Neil Morrice shares his race-by-race selections for day 4 of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2024 – DAY 4
Race 1 JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE (Grade 1)
No9 SALVATOR MUNDI (Nap)
Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey: B Hayes
Willie Mullins saddles a combined force of seven in the juvenile championship from which SALVATOR MUNDI can emerge as his main arrow. Interestingly the selection finished just a length and three-quarters behind Sir Gino at Auteuil in April, and debuts for his trainer with a tall reputation.
MAJBOROUGH has a score to settle with KARGESE but might have needed that first start since leaving France and has a good chance of turning the tables with his stablemate.
Prediction: 1st Salvator Mundi, 2nd Majborough, 3rd Kargese
Race 2 BETMGM COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE
No5 HANSARD (Each Way)
Trainer: Gary Moore – Jockey: Niall Houlihan
This betting extravaganza can see HANSARD firmly in the mix for a stable that hasn’t had much luck so far this week. The selection hasn’t done much wrong since joining Moore from Ireland, winning a couple of novice hurdles easily and this season landing a handicap hurdle at Newbury before finishing just out of the money in the Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot, a race that was boosted when winner Luccia finished third in the Champion Hurdle.
PIED PIPER is another to bring a class element to the table in his first handicap hurdle run since chasing home Faivoir in this race 12 months ago. Runner-up to The Shunter in the Cesarewitch, he was no match for State Man at Punchestown in November but has been freshened up with this race as his big target.
KING OF KINGSFIELD has excelled since switching to hurdles with a Leopardstown success following three near-misses for Gordon Elliott. He then finished third to Ballyburn in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival, making him a fascinating candidate for this first handicap assignment.
MAGICAL ZOE has performed well in better company, including when second to Irish Point at Dromore, and she can get into the shake-up along with the JP McManus-owned ZENTA, who has enjoyed a light campaign since her chasing career was put on hold.
Prediction: 1st HANSARD, 2nd Pied Piper, 3rd King Of Kingsfield, 4th Magical Zoe, 5th Zenta
Race 3 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES’ HURDLE (Grade 1)
No6 GIDLEIGH PARK (Each Way)
Trainer: Harry Fry – Jockey: Jonathan Burke
The Mullins juggernaut numbers five in this race for the top staying novices, with READIN TOMMY WRONG carded to start favourite in his bid to complete what would be a nap hand of victories. He’s been freshened up since the latest of those at Naas in January while barn mate DANCING CITY bids to back up a workmanlike triumph at the Dublin Racing Festival which was devalued by a disappointing run from Predators Gold here on Wednesday.
HIGH CLASS HERO is an unbeaten winner of a bumper and four novice hurdles who has only once not started odds on. Paul Townend appears to have deserted the chestnut who combined with the two previously mentioned horse make the Closutton stable odds-on to take the spoils.
Of the home contingent THE JUKEBOX MAN could perform better than his lengthy odds imply, but the main local hope has to be GIDLEIGH PARK whose connections redirected him here from the shorter Gallagher. Gidleigh Park looked very smart when scoring at Exeter and Newbury, but had to dig deep to complete a hat-trick at this course in January. What does seem sure is that he will relish stepping up to three miles, and I make him an audacious bet to stem the tide of Irish successes in the novice races this week.
Prediction: 1st GIDLEIGH PARK, 2nd Dancing City, 3rd Readin Tommy Wrong, 4th High Class Hero
Race 4 BOODLES CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP CHASE (Grade 1)
No5 GENTLEMANSGAME (Each Way)
Trainer: Mouse Morris – Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe
Only eight horses have previously landed two Gold Cups, and after reasserting himself following a couple of defeats GALOPIN DES CHAMPS could join that pantheon of greats. He was an impressive victor here 12 months ago and looked back to his best-winning Grade 1s at Leopardstown in December and at the Dublin Racing Festival last month. Equipped with the honour of having beaten Galopin Des Champs twice,
FASTORSLOW rocks up as a live danger to the favourite. He did his level best against him in their latest match-up in the Irish Gold Cup, and should again trouble the judge for trainer Martin Brassil. Gordon Elliott’s GERRI COLOMBE has only clashed once with ‘ Galopin’, on that occasion finishing almost a distance behind him at Leopardstown over Christmas. A winner of all but one of his previous six outings over fences, he’s been freshened-up and if only judged on his win-to-run record must have a chance of downing his rival.
