10 Meath horses to follow at Cheltenham

This year is looking like it could be the strongest year ever for Meath horses at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tom Gannon has trawled through all of the Meath horses on course to run at this year's festival and has picked out 10 that he thinks are worth having a punt on.

ROMEO COOLIO

TRAINER - Gordon Elliott

RACE - Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novice Hurdle, Day One, 1.20pm

PRICE ATOW (at time of writing) - 6/1

Last year's Champion Bumper second, is probably the value bet in the Festival opener. He is of course going to bump into Willie Mullin's classy Kopek Des Bordes but there are plenty of question marks hanging over the Mullins hot-pot's temperament. If there was ever a race that would test a horse's mentality, it's the lively festival opener and if Kopek Des Bordes does show signs that he is not enjoying his surroundings, Romeo Coolio has a fantastic chance.

BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD

TRAINER - Gordon Elliott

RACE - Champion Hurdle, Day One, 4pm - 3.20pm

PRICE ATOW - 9/4

Thank god Michael O'Leary for once saw sense and has decided to give racing fans what they want. Brighterdaysahead is going to cause some real issues for the great Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle. Every racing fans want to see those two come to the last hurdle together, and if that happens, Elliott will be hopeful that his mare can come out on top.

STUMPTOWN

TRAINER- Gavin Cromwell

RACE - Cross Country Chase, Day Two, 3.20pm

PRICE ATOW - 9/4

Meath-trained horses have won the last three renewals of this race and while Gordon Elliott and Denise Foster have been responsible for those three victories, this year's the standout contender is Gavin Cromwell's Stumptown. The eight-year-old has been campaigned this year with this race in mind and he found a new lease of life when he took the December edition of the race at Prestbury Park. The big bonus though for Stumptown is the man on his back, Keith Donoghue, who has four cross-country chase wins at the festival on his CV.

JAZZY MATTY

TRAINER - Cian Collins

RACE - Grand Annual Chase, Day Two, 4.40 pm

PRICE ATOW - 10/1

The 2023 Juvenile handicap hurdle winner has been performing well lately for Cian Collins. He is the only horse on this list that is not trained by either Gordon Elliott or Gavin Cromwell, but the young Robinstown-based trainer has shown that he is more than capable of getting a horse ready for the big day. Jazzy Matty has a couple of entries across the week but if he gets into the Grand Annual, it is probably his best chance of a win.

He is a proven Cheltenham Festival winner and what a story it would be if the horse who had the late Michael O'Sullivan on his back in 2023 gave Cian Collins his first-ever Cheltenham Festival winner.

KALYPSO'CHANCE

TRAINER - Gordon Elliott

RACE - Champion Bumper, Day Two, 5.20pm

PRICE ATOW - 7/1

2019 was the last time a Meath horse crossed the line in front in the Champion Bumper, and that is largely down to the fact that Willie Mullins has dominated the contest with John Kiely's A Dream To Share, the only exception. However this year, the race looks wide open. Elliott has gone on record and said that this horse is the best of his contingent in the race, and after some good performances towards the back end of 2024, he might just have what it takes to win here.

SIXANDAHALF

TRAINER - Gavin Cromwell

RACE - Mares Novice Hurdle, Day Three, 1.20pm

PRICE ATOW - 11/4

Gavin Cromwell reckons that this mare may be his best chance of a winner and when you look at the caliber of horse that the Balrath trainer is sending to the festival, that is a statement to take note of. The smart five-year-old's odds for this race were halved after her impressive win in Fairyhouse in January and they have been halved again since. She has been a popular horse in the betting market and it will be no surprise to see her repay the punter's faith in her with a win.

THECOMPANYSERGEANT

TRAINER - Gavin Cromwell

RACE - Novice Handicap Chase, Day Three, 2 pm

PRICE ATOW - 14/1

In Cromwell's own words, this is his dark horse of the entire festival. When last seen, Thecompanysergent had a nice prep spin over hurdles at Navan, a track that many trainers say is ideal for getting a horse ready for Cheltenham. He comes into this race with a nice mark of 136 and he is good value at a biggish price.

TEAHUPOO

TRAINER - Gordon Elliott

RACE- Stayers Hurdle, Day Three, 4pm

PRICE ATOW - 11/10

The reigning Stayers Hurdle champion is the shortest-priced horse on this list but with good reason. The eight-year-old was many people's banker this time twelve months ago for this race and he duly obliged. Even though Teahupoo was beaten on his reappearance, his trainer felt that prep in the Hatton's Grace was an even better run than his success in the same race 12 months previous. He looks like the class horse in what is a relatively weak renewal of Thursday's headline contest.

HELLO NEIGHBOUR

TRAINER - Gavin Cromwell

RACE - Triumph Hurdle, Day Four, 1.20pm

PRICE ATOW - 5/1

This lad is a tough little juvenile, and he has come on leaps and bounds since making the switch from the flat. He showed his tenacity by battling hard to win at Christmas and then again at the DRF. He seems like a horse that just refuses to be headed, and at Cheltenham, that is a fantastic quality to have. He is going to come up against some tough British rivals, but he is certainly the standout Irish contender in the race.

WODHOOH

TRAINER - Gordon Elliott

RACE - Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle, Day Four, 5.20 pm

PRICE ATOW - 6/1

Wodhooh might be the horse that will get punters out of trouble in the very last race of the four-day bonanza. The vibes coming out of the Elliott camp about how this horse has been working at home are strong.

Elliott has said that he is the one horse that he is excited about across all his handicap contenders.

The last two winners of this race have been in or around the 6/1 mark. Elliott knows what it takes to win this race having scored with Noel and Valerie Moran's Betterdaysahead in 2024.