Paul Townend: Bellshill definitely has the class edge in Bobbyjo field

Bobbyjo Chase (Grade 3) | 3m1f, 5yo+ | RTV

This time last year Bellshill was Ireland's leading fancy for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He had won the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Festival and Ruby Walsh went on to pick him ahead of subsequent winner Al Boum Photo and Kemboy in the Friday feature at the Festival.

But it has been a tale of woe since then as he has form figures of P476 since that Leopardstown success and has been beaten a total of 85 lengths by Delta Work on his two starts this season.

Bellshill did win this race impressively in 2018 and Paul Townend, who rides him for the first time since December 2016, is hoping the drop in class can reignite his fading flame.

Townend said in his Ladbrokes blog: "Bellshill has been competing at the highest of levels. He is dropping down two grades after his last three runs. In saying that you have only to go back to the Dublin Racing Festival last year and he was winning at the highest level.

Paul Townend: chose Bellshill from four Willie Mullins runnersCredit: Patrick McCann

"I just hope that with the step back in class he might start enjoying himself more. On his day he is definitely the pick of all of these."

He added: "Acapella Bourgeois ran well considering the way he jumped in the Thyestes and his run behind Al Boum Photo was good, but he's a winner of just one race for us. He just doesn’t seem to be winning and I went with the idea that Bellshill might come back to life in this company."

Willie Mullins, who has won the race for the last four years in a row and seven times in the last decade, is mob-handed once more as Bellshill is joined by not just Acapella Bourgeois but also Voix Du Reve and 2018 Grand National runner-up Pleasant Company.

Gordon Elliott is the only trainer to have intruded on the Mullins dominance of this Grade 2 in the last nine years as he sent out Roi Du Mee to win in 2013 and 2015.

This time around Elliott relies on Alpha Des Obeaux, who has been a model of consistency of late and comes into the contest on the back of a fine third in the Becher Chase at Aintree in December. Davy Russell takes the ride.

Elliott said: "Alpha Des Obeaux has been a great servant over the years and still retains plenty of his old ability. He ran well at Aintree when we last saw him and has been in good form since. This looks a nice race for him."

The line-up is completed by the Henry de Bromhead-trained Sub Lieutenant.

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