Back Mullins’ mare to make no Lossie in the Champion
DAY ONE at Cheltenham is headlined by the Champion Hurdle (4.00pm) and by the time the opening four contests on the card have been run, the 50,000 plus punters at Prestbury Park will be at fever pitch.
The crowd were silenced last year when favourite Constitution Hill fell at the fourth last, and unfortunately with his jumping errors becoming habitual, we won’t see Nicky Henderson’s star line up here.
Golden Ace benefitted from the fall of both Constitution Hill and State Man to land the spoils, and Jeremy Scott’s mare is back to defend her crown.
She might not get the rub of the green this time though, and instead it’s another mare that I’m going to side with in Willie Mullins’ LOSSIEMOUTH.
The grey seven-year-old daughter of Great Pretender really comes to life in the spring and particularly at Cheltenham.
She has won all four of her starts at the course, including in the last three years at the Festival, in the Triumph Hurdle in 2023, and then successive renewals of the Mares’ Hurdle in 2024 and 2025.
It’s worth forgiving her defeat to Brighterdaysahead at Leopardstown last time, and I expect we’ll see a different Lossiemouth now, especially wearing first-time cheekpieces.
Mullins has a very good record with his runners when applying cheekpieces for the first time, as Majborough demonstrated at the Dublin Racing Festival, and they may just bring out the best in his mare.
She stays further than two miles and it will take a big performance to get past her in the closing stages.
She’s 15/8 with BetMGM, who are offering a completely free bet on day one of the Festival at www.betmgm.co.uk/promotions/sports/freebet-hr.
With a frontrunner like Tutti Quanti in the field, this should be run at a searching gallop and that will suit a horse that is likely to be ridden off the pace like PONIROS.
We’ve already advised last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner ante-post for this race at 16/1 each-way and could be sitting on a good ticket.
If he can be produced late by Danny Mullins, then I think he has strong claims of hitting the frame at least.
JP McManus has a stranglehold on the Ultima Handicap Chase (3.20pm), with the top two in the betting in Jagwar and Iroko, and with Tuesday being the legendary owner’s 75th birthday, he looks to be trying to make sure he has a winner to celebrate.
I actually think he could have one here with JOHNNYWHO who looks his third string.
Being rated 146 means he has to run here rather than in Thursday’s Kim Muir, a race he was beaten a neck in last year.
He’s a bit of a ‘nearly horse’, but he has potential to go well off this mark as proved by his close up third off a pound lower at Ascot in December.
Last time at Haydock was less positive but he’s had a wind operation since then and wears first-time cheekpieces here.
At a course he goes well at, he could be a birthday winner for JP, and odds of 12/1 are worth taking.
KONFUSION has been a revelation for the Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith team this season, winning three times and rising 30 pounds in the handicap to a mark of 145.
He was an impressive winner of the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby over Christmas and didn’t run badly behind Imperial Saint at Haydock last time.
Smith won this race with Vintage Clouds in 2021, and this improving eight-year-old looks like he could repeat the feat, so he’s another each-way selection at 18/1.
POINTERS TUESDAY
Johnnywho e/w 3.20pm Cheltenham
Konfusion e/w 3.20pm Cheltenham
Lossiemouth 4.00pm Cheltenham
Already Advised
Poniros e/w 16/1 4.00pm Cheltenham