In the same colours but under the trainership of Mouse Morris,
GENTLEMANSGAME is considered. Coneygree showed that novices can win at the highest level when capturing chasing’s blue riband in 2016 and Gentlemansgame is having just a fourth start over fences, having put BRAVEMANSGAME in his place on his latest start in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in November. Inconsequential training issues have kept the gelding off the course through the winter, but on the limited evidence we have, Gentlemansgame needs respecting.
Bravemansgame has been beaten in each of his three outings this season and will do well to get as close to Galopin Des Champs as he did last year, and just as interesting is former smart novice MONKFISH, who without injury would surely have contested a Gold Cup by now, and at the age of ten could have a lot more to offer.
Prediction: 1st GENTLEMANSGAME, 2nd Gerri Colombe, 3rd Galopin Des Champs, 4th Fastorslow, 5th Monkfish, 6th Bravemansgame
Race 5 ST. JAMES PLACE FESTIVAL CHALLENGE CUP OPEN HUNTERS’ CHASE
No3 FERNS LOCK
Trainer: David Christie – Jockey: Mr Barry O’Neill
Two recent winners of this who are now in the veteran stage lock horns in the shape of PREMIER MAGIC and BILLAWAY. The former is unbeaten in points since his 2023 triumph while Billaway put in ne of his career-best performances to run ITS ON THE LINE to a head on his reappearance at Naas last month. It’s On The Line is a younger pretender to the hunter crown and successful in each of his races over fences since falling in the Aintree Foxhunters last year. In the colours of JP McManus and tutelage of Emmet Mullins he will take out a large proportion of the betting handle on this race.
Entering the equation at a similarly youthful age is FERNS LOCK, whose impressive run of success included a crushing defeat of Billaway at Thurles and a clear cut success at the same course in January. He had earlier run Its On The Line to half a length at Dromore on Boxing Day, and at a longer price today is worth backing.
Prediction: 1st FERNS LOCK, 2nd Its On The Line, 3rd Premier Magic, 4th Billaway
Race 6 MRS PADDY POWER MARES’ CHASE (Grade 2)
No5 CAROLE’S PASS (Each Way)
Trainer: Amy Murphy – Jockey: Jonjo O’Neill Jr
Willie Mullins has another hot shot on show in the form of DINOBLUE, who had assembled an impressive four-race winning sequence before being downed by El Fabiolo in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.
Getting north of even money on the favourite could prove difficult, and I fancy going for an upset in the shape of CAROLE’S PASS. From a very good jumping family, she put in an assured display in a Listed chase at Exeter that shows her to be better than ever.
She can reward win and place wagering in a race where ALLEGORIE DE VASSY, BRIDES HILL and LIMERICK LACE also enter calculations.
Prediction: 1st CAROLE’S PASS, 2nd Dinoblue, 3rd Limerick Lace, 4th Brides Hill
Race 7 MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP HURDLE
No5 QUAI DE BOURBON
Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey: M O’Sullivan
With such a low mileage on their racing clocks, QUAI DE BOURBON and WATERFORD WHISPERS are horses that spell red for danger to the book.
Quai De Bourbon is unbeaten in two for record-breaking Mullins and looks the pick on this handicap debut. Waterford Whispers had his winning sequence ended in a race that wasn’t run to suit the gelding at Leopardstown and looks sure to play a part for Henry De Bromhead while last year’s runner-up NO ORDINARY JOE bids to bring a ray of light to what has proved a dark week for Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows operation.
Prediction: 1st QUAI DE BOURBON, 2nd Waterford Whispers, 3rd No Ordinary Joe, 4th Angels Breath, 5th Better Days Ahead
