Placepot problems, National opportunity and smaller yards and Skeltons shine - what we learned at Cheltenham

Here are four things we learned from the Cheltenham Festival . . .

Dominance of short prices could put Placepot under threat

The competitiveness of the Cheltenham Festival lends itself nicely to the Placepot – and the incentive to play is even stronger with the Tote generously putting up a guaranteed pool of £1 million each day.

Like many punters, my Cheltenham morning consists of looking through the cards for a couple of bankers, but mainly favourites who I can leave out of the perm in the hope they will finish outside of the places, thus increasing the dividend paid.

However, it has become increasingly harder to pinpoint potential upsets or big-priced winners, something that was highlighted fully at this year’s festival, and that has got to put the Placepot under threat.

In this year’s Placepot races, just nine of the 24 favourites (one was joint-favourite) failed to place, while 56 per cent (41-73) of the places were filled by a horse from the top four in the betting.

In fact, every race at this year’s festival had a horse from the top four of the betting in the places, while 19 races had two or more (15 races in the Placepot).

To add to the dominance of fancied runners, only five winners returned a double-figure SP – under half of the average amount at the previous ten festivals (10.2).

The draw of the Placepot is a high reward for a small stake. This year’s dividends of £45.10, £179.10, £87.70 and £123.40 to a £1 stake were uninspiring, and it is of the utmost importance to ensure those values do not became commonplace.
Harry Wilson

Corach Rambler set up perfectly for Grand National repeat

There was never going to be any beating Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup, but Corach Rambler could not have run any better in third and punters are almost certain to get stuck into him for his repeat bid in the Grand National next month.

He is no bigger than 6-1 to emulate modern National greats Red Rum and Tiger Roll by going back-to-back. Noble Yeats attempted the same Gold Cup-Grand National double last year and finished a creditable fourth in both, but Corach Rambler's hopes of eclipsing that look much stronger and Aintree has always been his main aim.

Corach Rambler (right) only enhanced his reputation when finishing third to Galopin Des Champs in the Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Noble Yeats had to run from 19lb higher in the handicap compared to his 2022 National success and carried 11st 11lb, whereas, if Hewick stays in, Corach Rambler will carry only 11st 2lb and the smaller field size means the weight difference with those at the lower end of the handicap will be reduced. 

Corach Rambler will run off a 9lb higher mark than last year, but he looks likely to be officially well in as he will surely be raised beyond his current mark of 159 after his Gold Cup performance, for which he was awarded a Racing Post Rating of 169.

The very testing conditions at Cheltenham were against the Lucinda Russell-trained ten-year-old and that effort will take a while to recover from, but with a four-week gap between now and Aintree and that being his first run since November, he should still be fresh enough.
Sam Hendry

Smaller stables can hold their own

It was yet another excellent Cheltenham for Willie Mullins, who mopped up nine winners at this year’s meeting, one shy of his 2022 record, and claimed the remarkable training feat of having the first five home in Wednesday’s Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle. However, elsewhere some of the relatively smaller stables managed to hold their own against the training juggernaut.

Somerset-based Jeremy Scott struck with star mare Golden Ace, who fended off challenges from Mullins’ Jade De Grugy and Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead to take the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at odds of 10-1.

Less than 24 hours after Golden Ace’s success there was a winner for Yorkshire as Sine Nomine landed the Hunters’ Chase for Fiona Needham, denying the Emmet Mullins-trained – and recently JP McManus-acquired – favourite Its On The Line. The eight-year-old grey had been purchased for just £2,400 in 2019.

Fiona Needham punches the air in celebration following Sine Nomine's victoryCredit: GROSSICK RACING

Mel Rowley came agonisingly close to success with 16-1 shot Kyntara in the Pertemps, less than five months after flooding caused by Storm Babet devastated her yard, while Stuart Edmunds’ Marsh Wren produced a clear career-best performance when a 28-1 third in the Mares’ Chase.

Both Kyntara and Marsh Wren were their respective stable's sole runners at this year’s festival.

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington highlighted the domination of Irish runners in the Cheltenham Grade 1s, but these results prove that with the right ammunition, smaller stables can compete on the biggest stage.
Joe Eccles

Skelton ready to lay down title challenge

Before Cheltenham, Dan Skelton was 16-1 to earn his maiden British trainers’ championship as he trailed perennial rivals Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson in the standings. But Henderson’s travails and a stunning week in the Cotswolds have catapulted Skelton ahead of his old friend and former boss Nicholls, setting up a box-office final six weeks of the season.

Harry and Dan Skelton after the Ryanair ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

Skelton is now 11-4 and signalled his intent to go all out for the crown when detailing plans to run his Cheltenham stars at Aintree. His prowess in handicaps, particularly over hurdles, will give him a great chance of picking up healthy sums of prize-money.

Nicholls, chasing down Martin Pipe’s record of 15 trainers’ titles, is still the odds-on favourite to lift the title for the fourth successive year, but he will need the likes of Bravemansgame and Ginny's Destiny to be at the top of their game.
Sam Hendry

Read these next:

'It won't be given, it will have to be earned' - Cheltenham hero Dan Skelton has fresh blood for championship bid 

'Bring on the Grand National' - Corach Rambler camp delighted with Gold Cup third and favourite again for Aintree 

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