| Cheltenham ground could lead to some
surprises By David Thorpe
When attempting to pick winners at the Cheltenham Festival this month the
first thing to bear in mind will be the ground.
Usually by the time of the Festival spring is in the air and the ground
is good but this year the ground could be soft for the first time in years.
This will immediately harm the chances of last year’s biggest winners.
War of Attrition has never won on that ground, Brave Inca’s best
form is on the better surface and Newmill one of the bankers of the meeting
if the ground were good probably won’t run if the ground is too
soft.
Brave Inca will be the first of this trio to run in the Champion Hurdle.
His only real rival looks to be Detroit City another horse who does
not like soft ground. This leaves plenty of room for an upset in one of
the biggest races in the calendar.
The two-time former winner Hardy Eustace might handle the conditions better
and if he is a decent price will be worth a punt.
But the each-way screamer is Sublimity who stayed-on well to finish fifth
in the Novice Hurdle last year. He won’t be too inconvenienced by
the ground and is the each-way bet of the first two days.
The selection to win the race however remains Brave Inca. Despite ground
concerns he has been very consistent this year and he has actually won in
these conditions.
The opening race, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, has not been kind to the Irish
and that could continue this year.
The Nicky Henderson- trained Armaretto Rose will enjoy soft ground and has
the form to be the one to beat.
The best Irish prospect in the race is Hide The Evidence, with Granit Jack
an each-way selection.
Another race which is not traditionally the friend of the Irish is the Arkle.
The Carl Llewllyn-trained Fair Along is the current favourite but is extremely
unlikely to run, so the selection is the in-form Lennon, with Jessica Harrington’s
Gemini Lucy an excellent each-way bet.
In what could be a very poor Cheltenham for the Irish Silverburn is the
best bet in the Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle on Wednesday.
Paul Nicholls’ horse could prove to be very special indeed and is
preferable to the other Irish hope, Aran Concerto.
Denman in the Sun Alliance Chase is the best bet of the first two days
while Ireland should get off the mark in the Queen Mother Chase on soft
ground Nickname has an outstanding chance while Newmill is the Irish banker
of the meeting if the ground is good.
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