Rachael Blackmore has a long list of achievements to her name during one of the great riding careers over jumps, including wins in the Grand National and Gold Cup and the leading jockey’s prize at the Festival in March. But she has not, as yet, ridden a winner over the cross-country course at Cheltenham – a minor gap on her record that another Gold Cup winner, Minella Indo may help her to address.
Minella Indo, who took steeplechasing’s championship race in 2021, was only fourth behind Latenightpass on his first outing over the course’s unusual range of obstacles at Cheltenham on Friday. But few horses win first time up on this track, and those that adapt to the challenge tend to improve significantly for the experience.
Latenightpass is an obvious example, having finished a strong second on his cross-country debut in November before being steered to a comfortable four-length victory by Gina Andrews on Friday. But he was getting 20lb from Minella Indo, who was around six lengths behind him at the line after making eye-catching progress from the rear of the field in the final three-quarters of a mile.
“He ran super, really good,” Blackmore said. “The schooling that we’d done at home [at Henry de Bromhead’s yard], we were hoping that he’d put in a jumping performance like that. He had to carry a lot of weight, so I thought it was a really good run.
“He took to the fences really well and it was a very enjoyable ride around them. He was definitely competitive from the second-last, but it’s a long way up the hill. Henry and the Maloneys [Minella Indo’s owners] will decide [on whether to run at level weights in the Festival’s cross-country race in March] but I very much enjoyed riding him, anyway.”
Latenightpass, meanwhile, seems sure to return for the Festival’s cross-country event, but Dan Skelton, his trainer, knows that life will be more difficult at level weights. His major target is therefore likely to be April’s Grand National at Aintree, where he won the Foxhunters’ over the National fences in 2022. “It’s blindingly obvious [to aim for the National],” Skelton said. “I wouldn’t say he was superior [today] as you have the likes of Galvin and Minella Indo, who you’d meet off level weights at the Festival, but I think it’s very acceptable to run against them [in March] without the expectation that you are going to beat them.
“Silver Birch ran in the cross-country before winning the Grand National [in 2007]. I’m not saying we should be favourite for the Grand National, but I think he more than deserves his chance.”
Earlier on the card, Ginny’s Destiny made all the running in the two-and-a-half-mile novice chase, finding a little more for Harry Cobden whenever an opponent attempted to challenge and eventually finishing three-quarters of a length in front of the fast-finishing Grey Dawning.
“He puts them to the sword, and he keeps galloping,” Paul Nicholls, the winner’s trainer, said. “Claudia [Reid], who rides him and [162-rated] Pic D’Orhy at home, said to me he is not far behind Pic D’Orhy the way he is improved, so she might be right.”
Fergal O’Brien’s mare Dysart Enos was odds-on to extend her unbeaten record to five starts in the opening novice hurdle and did not need to dig too deep to quicken nearly three lengths clear of Beat The Bat after the final flight. O’Brien, who sat third behind Nicholls and Skelton in the National Hunt trainers’ championship on Friday morning and finished fifth in the title race last season, has yet to train a Festival winner, but has high hopes that Dysart Enos will break his duck.
“I wanted her to see Cheltenham and get some of the atmosphere,” O’Brien said. “She would only have one more race [before the Mares’ Novice Hurdle at the Festival], if that. We’ve never had anything so quick, she’s very special.”
So Scottish can challenge Fakir D’Oudairies
The presence of Fakir D’Oudairies, the winner of four Grade One races over fences, at the top of the weights adds a distinct touch of class to the 12-strong field for the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday, and there is no doubt that Joseph O’Brien’s gelding has the quality to be very competitive under top weight of 12 stone, despite returning from a 246-day break.
But the decision to run the eight-year-old also means that four of his rivals are competing from at least 3lb out of the handicap, and it looks significant too that Mark Walsh, the No.1 rider for owner JP McManus, has opted to partner Emmet Mullins’s So Scottish (1.50).
Mullins, who has a stable near his uncle Willie’s yard in County Carlow, switched from riding to training in 2016 and has swiftly built a reputation with punters and bookies alike for getting his horses into handicaps on a highly competitive weight.
So Scottish was second-favourite for the Plate at the Festival in March, when he was returning from four months off, and was still in with every chance before fading from the last.
Mullins subsequently seems to have laid him out for this race, over the same track and trip, having given him a prep over two miles at Gowran Park in November, and in addition to having Walsh in his saddle, So Scottish will race off a 2lb lower mark.
Cheltenham 1.15 Front-running Calico was caught on the run-in here last time on his first outing for seven months and enough improvement to defy a 4lb rise seems likely.
Doncaster 2.05 This looks tricky with several lightly-raced novice chasers in opposition, but Mister Who, raised just 2lb for a highly-promising debut last month, may take the biggest step forward.
Cheltenham 2.25 Having shown plenty of improvement to win a Listed event at the November meeting here, Broadway Boy still looks feasibly weighted for his handicap debut over fences.
Doncaster
11.40 Whispering Royal
12.15 No Risk With Lou
12.50 Bon Retour
1.25 Serious Operator
2.05 Mister Who
2.40 Rare Edition
3.15 Forward Plan
Hereford
11.55 Famoso
12.25 Parade Away
1.00 Presenting A Queen
1.35 Luttrell Lad
2.13 Mr Grey Sky
2.48 Norton Hill
3.22 Topkapi
Cheltenham
12.05 Kourosh
12.40 Some Scope
1.15 Calico
1.50 So Scottish (nap)
2.25 Broadway Boy (nb)
3.00 Cadell
3.35 Bonttay
Newcastle
1.20 Howth
1.59 High Order
2.34 Bowood
3.09 Bielsa
3.44 Petra Celera
4.15 Primo’s Comet
4.45 Henery Hawk
5.15 Enola Grey
Wolverhampton
5.00 Havana Goldrush
5.30 The African Queen
6.00 Doctor Vuby
6.30 Beauty Choice
7.00 Cloud Cover
7.30 Kemerton
8.00 Bear Claws
8.30 Dion Baker
Doncaster 2.40 Rare Edition goes well fresh and starts out in handicaps on a fair mark for a horse tried in Grade One company as a novice. He is worth an interest at around 6-1 to win first time up for the third season running.
Cheltenham 3.00 The step up to three miles seems sure to bring further improvement from Cadell, who got going just a stride too late at Kelso last month.
Doncaster 3.15 An eye-catching move five out seemed to tell on Forward Plan in the closing stages last time. He can show the benefit of that comeback run from a 7lb lower mark.
Cheltenham 3.35 Bonttay posted a strong winning time at Hereford last month and is worth chancing at around 7-2 to appreciate this step up in trip.
