Cheltenham Festival 2022 tips: Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase preview

By Tony McFadden

Horse Racing

Fri January 28, 2022 · 3y ago

Our Cheltenham Festival antepost series continues with Timeform's Tony McFadden in the hotseat this week - and he's got his eye on the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase.

2022 Cheltenham Festival antepost tips

1pt win The Glancing Queen in Mares' Chase at 14/1 (bet365 - 12/1 general)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

It won't have shocked many that the inaugural running of the Mares' Chase last season was fought out by two representatives hailing from Willie Mullins' powerhouse yard, and Colreevy's narrow victory over stablemate Elimay made it 15 wins for the trainer from 21 races restricted to mares at the Cheltenham Festival.

Colreevy headed to the paddocks after beating the boys in Grade 1 company at the Punchestown Festival, but Mullins unsurprisingly has a strong hand again with Elimay set to be joined by Concertista.

Concertista, a wide-margin winner of the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, was unable to land the odds in the Mares' Hurdle last season, but she produced a smart effort in defeat, going down by just a head after being caught in the final strides.

She has taken well to chasing this season, winning a couple of Grade 2s at Cork and Limerick, but she hasn't needed to run to a level anywhere near the form she showed over hurdles. She gives the impression that she will prove as good over fences as she was over hurdles, but even that wouldn't set a daunting standard for her rivals and it could be worth opposing the 3/1 favourite with one at a bigger price.

Mount Ida has excellent form claims having posted a career-best effort on her latest start, giving 3lb and a half-length beating to Elimay in a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day, earning a higher Timeform rating than Colreevy achieved for winning the Mares' Chase.

Mount Ida was a remarkable winner of the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at last season's Festival, landing a punt despite being matched at the maximum price in running after threatening to lose touch with the main pack on the first circuit. The style of that success highlighted a few quirks, something which was also evident when she was third in Listed company at Fairyhouse on her final start of the campaign, but it's difficult to pick holes in how she has gone about things this term and a notable feature of her win at Fairyhouse last time was how willingly she dug deep under pressure.

Mount Ida in action

The problem with Mount Ida, however, is that she has been given an entry in an open-looking edition of the Irish Gold Cup and it's not hard to see her giving a good account in that event in receipt of 7lb from the geldings. In fact, Mount Ida is likely to be coming out with a good chance on Timeform's weight-adjusted figures, around 5lb off top, and a bold bid there would open the door for a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, for which she has also been given an entry.

Mount Ida's trainer Gordon Elliott is also responsible for another mare around the 8/1 mark in Riviere d'Etel. She too would be a lively contender but there has to be a significant doubt about her participation as she is a free-going sort who has been kept to distances around two miles so far over fences. She gave a good account of herself when runner-up to Ferny Hollow in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown last time, albeit in receipt of 13lb, and her most likely route appears to be the Irish Arkle followed by the Sporting Life Arkle.

Silver Forever is another who a case can be made for but doesn't appeal as a viable ante-post proposition given the prospect of her running elsewhere. She missed all of last season but has returned from a 22-month absence looking better than ever, beating her sole rival in good style on her chasing debut at Newbury before following up in Listed company at the same venue. She was up against some battle-hardened mares last time but made short work of her opponents, winning with more in hand than the one-and-three-quarter-length margin would suggest after she was eased close home. However, both of those races were over further than the distance of the Mares' Chase, and Paul Nicholls suggested that she might be at her best at around three miles, bringing the Festival Novices' Chase into the equation.

One who does look set for the Mares' Chase is THE GLANCING QUEEN - in fact, she's not been entered in any of the other novice chases. She was arguably slightly disappointing over hurdles given how well she fared in bumpers - she won the Grade 2 Nickel Coin at Aintree after finishing fifth behind Envoi Allen in the Champion Bumper - but she has taken well to chasing and ran out a ready winner on her first couple of starts over fences, impressing with her sound jumping and straightforward nature.

Click here to back The Glancing Queen with Sky Bet

The Glancing Queen was unable to complete the hat-trick in the Dipper Novices' Chase, which is contested over the same course and distance as the Mares' Chase, but she was only beaten by one of the best novice chasers we have seen so far this season in the shape of L'Homme Presse.

That appeals as a strong piece of form - the third, Fantastikas, has won since - and the stylish way The Glancing Queen moved into contention suggests she may have a bit more to offer, particularly if there is a greater emphasis on speed (the Dipper was run at a sound pace on testing ground).

She will need to improve but she's a sound jumper, effective over this course and distance and is bound for the Mares’ Chase, so a top price of 14/1 looks generous in a contest that could well cut up.

Published at 1730 GMT on 27/01/22

Recommended bets archive and schedule…

January 6 – Ben Linfoot – 1pt win Eric Bloodaxe in Albert Bartlett at 16/1
January 13 – Simon Holt - 1pt win Saint Calvados in Ryanair Chase at 10/1
January 20 – Adam Houghton - 1pt e.w Nube Negra in Champion Chase at 12/1
January 27 – Tony McFadden - 1pt win The Glancing Queen in Mares' Chase at 14/1
February 3 – Rory Delargy
February 10 – David Massey
February 17 – Dan Barber
February 24 – Chris Day
March 3 – David Ord
March 10 – Andrew Asquith

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