The Three Wise Men Preview Cheltenham

Racetrack Wiseguy is thrilled and privileged to have Spenno and The Professor as guests here this evening to help with the annual adventure into that dead cert of profitable sporting excitement which is the Cheltenham Festival. At least, it always seems like it will be until the first race, when all hopes are still alive, faithfully nurtured and nothing’s got beat yet. But, in the words of Marc Bolan, it really doesn’t matter at all because it is only money.

The considered advice of the Three Wise Men will be encoded in bold for Racetrack Wiseguy, capitals for SPENNO and bold italics for The Professor. It's not intended to be competitive but given some of the match-ups that it has thrown up, it's almost Meghan v. the Palace in a couple of big races. 

After the Irish Gold Cup/Champion Hurdle meeting at Leopardstown in early February, it looked as if one only had to copy across all of Willie Mullins’s winners in the big races to their equivalents at Cheltenham and one had an automatic pass to doubles, trebles and your choice of Lamborghini but it’s possible in the circumstances that Mr. Mullins trained his best horses for then and made sure of prizes worth having just in case any further lockdown prevented him sending them to Gloucestershire in March. So, although most of them are quite clearly superstars and expected to win next week as well, you never know.

The first day is always the best because it has three guaranteed top races and anything’s still possible. Ideally one wants to have the winner of the first, like having a sound pair of opening batsmen (unlike England in India), to have something to build on. I’m not doing that. I’ve got Metier in an ambitious combination bet in the hope that Appreciate It is not one of the surest Mullins certs.

In what looks like being a tactical affair, it's clear that I’m making the early running with Spenno coming with a late run and the Professor settled in mid division.

Shiskin, and in fact Shiskin, won the first race last year, one of our rare successes then, and surely wins the second race this year in the Arkle, 1.55. It's so good, it is mentioned twice because it is a part of the Professor's treble, too. He agrees that we wouldn’t be getting any sort of price without the opposition from Ireland so we’re glad of that and it’s the first part of both the Prof and the Wiseguy trebles. But after that entente cordiale, it starts to get rough.

It’s soon followed up with Honeysuckle (nap) in the Champion Hurdle, 3.05, with my special offer 3/1 looking worth having. I’m more afraid of Goshen who looked great again at Wincanton, but didn't beat  much that day, than Epatante who looked great last year but didn’t have the likes of Honeysuckle to get past.

But it’s not only game on, it’s an early thrilling head-to-head with the Professor coming through loud and clear on the wire with,
Epatante (nap), Champion Hurdle. Disappointing in the Christmas Hurdle where a back problem was subsequently identified and cured. The useful 7lb mares allowance in effect makes it a match with Honeysuckle, but Nicky Henderson knows how to train a Champion Hurdle winner and fingers crossed adds to his tally here.

Well, we'll see about that. It's Ali-Frazier, or Barney Curley vs. Luke Harvey, all over again. May the best man win, as long as it's me. And it's my website so the headline picture is of Honeysuckle. But I've been wrong before and we'll be fine on Weds morning, I'm sure, when we've dead-heated for second behind Goshen.

It’s still me kicking on first thing on Weds, at 1.20, with Bravemansgame who went clear of what looked a good field at Newbury at the end of December and Monkfish, at unrewarding odds will be a banker for many at 1.55. After Leopardstown, pundits who know far more about it than me were pencilling him in to win everything from the Monaco Grand Prix to the Boat Race. And then, in a rare excursion into handicap company, I’m happy with my small share of 20/1 about Bachasson that would possibly be tried in a better race if his stable didn’t have so many other options but Spenno’s each way there is MY SISTER SARAH, ‘33/1.... solid performer in handicaps, ran 4th behind Concertisto last appearance, looks overpriced.’  Spenno’s handicap each ways are suggested in their most likely races but might run elsewhere, where they would still be his picks.

But, making a significant move, he then makes CHACUN POUR SOI (nap) the foundations of his treble in the Champion Chase and it’s literally every man for himself, with me not taking sides but the Professor coming in with Altior in the Queen Mother, 'What a swansong this will be for a great horse at a very backable price. Forget what has happened this season. Spring ground and Cheltenham we will see a different horse.'

Some people like the Cross Country chase. It almost looks like a different sport to me. I did have Kilcruit down for the bumper but now there seems a tide of opinion against it so I’ll happily miss out a race in which my main memories are of good things coming second or third.

