Mullins to get another day off to a flyer with Felix Yonger in the JLT
BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE JLT NOVICES’ CHASE AND THE PERTEMPS FINAL
IT’S a familiar sight seeing Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh in the winner’s enclosure at the Cheltenham Festival. With three wins already, the pair have almost certainly sewn up the leading jockey and trainer awards with two days still to go.
The strength of the stable is again represented in today’s opener, the JLT Novices’ Chase (1.30pm). Formerly known as the Jewson, it’s been upgraded to a Grade One this year and has attracted a cracking field with all but two of the 12 runners lining up on the back of a win or a second-place.
Mullins runs three and you can give chances to any one of his trio of FELIX YONGER, Djakadam and Mozoltov.
The former, set to be ridden by Walsh, has won three and finished runner-up twice from his five chase starts, but is desperate for better ground and testing conditions have been partly to blame for his two reverses over fences.
The trip was also too short for him at Leopardstown last time, but he plugged on to finish behind Arkle third Trifolium, a rival he had previously murdered by 15 lengths. The vibes from the yard are strong and, with Walsh electing to ride the son of Oscar over the other two, I’ll be taking up Paddy Power on their 4/1.
Djakadam is a horse with a big future but this might come just a little too soon after only two runs over the bigger obstacles and on firmer ground than he’s used to.
Mozoltov is very consistent without perhaps being as good as some of the others. He certainly has frame claims, though.
The best of the home team looks like Oscar Whisky, who has an enviable Cheltenham record but ran on horrible ground at Sandown last time and it remains to be seen what sort of impact that has had on him.
I’d also prefer the exciting Vukovar over Wonderful Charm. However, the ground will surely be on the fast side for him and I’m happy to stick with Felix Yonger to follow in the footsteps of Sir Des Champs, who landed this for the stable two years ago.
No race at the Festival has been harder for punters than the Pertemps Final (2.05pm). In the past decade there have been two 50/1 winners and the average price in the last 10 years is 23/1.
Fingal Bay could be a class above his rivals in this, as he is the only horse to beat former Neptune and Arkle winner Simonsig. But top weights have a shocking record in this and it’s still a risk to back a horse who was off for the majority of last season with an injury.
Philip Hobbs has four other chances and the bookies think it’s If In Doubt who is the second most likely challenger from the stable with AP McCoy in the saddle.
However, I’m going to take a punt on Nicky Henderson’s UTOPIE DES BORDES, who was fifth in last season’s Albert Bartlett and ran such a strong race when second to Gevrey Chambertin in the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock back in November.
That was on soft ground, but she’s won on good and I wouldn’t be too worried that David Bass rides rather than Barry Geraghty as he’s been in the plate plenty of times before. The 20/1 with Paddy Power is a fair each-way price.
Pointers…
FELIX YONGER 1.30pm Cheltenham
UTOPIE DES BORDES e/w 2.05pm Cheltenham
@BillEsdaile