One more day left of the Cheltenham Festival, and it’s safe to say we’ll all be exhausted by the weekend! Gold Cup Day is here and, as always, it’s going to be tremendously exciting. I have two runners on Friday’s card at Prestbury Park, Gin Coco and Gidleigh Park.
Cheltenham, Friday
Gin Coco runs in the County Hurdle (14:10), but he definitely wants better ground, so we will be monitoring conditions closely. We haven’t seen him since he disappointed at Doncaster in December, but that was three weeks after winning at Ascot and it just proved too soon for him. He’s best fresh, so we’ve deliberately kept him back for a go at the County, albeit he didn’t run his race last year in this as he picked up an injury. He’s in great form with himself at home and, if the ground dries up, he could be putting in a similar performance to when he was runner-up in the Greatwood. Hopefully, he can be competitive.
You’ve all heard plenty about Gidleigh Park, who runs in the Albert Bartlett (14:50). Everything about this race should be right up his street, the course, the trip, and the conditions. The only thing we need to go our way is the run of the race, as he wasn’t really suited by the way his last race panned out, but at the Cheltenham Festival you’re almost guaranteed a good tempo, which is what he’ll like. He’s a big, rangy horse, but he’s not short of pace and he’s got a great blend of speed and stamina, so I hope this race will play to his strengths. We’re really looking forward to seeing him step into Grade One company for the first time.
On his last start, Gidleigh Park and the runner-up put a lot of distance between themselves and the rest of the field towards the finish, but the fact that he was still able to quicken and battle to the end was testament to his ability. Strictly on ratings, he has a bit to find, but I think he has the potential to really excel here and go very close indeed. Without a doubt, he is my best chance of a winner at the Festival this year.
Best of luck,
Harry