On Thursday it’s difficult to find an angle on the March Chase first up for me but the Professor is with Chantry House and it’s possibly only lunatics that get involved in the Pertemps Final. Again, The Ryanair Chase is a bit too open to be convinced about for me but Mister Fisher is mentioned in dispatches in a race that ought to be given a bit more respect than the sort of consolation race some regard it as. There is no shame in being good at 2 and a half miles. It's like the 800 metres, the only race I ever won at school. Not a sprinter, not a stayer, still found a distance to win at, though.

But, as long as I’m still in business, I will persevere with Thyme Hill in the Stayers Hurdle at 3.05, contrary to all the science some might say but eventually the up-and-coming horse beats the old champion. Quite how Paisley Park got in front last time, I still don’t know. The Professor had warned me that day and somehow he was right and I was wrong and he's taking me on again. And it's not just that, it's the last leg of his treble. It's a good job we're mates. I’d counted my winnings before they were snatched away that day so maybe I’ll get some back this time.

Spenno's heard Mr. Henderson putting in a word for MORNING VICAR in the last at 4.50 and adds it to his each way list. I have a feeling we might all be on that in one way or another but it'll be for small change but to win for me if I'm doing okay.

Thursday is still a great day's racing but it makes you wonder if it would still be genuine Cheltenham if they stretched the festival to five days of six races. I'm sometimes beginning to fade a bit by Friday unless I'm winning which seems to provide energy of its own. But I'll be okay this year, betting like Boycott's batting rather than Gower's, or mine come to that, and safe in the knowledge that I won't be behind for the year. This is all paid for already.

Nobody's gone for impressive recent winner, Tritonic, in the Triumph Hurdle. I'm sure at 9/4 he's better value than Adagio at 10/1 and the rest of those at the top of the market are trained by Gordon Elliott, who I'm not sure we're allowed to talk about any more than we play our old Gary Glitter records. One hopes that, as ever, the heroic horses will provide compensation for human failings.

Intrepid each way man, Spenno comes in with
PIC D'ORHY, County Hurdle, 1.55, 'Paul Nicholls, 20/1... may look a little high in the weights but won last year's Betfair Hurdle under 2nd top weight, back from chasing. Will run his race.'

The Wiseguy treble suddenly multiplies itself up into glorious orbit with the 8/1 I have in a few multiples about Barbados Bucks in the Albert Bartlett at 2.30. I don't know if it's 'under the radar' or something, it is third favourite, but it's looked entirely the business so far and was surely aiming for this all along. I don't think they're surprised to be there with it and could well exceed what it's achieved so far. 

And then it's the Gold Cup and it really kicks off. Spenno says,
'AL BOUM PHOTO, 3/1, in the Gold Cup, should complete his task and make him a 3-time-winner', and with that he launches his late run up the hill as the second leg of his treble. But that is the very reason I'm against him. I'm not convinced he's good enough to win three Gold Cups and he must surely get found out. That eight-mile specialist (unfortunately there are no eight mile races), Santini nearly caught him last year. Then you think back to Champ coming out of the clouds to snatch the RSA last year and what a good trial he put in over two miles at Newbury and you wonder if, for once, they found the right horse to match with the name.

The At the Races Preview Night didn't seem to consider Champ much at all but our Seven Barrows correspondant, the Professor, thinks they have it, and speculates with 'backing both Champ and Santini with a cheeky reverse forecast is the way to go. Henderson looks like he has the winner.' So it is a discordant congregation we have with all different hymn sheets and plenty of sporting debate going on. It might just be mathemically possible for us all to come out in front overall. Somehow.

I'm very much in favour of the Mares Chase which inevitably looks a bit shoved into a gap after the Lord Mayor's Show but something has to happen at 4.15. My old favourite Shattered Love is in there alongside Annie Mc, who I would be part owner of if being very lucky in a draw run by Corals but Spenno completes his treble with the sensible option of ELIMAY, which could well be a wise way of picking one out at not a bad price away from much louder hullabaloo.

But it isn't over until it's over and there's still CRAIGNEICHE, Martin Pipe Cond Jockey Handicap, in the very, very last, at 4.50, of which Spenno says, 'Nicky Henderson, 16/1... looks to be very well handicapped if he can get in. Not had many runs, so open to significant improvement.' The Professor is with that, too, so it's also Craigneiche and so I'll be trying my best to last that long and be there with them with a little bit of whatever's left.

Nothing can possibly go wrong.