Heavy winds had put Ladies Day under threat.
The showcase race on day 2 of the Cheltenham racing festival is the nine runner Queen Mother Champion Chase at 3.30. Waterford's Henry de Bromhead is represented by 33/1 outsider Ordinary World but the hot favourite and defending champion Altior will prove a hard nut to crack.
Elsewhere on the seven race card Henry runs Notebook in the opening Novices hurdle while two further entries for the local trainer are Dancing On My Own in a wide open Coral Cup at 2.50 while Devils Bride takes his chance in the Cross Country chase at ten past four.
The Gordon Elliott-trained Battleoverdoyen gets the nap to retain his unbeaten record in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. This represents far and away his stiffest test and he has to step well up on previous form to deliver. On what we have seen of him, he is all about potential, rather than substance, but the strapping six-year-old can now set the record straight.
An easy winner of his only point-to-point, Battleoverdoyen made his debut on the track in a bumper at Punchestown in November, easing to a six and a half lengths success. He started off over jumps at Navan before Christmas and took a modest 21-runner maiden hurdle, without moving out of second gear, by 13 lengths from the moderate Momus. Then in early January the selection moved into Grade 1 company over two and a half miles at Naas. This was not the most competitive contest of its kind, but was still fair old step up for Elliott’s charge.
He beat Sams Profile two and three parts of a length into second and there was nothing particularly flashy or exciting about the performance. What was impressive, however, was that Battleoverdoyen looked in trouble off the home turn, but found loads for Jack Kennedy driving and was comfortably clear at the line. That was most encouraging and there is every reason to believe he will get down and dirty when the war begins to rage, something that is absolutely essential up that final punishing hill.
Altior will go off the shortest priced favourite of the week, in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, and all logic tells us is impossible to oppose. But that is what I intend to do, on the basis there is nothing to be gained by being with him, and propose supporting Min each-way as an alternative. Altioir is a brilliant horse and has loads in hand over his rivals. He is unbeaten in 17 races in-a-row and has a superb record at the festival.
Three years ago, he swamped Min in the closing stages of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to score by seven lengths and in 2017 was a 1-4 shot when taking the Arkle Trophy by six lengths. Then last year, Altior put Min firmly in his place one more time, sweeping clear from the back of the final fence to again beat his old foe by seven lengths. Add in the fact Altior has won all three of his races this season with plenty in hand and the question has to be asked, how can one possibly make a case against him?
The answer is simple, with great difficulty. It’s just that at Ascot on his latest appearance, Altior jumped left throughout, hugely left at some of the fences, and that has raised a niggling doubt as to whether he retains the exemplary attitude that has served him so well for so long. We know that if the real Altior turns up this will be a one-horse race, but Min each-way, he was available as high as 9-2 on Monday, is surely a bet to nothing.
He hasn’t really got up the hill here in the past, but should be nearing his peak now, as an eight-year- old, and his homework of late has reportedly been exceptional. Also, Min has had just two outings this season and will strip a fresh horse. At Punchestown in early December, despite running far too keenly for his own good, he gave the useful mare Shattered Love 7lbs and a length and a half beating.
Min then reappeared at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown in early February to land a Grade 1 by six lengths. Gordon Elliott has a strong hand through the card and it will be disappointing if he is still seeking his first winner of the day by the time the concluding Weatherbys’ Champion Bumper is run. His exciting Envoi Allen gets the nod. The same as stable companion, Battleoverdoyen, he will be defending an unbeaten record, four from four.
And also the same as Battleoverdoyen, he began life between the flags, scoring by ten lengths at Ballinaboola in February of last year. He graduated to the racecourse proper at Fairyhouse in December, finishing with a real flourish to take a bumper going away by four lengths. Envoi Allen followed up with his best effort so far, beating the subsequent winner, Joseph O’Brien’s Midnight Run, by a smooth four and three quarter-lengths at Navan.
Then at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, he went off a heavily backed 4-6 chance to make it three bumper successes in as many runs. Envoi Allen delivered alright, but it was less than impressive, as he had to get the full Jamie Codd treatment to beat another Joseph O’Brien inmate, Meticulous. The surface, however, was far too fast for him and the more it rains the greater will be one’s confidence in his ability to do the business.
