Champion Bumper insight as Flat champ Donnacha O'Brien eyes festival glory

5.30 Cheltenham
Weatherbys Champion Bumper | 2m87y | 4-6yo | Grade 1 | RTV

Can Donnacha do a Spencer?

Jamie Spencer was the last Flat jockey to teach the jump boys a lesson here, in the 2002 Weatherbys Champion Bumper on Pizarro, who hampered hot favourite Rhinestone Cowboy but kept the race. Seventeen years on, Donnacha O’Brien is the latest to try to follow in his footsteps.

The Irish champion Flat jockey, 20, is excited about the prospect of teaming up with Meticulous, trained by his brother Joseph, but is hoping the recent rain won’t dampen his chances.

"I've always wanted to ride at Cheltenham and I'm not going to get many more chances," he said. "Cheltenham is a special place so to ride there is particularly special.

"Meticulous is a nice horse who finished second to Envoi Allen last time at Leopardstown, and you could argue he was a little unlucky not to get even closer. It's different ground this time but he should go well and I'm really looking forward to it."

On Meticulous, the trainer said: “He's in good form. It'll be a good experience for Donnacha and we're looking forward to it.

"Softer ground should suit but I'm not sure how he'll handle the track.”

Donnacha O'Brien : 'I've always wanted to ride at Cheltenham'Credit: Mark Cranham

Joseph O’Brien is also represented by wide-margin Thurles bumper winner Sempo.

"I like Sempo and he's in good shape as well," he reported. "He won his bumper nicely and is in good form."

Can Codd continue his remarkable record at the festival?

Jamie Codd is officially an amateur, but he does an uncanny impression of a top-notch professional, especially at Cheltenham, and has ten winners on his festival CV.

Eight of those have comes in the last decade, from just 29 rides, a record of which any professional would be proud.

It could be about to get even better. Codd teams up with the unbeaten Envoi Allen, trained by Gordon Elliott and whom he has ridden to victory in three bumpers already this season, at Fairyhouse, Navan and Leopardstown.

Codd and Elliott teamed up to win this race in 2017 with the supremely talented mare Fayonagh, and the trainer is hoping lightning can strike twice.

Elliott said: "Envoi Allen is a very promising young horse with a big future, I hope. He'll hopefully make a lovely chaser someday, but he's won three bumpers already and it's hard to pick holes in his form."

Elliott has decent back-up too in the shape of Abacadabras. The trainer added: “He was in the process of running well behind Envoi Allen when he ran out and I'd fancy him to run well. They're two nice horses."

Will it be a perfect ten for Willie?

Willie Mullins has won the Champion Bumper nine times, more than any other trainer, and will fancy his chances of making it into double figures with the exciting four-year-old Blue Sari.

Willie Mullins: the master Irish trainer goes for a tenth Champion Bumper winCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

We have seen him only once but that 11-length victory on Thyestes day at Gowran Park impressed JP McManus enough for him to get his cheque book out to purchase the son of Saddex.

Barry Geraghty, who won this race in 2007 on Cork All Star, is aboard.

MULLINS BUMPER HAUL
1996 Wither Or Which, 1997 Florida Pearl, 1998 Alexander Banquet, 2000 Joe Cullen, 2005 Missed That, 2008 Cousin Vinny, 2012 Champagne Fever, 2013 Briar Hill, 2018 Relegate

What they say

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Ask For Glory and Flic Ou Voyou
At home there’s nothing between them. Ask For Glory will definitely go in the ground and stays well. The ground is a little bit of an unknown for Flic Ou Voyou but he's an improving horse who we've always thought a lot of. I'd say they're both above-average bumper horses.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Jelski
He’s improving with each run but this is always a hot race and he’s got a lot to do.

Joe Tizzard, assistant to Colin Tizzard, trainer of Master Debonair
He's unproven on the ground but won at the course on his last start and we've saved him for this. He's had no niggles and is the best bumper horse we've brought here since Cue Card.

Nigel Hawke, trainer of Some Detail
He won nicely the other day at Chepstow. It's an unusual Champion Bumper with only 14 runners, which warrants having a go. He's fit and ticks a lot of boxes. This will help us find out how good he is.

Michael Scudamore, trainer of Thor De Cerisy
He won nicely at Ffos Las and you can excuse his Ascot effort as my horses weren't running well. He's always worked well at home and we've thought a lot of him, but he needs soft ground – it's a case of the more rain the better.

Philip Hobbs, trainer of Thyme Hill
He ran very well in the Listed bumper atCheltenham in November and has a chance of being placed. I don’t think soft ground should be a problem.

Spotlight verdict

The smallest field for a Champion Bumper. When Willie Mullins last relied on one entry Missed That justified favouritism in 2005, so even on that statistic alone Blue Sari is of strong interest. Although it is a nagging concern that Cue Card is the only successful 4yo in two decades, it's rare for Mullins to run one from this age group and Blue Sari did look the bee's knees in winning with a swagger on his debut at Gowran. Six of the stable's previous nine winners had raced only the once. There's nothing not to like about the imposing Envoi Allen and he won in spite of tepid fractions at Leopardstown, though that form also brings Meticulous and Abacadabras into the equation. Sempo is not without hope either, so yet again Irish-trained horses appear to be sitting pretty after filling six of the first seven places 12 months ago.
Alistair Jones

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