Donn McClean puts together a Cheltenham Festival Lucky 15 featuring his idea of four of the winners to hail from Ireland.
Tullyhill (Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Tuesday)
Tullyhill has been living in the shadow of his stable companion Ballyburn for almost the entire duration of the Cheltenham preview circuit, but, now that Ballyburn has been confirmed for the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on Wednesday, Tullyhill could have the spotlight trained on him in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday.
Willie Mullins’ horse has always been highly regarded. He was the stable’s number one in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown last April, when he finished second behind A Dream To Share, with Ballyburn running in a winners’ bumper the following day instead.
The Martaline gelding has been a fairly slow burn over hurdles this season. He was beaten at 1/8 on his hurdling bow at Punchestown in November, but he was better next time in winning his maiden at Naas in January, and he was better again last time at Punchestown. In front from flagfall that day, his jumping wasn’t flawless, but he was always in command, and he readily came away from two talented rivals in No Flies On Him and Jigoro. He is on an upward trajectory over hurdles now, it is probable that he will improve again with the Punchestown experience under his belt, and it looks like he will have Paul Townend for company. There are lots of positives.
Monty’s Star (Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Wednesday)
Monty’s Star was a progressive staying novice hurdler last season, and he has continued his progression over fences this season.
He was pulled up in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but that race came up just four weeks after he had won a Grade 3 three-mile novices’ hurdle at Clonmel on soft ground, it may have been a quick enough turnaround. Also, Bostons Angel and Blaklion were both pulled up in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle a year before they went back to Cheltenham and won the Brown Advisory Chase, in 2011 and 2016 respectively.
More than that, Monty’s Star has impressed in two runs over fences this season so far. On his seasonal debut, at the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle meeting at Fairyhouse in early December in one of the hottest beginners’ chases run this season, Henry de Bromhead’s horse kept on well to finish third behind Corbetts Cross and Three Card Brag over two miles and five and a half furlongs, a distance that was on the sharp side for him. And, sure enough, he stepped out in trip to three miles next time at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve and won his beginners’ chase impressively.
His jumping was very good that day. He made ground at most of his obstacles, and he came away fairly readily from a talented rival in Three Card Brag. A half-brother to Monalee, runner-up in the 2018 edition of the Brown Advisory Chase, there is every chance that he will come forward again from his Punchestown run. He will have Rachael Blackmore for company, and you know that his trainer will have him at concert pitch.
Majborough (JCB Triumph Hurdle, Friday)
Majborough put up a big performance in finishing third in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival last month, and he could be a big player in the Triumph Hurdle picture.
That was just the Martinborough gelding’s second ever run, his second run over hurdles, and it was his first for Willie Mullins and his first since last April, when he won a three-year-olds’ hurdle at Auteuil for Daniela Mele.
He led from early at Leopardstown, he travelled well through his race and, even after he was passed by the ultimate winner Kargese on the run to the final flight, there was a lot to like about the manner in which he battled on up the run-in to retain third place, less than two lengths behind the winner.
The Spring Juvenile Hurdle has been a really good pointer to the Triumph Hurdle in the recent past. Our Conor and Quilixios and Vauban won both races, while Countrywide Flame, Tiger Roll, Ivanovich Gorbatov, Farclas and Lossiemouth were all beaten in the Spring Hurdle before going on to win at Cheltenham. There is every chance that Majborough will improve significantly on his Leopardstown run, and he could run a big race in the Triumph Hurdle.
Fastorslow (Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, Friday)
Galopin Des Champs sets a sky-high standard in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but Fastorslow has beaten him twice, and he probably should be closer to him in the market than he is.
Martin Brassil’s horse sprang a bit of a surprise when he won the Punchestown Gold Cup in April. It looked like he was out-paced a little by Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame as they raced across the top of the track, but he stayed on strongly over the last two fences to go on and win by over two lengths. And he proved that there was no fluke about that performance when he won the John Durkan Chase back at Punchestown on his debut this season.
Galopin Des Champs may not have been at his best on either of those occasions, and Willie Mullins’ horse was very good in the Savills Chase and again in the Irish Gold Cup, when he brought the score in his private duel with Fastorslow to 2-2. But that was Fastorslow’s first run since the John Durkan Chase in November, he skipped the Savills Chase at Christmas because of soft ground, and there is every chance that he will be better again at Cheltenham.
He is a Cheltenham horse too. He has never won there, but he was only just beaten in the Ultima Chase last year by Corach Rambler, who ran out an impressive winner of the Grand National next time, and he went down by just a short head to Commander Of Fleet in the Coral Cup in 2022. He has run just seven times over fences too, so there could be more to come from him.
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