Horses for courses: who has proven form on the Old and who favours the New

The two main courses at Cheltenham are chalk and cheese, says festival ace Barry Geraghty, who has ridden winners aplenty on both. Here David Jennings assesses just what makes them so different and the possible implications for next week

Did you know Fair Along made 20 appearances at Cheltenham? Eleven on the New course and nine on the Old. His form figures on the old Course read 131232146. The sixth-placed finish arrived in a 3m3f handicap chase at the November meeting in 2011 when he made a desperate mistake at the 15th fence.

His form figures on the New course were not so attractive – 32013970040 – unplaced seven times. It was a case of in with the old and out with the new.

Fair Along was a fiery front-runner who loved to dictate matters on his own terms. His three victories on the Old course were all achieved from the front, the best of which was in a Grade 2 novice chase by nine lengths in November of 2007. He went on to chase home My Way De Solzen in the Arkle the following March over the same course. He was all about speed when on song.

The Old course is used every season for the Showcase meeting in October, the November meeting and the first two days of the festival. It is slightly sharper than the New course, has only four starting positions and a fence in front of the stands going out into the country.

The New course is used for the International meeting, New Year's Day, festival trials day and the final two days of the festival itself, as well as the April and May meetings. The hurdles track on the New course has just two flights in the last six furlongs.

"It is as simple as this really, the Old course is all speed, the New course is all stamina. That's the way I look at the two tracks. They are two different places," said Geraghty.

"I would say Florida Pearl and One Man might have had better chances of winning a Gold Cup, or certainly staying the trip, if it had been run on the Old course. That would have suited them better."

Al Dancer and Fakir D’Oudairies have dominated the Supreme market for the last few weeks, with winning course form one of the arguments being used to support their cases, but their wins at Cheltenham have come on the New course. The festival opener is run on the Old course.

Laurina will also be on the Old course for the first time in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Her 18-length demolition job in last year’s Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle was over a furlong further on the New course.

Out on her own: Laurina trots up in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at CheltenhamCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

First Assignment, second favourite with most firms for the Pertemps Final on the New course on Thursday, may be unbeaten at Cheltenham but his two course wins have been on the Old course.

It is a similar story with Faugheen, who has never run on the New course – his brilliant Ballymore win and all-the-way success in the 2015 Champion Hurdle were both on the Old course.

The 11-year-old is second favourite for Thursday's Stayers Hurdle which is run over the New course. With just two flights of hurdles in the final six furlongs, it might actually suit Faugheen given he comes into the contest on the back of a crashing fall at Leopardstown.

The stick punters are beating Bellshill with is that he has never saved his best for Cheltenham. The Magners Gold Cup contender was tenth in the Champion Bumper, 13th in the Supreme and third in the RSA but all those appearances were on the Old course. Next Friday will be his first time to tackle the New course – something to bear in mind.

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