heading to the Cheltenham sales ring six days later.
Acquired for £200,000 on behalf of resurgent owner Mike Grech, the Jet Away mare made a sparkling start to her rules career for Willie Mullins when winning a four-year-old fillies’ bumper at Fairyhouse in December by a hard-held seven lengths. The form doesn’t amount to much – the third and fourth have disappointed over hurdles since – but the manner of her victory marked her down as a future star. She then finished third in the mares’ bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Despite the fact both her career wins have been gained on soft/heavy terrains, her dam was at her best on a sound surface, winning three times on good or faster conditions. Mullins has claimed the Festival bumper no less than 10 times, including with a mare, Relegate, in 2018. With a 7lb allowance, the five-year-old looks set to play a leading role.
Bravemansgame
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Points handler: Donnchadh Doyle
Purchase Price: £370,000
Arguably Bob Olinger’s biggest threat in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle on day two of the Festival is Bravemansgame, the strapping six-year-old has been expertly handled by multiple champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
A €48,000 Derby Sale purchase by Monbeg Stables, this Brave Mansonnien gelding won by eight lengths at Lingstown in March 2019 when trained by Donnchadh Doyle. Four days later, he was heading to Somerset in the UK having been bought for a hefty £370,000 by owners John Dance and Bryan Drew.
Campaigned in a couple of bumpers last season, the six-year-old was given plenty of time to develop and that patience has been rewarded with interest over hurdles this campaign. Successful in three of his four outings and officially rated 150, he has improved since tackling two and a half miles, recording two victories at Newbury.
The latest of those came in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle when destroying his four opponents (third has won since) and evoking memories of former stablemate Denman, who had won the same prize 14 years earlier.
Eklat De Rire
Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
Points handler: Liz Doyle
Purchase Price: £110,000
Co Wexford trainer Liz Doyle tutored subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners Al Ferof and Cheltenian at the beginning of their careers and she also guided the lightly raced Eklat De Rire to win his only outing in a point-to-point at Dromahane in November 2019.
A neck winner of a five-year-old maiden under Finny Maguire, he went under the hammer five days later at Cheltenham Sales and was bought by agent Alex Elliott for £110,000.
Now seven, the Saddex gelding was restricted to a couple of runs over hurdles for Henry De Bromhead last season. A six-length scorer on the second occasion at Thurles a year ago, he made a splendid start to his fencing career when defeating the 134-rated School Boy Hours in a three-mile-one-furlong beginners chase at Punchestown.
A stout stayer, he further enhanced his profile when making all to defeat Escaria Ten and the Grade 1-placed Pencilfulloflead in a Grade 3 at Naas.
Many will have him marked down for the race formerly known as the RSA Chase but, given his seemingly bottomless stamina, he looks tailor made for the National Hunt Chase. Either way, he looks another fine staying chaser in the making for his powerful yard.
Envoi Allen
Trainer: Gordon Elliott
Points handler: Colin Bowe
Purchase Price: £400,000
The hottest property in National Hunt racing extended his unbeaten record to 12 when capturing the Grade 3 SkyBet Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown in mid January.
Following the first fence departure of market rival Asterion Forlonge, his task was simplified but Gordon Elliott’s dual Festival winner was foot perfect throughout and only had to be pushed out to beat the useful Fils D’Oudairies by three and a half lengths. Three from three over fences this season.
Fitted with a tongue tie for the first time on his chasing debut at Down Royal, he wasn’t hard pressed to win by six lengths before producing an even better performance to land the Grade 1 Drinmore Novices’ Chase at Fairyhouse from Assemble.
He is already a five-time Grade 1 winner having begun his career with a ten-length win in a maiden point at Ballinaboola back in February 2018 when trained by Colin Bowe. Subsequently bought for £400,000 at the Cheltenham Sales less than a fortnight later, he has already provided Cheveley Park Stud with Festival glory in the bumper and Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
Not surprisingly, the Muhtathir gelding is considered one of the bankers of the meeting in the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase. He looks bombproof.
Monkfish
Trainer: Cormac Doyle
Points handler: Cormac Doyle
Purchase Price: £235,000
Rich and Susannah Ricci have tasted Festival glory on 17 occasions, which leaves them in third position behind J.P. McManus and Gigginstown House Stud in the current owners list at Cheltenham.
Their pink and green silks have been carried to victory by some top-class horses, namely Douvan, Faugheen and Vautour, over the years. Monkfish could prove to be one of the best staying chasers to sport the same colours, if his two runs over fences thus far are anything to go by.
