At Fishers Cross has been aimed at this race since defeating The New One at Cheltenham in January. That race was over two and a half miles in heavy ground and Trainer Rebecca Curtis is one of several trainer praying for rain in time for the festival. Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies blamed himself for the defeat of The New One that day, feeling that he should have delayed his challenge rather than giving Tony McCoy the chance to get back at him on the run-in. Even so, it marked further improvement by the winner who has progressed from a winning handicap mark of 122 in December to take a Grade 2 Hurdle. Provided there is enough moisture in the ground, At Fishers Cross looks the likely favourite here.
Ballycasey heads the Willie Mullins entries in this even following easy victories at Clonmel and Thurles. Both wins came on very soft ground so he is another that will benefit from any ease in the going. He runs in the same colours as Champagne Fever and Pont Alexandre so they will presumably be assigned to different novice events. Noel Meade’s Road To Riches could the Gigginstown House Stud in this race in a bid to repay some of the £155,000 that they paid for the promising six-year-old by Gamut. He recorded his third consecutive win when surviving a bad blunder at the final flight at Cork in December. Jockey Paul Carberry was fortunate to stay in the saddle that day but collected his mount to beat Dushrembrandt by two and three quarter lengths.
Utopie Des Bordes represents the powerful Nicky Henderson stable after recording her third successive victory in a listed event at Sandown. She was bought for €255,000 and her French form includes a victory over the useful Fago in a Grade 1 chase at Auteuil last November. She may have had a fight on her hands at Sandown but for the last fence fall of the Willie Mullins-trained Twigline. That left the Henderson mare to come home a length and three-quarters to the good over She Ranks Me.
Nigel Twiston-Davies has an interesting contender in African Gold, an easy four-length winner at Doncaster last month. That looked a step up on his previous victory at Newbury and he races as though he should stay the three miles. David Pipe has plenty of options of where to run the progressive Gevrey Chambertin after his smooth victory at Wincanton in January. The well-bred five-year-old easily defied a penalty off a handicap rating of 130 and there looked to be plenty of room for improvement.
Summary
Provided that there is enough cut in the ground, At Fishers Cross looks to have a big chance of providing Rebecca Curtis with a second Cheltenham festival winner following Teaforthree last year. Road To Riches could provide the biggest threat if running here in preference to the Neptune Hurdle.
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