Cheltenham Festival preview: Plenty of Irish interest to keep an eye on

By PA Sport Reporters

As usual with Cheltenham, there is plenty of Irish interest this year as the biggest event on the race card kicks off on Tuesday.

Ballyburn will lead a four-strong Willie Mullins team into battle in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

The Closutton handler has saddled a record six previous winners of the extended three-mile contest, with Florida Pearl (1998), Rule Supreme (2004), Cooldine (2009), Don Poli (2015), Monkfish (2021) and last year’s victor Fact To File all featuring.

A brilliant winner of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival, Ballyburn appears the stable’s first string this time around following two wins from his first three starts over fences.

The seven-year-old was no match for Sir Gino over two miles in the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton in December, but was a decisive winner over two miles and five furlongs at the Dublin Racing Festival and Mullins does not view a further hike in distance as an issue.

“If I hadn’t got Impaire Et Passe we’d have gone to Limerick over two and a half with him over Christmas, so we went across the water and normally he might have won the race in Kempton, but I think we just came up against a fantastic horse in Sir Gino,” he said.

“I think Ballyburn learnt a lot and his pedigree has lots of stamina in it. I think he’s a potential Gold Cup horse in the making.

“I was very pleased with how he came out of his race in Leopardstown. He would need to settle a little bit as he was fairly keen that day, but that experience will be good.

“At Kempton he had to gun him down to every fence and when you are doing that it gets into the horse’s head. It was a two-five race the last day, he was trying to replicate the pace from Kempton and Paul (Townend) was doing the opposite in trying to settle him.

“I think the size of the Cheltenham fences will help.”

Ballyburn’s biggest threat could be his stablemate Dancing City, who has already proven his stamina as a dual Grade One-winning hurdler over three miles and he is three from three over fences.

With Townend sticking with Ballyburn, Danny Mullins comes in for the ride on Dancing City, while Sean O’Keeffe partners Lecky Watson and Patrick Mullins is aboard Quai De Bourbon.

Mullins added: “Dancing City prefers softer ground. He’s a four-wheel drive horse, he just gallops and jumps – he’s a nice type for that sort of race.

“Lecky Watson will take his chance as well. He’ll probably need a bit of luck to win it, but that’s what happens around Cheltenham and he is there with his chance.”

With no British-trained horses declared, the seven-strong field is completed by Henry de Bromhead’s Gorgeous Tom and Gordon Elliott’s pair of Better Days Ahead and Stellar Story.

Mullins has won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper more than any other Festival race, claiming five of the last seven renewals and 13 overall.

This year he will be represented by five runners, with son Patrick partnering the impressive Navan scorer Copacabana rather than Gameofinches (Paul Townend). Sortudo (Danny Mullins), Aqua Force (Mark Walsh) and Bambino Fever (Jody Townend) are his other chances.

Elliott will rely on Kalypso’s chance, who is two from two in the bumper sphere and has been kept fresh since landing a Listed prize at Navan in December.

“I was delighted with the bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival because we ran a couple in it that weren’t beaten far and Kalypso would be a better type of horse,” he said.

“I’m happy with where he is. I thought he showed a good attitude when Patrick (Mullins) rode him and he’s done nothing wrong.”

Elsewhere, Fact To File and Il Est Francais lead the way as nine horses were declared for Thursday’s Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Willie Mullins relies solely on Fact To File in the extended two-and-a-half-mile highlight, with Gaelic Warrior not declared while Il Est Francais could be a notable first Festival scorer for his training team of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm.

Last year’s winner Protektorat defends his title for Dan Skelton, with 2023 victor Envoi Allen also in the line up for Henry de Bromhead.

Teahupoo won last year’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle for Gordon Elliott and he will face 14 rivals as he goes for back-to-back victories.

Joseph O’Brien’s Home By The Lee finished third on that occasion and tries his luck again while other key names include the Nicky Henderson-trained Lucky Place, winner of the Relkeel Hurdle and Teahupoo’s stablemate The Wallpark.

Springwell Bay tops the weights for the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, but Jagwar does not feature in the 20-strong field.

His trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero have instead opted to pitch their novice into open company for the Trustatrader Plate Handicap Chase, in which 21 runners have been declared.

Maughreen spearheads a strong Mullins-trained challenge in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, with Gavin Cromwell’s Sixandahalf a likely favourite for the Grade Two.

The Pertemps Final features Henderson’s Jeriko Du Reponet in a full field of 24, while the closing Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase also has 24 contenders led by Johnnywho.

Meanwhile, Nicky Henderson’s JCB Triumph Hurdle hand has been dealt a blow after Palladium was ruled out of the race on Tuesday morning.

The German Derby winner was the subject of a €1.4million transfer to Seven Barrows to run in the colours of Lady Bamford and made a winning hurdling debut at Huntingdon in January.

He was set to be part of a two-pronged assault on the day four opener for Henderson alongside leading contender Lulamba and was due to be ridden by champion jockey Harry Cobden.

However, he has now met a setback which will rule him out of the Grade One event, with Henderson now looking towards a return to the level during the summer.