1. Envoi Allen
(2.50 Ryanair Chase, Thursday)
At the time of writing, Envoi Allen remains second favourite in the Ryanair, but it will be no surprise if by Thursday he goes to post as market leader at around the 2/1 mark. Henry de Bromhead’s gelding is clearly top class on his day and showed it in this race last season, accounting for Shishkin to attain his third Festival win. The key to him is freshness. Off a break of 79 days or more, his form reads 111113113, so it seems like the right call by connections to leave him off since Down Royal, where he ran well to be third to Gerri Colombe and Conflated. Backing him now is as much about his opponents as it is his profile, because Banbridge may not even run on soft ground and Stage Star has to come back from a stinker run on New Year’s Day and surely won’t be afforded the leeway he usually gets up front. Even if Banbridge does show up, his form looks inferior to Envoi Allen’s – don’t be fooled by his comeback win against Pic D’Orhy, that horse won well in a Grade 1 next time, but was basically having his ‘Gold Cup’ day against horses prepping for the Festival.
2. Corach Rambler
(3.30 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, Friday)
Corach Rambler’s main aim this season is said to be a title defence in the Grand National next month, but he has a right chance in a Gold Cup that will surely set up for him. Derek Fox can sit in and get the 10-year-old into a rhythm early off what should be a reasonable Gold Cup pace. Three from three at the track, he travels so well here, and if he can keep tabs with the early pace, he will have every chance coming down the hill. He is four times the price of Fastorslow, but he beat that runner in the Ultima last season before winning the Grand National with plenty in hand – he’s a horse who only does so much when he gets to the front, so the better the race, the better he could be so don’t be put off by his mark of 159. He is also unbeaten in five runs in March and April – this is his time of the year.
3. Crebilly
(4.40 Trustatrader Plate, Thursday)
The juice has been squeezed out of Crebilly’s price for the Plate on Thursday – he’s a general 4/1 shot now – but he may well ease a little in the market after declarations and anything north of 5/1 looks a decent bet. Jonjo O’Neill’s seven-year-old was alongside Ginny’s Destiny at the last in a two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase on the old course in November, when he came down and he was only beaten six and quarter lengths by the same rival when given a confidence boosting jump around the new course at the December meeting. Needless to say, the form of both those races is working out so well with Ginny’s Destiny now rated 155 and a leading player for the Turners. Crebilly has done his bit too, beating the talented Tahmuras at Exeter on his third and latest start, with that runner boosting the form with an good effort in defeat behind Blow Your Wad at Kempton. Crebilly gets in here off a mark of 140, and not only does he look well handicapped, but he has loads of scope to improve further. Knowing his connections (owned by J.P. McManus), this race may well have been a long-term plan.
4. Search For Glory
(2.50 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, Friday)
There has been one single-figure priced winner of the Albert Bartlett in the last 10 years, so it’s a race worth taking a swing at a couple at big prices. Search For Glory is certainly worth consideration. While the likes of Monkfish and Minella Indo disproved that you need a battle hardened type for this contest, they went on to show themselves to be very smart and may be exceptions to the general rule. This seven-year-old fits the bill as both experienced, proven at the trip and improving at the right time. He comes in here off his three best ever performances, scoring comfortably over three miles at Cork, finishing a close fourth to Loughglynn in a Grade 2 contest at Limerick, which is often a key trial for this race and most recently when doing it the hard way from the front in the Grade 3 Surehaul Mercedes-Benz at Clonmel. That latest effort wasn’t pretty viewing, he hated being left in the lead, but he still had enough in the tank to easily see off the progressive Harvard Guy, and he will be much better now sitting off a likely strong pace here. At 25/1 he is well worth backing each-way.
5. Maskada
(4.50 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup, Wednesday)
There hasn’t been a back-to-back winner of the Grand Annual since Dulwich in 1976, but not many reigning champions firstly return for another go and secondly have a profile like Maskada’s. And, to further alleviate the caution with this particular statistic, plenty of horses have run well in the race more than once – Global Citizen won in 2022 and placed here last season, Rock The World placed in 2016 and won the following season. Maskada won a crack renewal last season, coming six lengths clear of Dinoblue, who won at Fairyhouse and Punchestown on her next two starts and has progressed again this season. Henry de Bromhead’s mare hasn’t won this season but she was only eight lengths off El Fabiolo in the Hilly Way and got involved in a pace collapse in the Opera Hat at Naas on her most recent start and is easily forgiven. Significantly, there is every chance she will be racing on soft ground here again, which will play to her strengths and even off an 8lb mark, she ought to be able to put up an excellent defence of her title.