The Stowaway gelding contested two Irish points for Cormac Doyle and, having pulled up on his debut at Cragmore, he showed his true worth when winning at Stowlin a couple of months later in April 2018 with the likes of Fury Road, Fiddlerontheroof and Chantry House in arrears.
Over a month later, he had joined the Closutton outfit for £235,000. Absent for a year, he was a slow burner over timber but progressed significantly once upped in distance, his season culminating with a hard fought victory in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival.
The seven-year-old has looked imperious over the larger obstacles, winning by four lengths at Fairyhouse in late November before fending off the persistent challenge of another Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Latest Exhibition in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown over four weeks later and running out an even more impressive winner of the Flogas Novices Chase at the DRF.
Unbeaten at Grade 1 level and over fences, he is already a short price to provide Willie Mullins with his fifth win in the three-mile novice chase on day two.
Shan Blue
Trainer: Dan Skelton
Points Handler: Andy Slattery
Andy Slattery will be forever remembered for producing the mighty 11-time Grade 1 winner and dual Festival scorer Faugheen. The same trainer handled this fast improving seven-year-old when winning a four-year-old maiden at Turtulla towards the backend of 2018.
Transferred to the UK to join Dan Skelton, the Shantou gelding was useful without being top level over hurdles last season. A winner at Southwell in December 2019, he chased home Shishkin in the Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon before finishing a respectable sixth in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle behind Envoi Allen.
Since switched to fences though, Shan Blue has proved a revelation winning all three outings, producing some spectacular jumping in the process. A wide-margin winner on both occasions at Wetherby in the autumn, he passed his sternest test to date with flying colours over the Festive period. Harry Skelton’s mount outjumped his opponents before staying on doggedly to beat The Big Breakaway in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day and was only overhauled late on in heavy ground by Sporting John back in trip in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ in Sandown in February.
Despite gaining a Grade 1 win over three miles, his connections feel a drop back to two and a half miles in the Marsh Novices’ Chase in March will prove beneficial. While he may lack the brilliance of old rival Envoi Allen, there will be few better jumpers in the field.
Shishkin
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Points handler: Virginia Considine
Purchase Price: £170,000
Nicky Henderson has trained some of the best two-mile chasers of modern times with Altior, Remittance Man and Sprinter Sacre winning both the Arkle and Queen Mother Champion Chases during their illustrious careers.
Another Seven Barrows inmate Shishkin has some way to go before matching their achievements but the former Virginia Considine-trained gelding is a Festival winner and is already being mentioned in the same breath as his current and former stablemates.
Last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor ran in two points for his previous connections winning by eight lengths under Rob James at Lingstown in November 2018. Bought for £170,000 less than a month later at the Cheltenham December Sales, he has only suffered defeat once since joining Henderson – an early faller on his hurdles debut at Newbury last winter.
A head winner at Cheltenham in March, the Sholokhov gelding has looked majestic in his three runs over fences, recording a winning aggregate of 36 lengths in two wins at Kempton, the second of which was a bloodless success in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase.
He then went on to record another comfortable win at the same level in the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster, dispatching of Eldorado Allen to further supplement his claims for the Arkle Trophy.
With front runners Allmankind and Energumene likely to be in that field, the strong early gallop will play into his hands. A superb jumper, the seven-year-old is already odds-on to give his trainer his seventh win in the two miles contest on the opening afternoon.
Sir Gerhard
Trainer: Gordon Elliott
Points handler: Ellmarie Holden
Purchase Price: £400,000
Cheveley Park Stud have owned the last two winners of the Cheltenham Festival bumper, namely Envoi Allen and Ferny Hollow.
The Newmarket-based operation are once again responsible for the ante-post favourite for this season’s renewal in an unbeaten gelded son of Jeremy, Sir Gerhard.
Derek O’Connor steered him to a 12-length win in a four-year-old maiden point at Boulta in November 2019 when trained by Ellmarie Holden. He arrived at Gordon Elliott’s yard the following month having been purchased for a huge £400,000 at the Cheltenham December Sale.
With the season cut short due to Covid 19, he didn’t make his rules bow until November 2020, winning a Down Royal bumper by 14 lengths, showing a smart turn of foot to pull clear of his toiling opponents.
Jamie Codd’s mount then produced an even better effort when beating three previous winners by upwards of four and a half lengths in a listed event at Navan in December. Elliott had won the same contest with subsequent Festival winners Don Cossack (2011), Samcro (2016) and Envoi Allen (2018).
The six-year-old has the potent combination of speed and stamina and it will take a fair sort to prevent Cheveley Park from capturing their third successive Cheltenham Festival bumper.