Cheltenham Festival preview: JJ Slevin on his book of rides

By David Ord

Horse Racing

Sun February 18, 2024 · 9M ago

JJ Slevin dares hardly even dream it, but the jockey is heading to Cheltenham with a big chance of lifting the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

To do so he and Fastorslow will have to reverse Leopardstown form with Galopin Des Champs who beat them four-and-a-quarter lengths a couple of weeks ago. But in four meetings between the pair, the score stands at 2-2 and Slevin isn't alone in thinking the make-up of the Friday feature at Prestbury Park might just swing the balance back in favour of his mount.

"It was a good run last time. I was upsides him going to the last, making him work, and I was hoping he might not pick up, but he did. For a minute I thought it might be on, but your man found another gear and is a very good horse,” he admits.

So, what is that different scenario? First up the ground. Soft at Leopardstown. Any drier than that and the dial might move back towards the runner-up. The track might just nudge it, too. And don’t forget the pace. Galopin Des Champs had an uncontested lead in the Irish Gold Cup – he won’t at Cheltenham.

“Galopin probably does want it soft, and our lad is versatile enough really. I’d say Leopardstown really suits Galopin as well, any track suits him, but he really likes it there,” Slevin said.

"I’d also imagine it will unfold a different way in March, a bigger field, more flow. We can use our jumping and how we travel if there are a few more going forward in that race.

“We came up with our plan at Leopardstown and kind of stuck to it. You think it's the right thing on the day. I suppose when a horse is getting an easy lead like Galopin did it is hard to get past them at times, especially when you’re as good as he is but we’re looking forward to Cheltenham.”

Slevin’s eyes light up when asked to expand on what makes Fastorslow so good.

“Very few horses give me a feel like this fellow does. He’s pure class, all quality, a real athlete and a very intelligent horse. Even coming down to the last at Leopardstown, when Paul’s horse ran around a little bit, a lot of horses could have fallen but Fastorslow just got himself right, shifted to the side and got himself in and out. He’s a very, very intelligent horse and a lovely one to ride.

“He always felt like quite a nice horse but unfortunately loads of horses feel like nice horses and don’t get there, but he has. It was hard to envisage him getting to where he has got to in all honesty from where he came from last year, mind.”

The first signs that he was on a steep upward curve came at last year’s Festival when he chased home Corach Rambler in an Ultima of the ages. But even so, a direct route to the Punchestown Gold Cup and round two with Galopin (he was fifth behind his rival in the 2022 John Durkan on his first chase start in Ireland) was a real roll of the dice.

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“It was a big call from Martin Brassil to run him in the race and if that sort of thing happened that day happens again, I can’t see any reason why we might not be able to do it again. A good honest race, a good honest tempo, and we got going to see it all off. That day he did surprise me," Slevin said.

“He has loads of speed – and so does Galopin. These Gold Cup horses could turn up over two miles against the top two-milers and give them a race. That’s the sort of horse you are dealing with. These are the best horses over fences in the isles right now."

Banbridge is another Grade One player for the rider next month – catapulted into Ryanair Chase favouritism after making a winning return in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase in January.

“I think he has a big chance. Kempton was his first time in open company and Pic D’Orhy is a good horse. Banbridge is improving away, we thought he’d improved, and the Ryanair is the right place to go with him.”

And don’t rule out a bold bid from Home By The Lee in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle either. It’s his third attempt to snare the Grade One swag having finished sixth and fifth in the last two renewals.

“He was only beaten three lengths last year, six or seven the year before. He ran well at Navan on his first run this year when he was giving all those good horses eight pounds. You saw what happened at Christmas where making the running was a disaster,” his jockey said.

“He runs well fresh. Joseph (O’Brien) will have him spot-on, and on his best day he has a chance. If you’re not in, you can’t win.”

A Ryanair favourite to go alongside Fastorslow, Cheltenham could be the biggest week in JJ Slevin’s career.

“When you get older, you kind of think it’s never going to happen. I wouldn’t even dream about it really; it is that sort of stuff. I don’t even like to think about it at the minute. To be second favourite for the Gold Cup... I’m just taking it day by day,” he says.

Less than 28 to go now. And there might just be a pot of Gold waiting at the end of this particular road to Cheltenham.

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