Ireland 23-5 GB. A landslide victory for the Irish in last year’s Prestbury Cup at the Cheltenham Festival and looking at the markets for the Grade Ones ahead of next week we could be in for a similar scoreline at the 2022 jamboree.
The hope is in the handicaps, with the BHA actively trying to help out the sort of GB-trained horse that has been up against it in contrast to their unexposed and lightly-raced Irish counterparts in recent years.
At last week's Festival weights unveiling head of handicapping Martin Greenwood explained the thinking behind the new process.
"We had an overall jump review at the BHA post-Cheltenham which was well-publicised," he said.
"The handicapping was a portion of it and part of that was data inspection. There was a bulge around the 130-140 area compared to 10 years ago, so we took a decision that we’d organically tweak things a little.
“One of the main things is that we’re dropping horses quicker, more exposed veterans, and I think that’s quite well known now."
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, and while not many will be expecting a sudden British domination of the handicaps there are some horses that have been given a good chance on their old form.
Here are five for starters:
SPIRITOFTHEGAMES: Ultima Handicap Chase (Tuesday), Plate Handicap Chase (Thursday)
Spiritofthegames has a good Festival pedigree. In 2018 he was fifth in the County Hurdle off 139, the following year he was third in the Plate Handicap Chase off 147, in 2020 he was sixth in the same race off 149 and then last year he was eighth in the Pertemps off 141.
Rated 150 at his peak, he started this campaign off 144 and has dropped 8lb in three runs over fences to 136 this season.
He's 10-years-old now and probably past his best, but, however you slice it, he’s looking well treated on his previous Festival form off a mark of 136, whether he goes for the Ultima or the Plate for Dan Skelton.
DAME DE COMPAGNIE: Coral Cup (Wednesday), Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Thursday)
This time last year Nicky Henderson’s Dame De Compagnie was a 148-rated 12/1 chance for the Mares’ Hurdle and not much has gone right for her since.
Another crack at steeplechasing didn’t advance her career and she was stuffed in the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton on Boxing Day when trailing in 97 lengths behind the winner, Orbys Legend.
She qualified for the Final in sixth, though, and she’s now rated 139. That’s 9lb below her peak rating, 1lb below the mark she ran off when winning the 2020 Coral Cup and 6lb below the mark she started the season off, just two runs ago.
GUMBALL: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Wednesday)
Gumball has never cut it at the Cheltenham Festival, but he does have course form.
Second by a neck to Harambe in the 2019 Greatwood Hurdle at the November meeting, off a perch of 147, he was rated 153 over hurdles after that and has threatened to touch those numbers over fences.
Switched to Fergal O’Brien’s from Philip Hobbs’ in the off-season, he dropped 8lb in three quick runs before Christmas and looks a fairly dangerous fresh lurker off a rating of 140.
HONEST VIC: Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Thursday)
Of all these free-falling Brits it’s Honest Vic that makes most appeal ahead of a possible tilt at the Pertemps Final.
Henry Daly’s horse was fifth in Dame De Compagnie’s Coral Cup off a mark of 140, while he won the 2020 Cheltenham qualifier in the October by four lengths off 1lb higher.
Sent chasing this campaign, he didn’t deliver as expected over fences but he reverted to hurdles with a fifth in the Huntingdon Pertemps qualifier at the end of January.
Having dropped 9lb over timber following just one run in the sphere he’s weighted to have a big say at a track he clearly likes.
GLOBAL CITIZEN: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Wednesday), McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle (Friday)
Finally, Global Citizen, who has been mixing it with Champion Hurdle outsiders in conditions races this season.
Second to Tommy’s Oscar in the Grade 2 ‘The New One’ Unibet Hurdle at Haydock in January, he beat the 145-rated Hunters Call and the 140-rated Navajo Pass convincingly but only went up 2lb to 136.
Rated 159 at his peak, he’d be dead interesting in a County Hurdle off his reduced mark, as he has looked much more like his old self following a second bout of wind surgery in December.
