Timeform have three to follow for the final day's action at the Cheltenham Festival, the clearest top-rated horse, a flag horse on their Race Passes and a handicap fancy.
Clear on ratings
Elimay – 16:15 Cheltenham
Willie Mullins has dominated the two mares’ races over hurdles since they were introduced at the Festival and there’s every reason to expect it will be the same story in the Mares’ Chase which will be run for the first time this year. At a Festival that has been notable for some small fields, a double-figure entry is an excellent start for the new race and Mullins is responsible for four of the 11 runners with two in particular, Colreevy and Elimay, standing out. Novice Colreevy is unbeaten in three starts over fences this season but it’s the year-younger Elimay who tops the ratings. She barely has more experience over fences herself but has won three of her four starts in chases, most recently the listed Opera Hat Mares Chase at Naas where she gave weight and a convincing five-and-a-half length beating to Shattered Love whom she meets again here. There was no disgrace in Elimay’s only defeat over fences when she went down to stable-companion Allaho in the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles in January when the pair of them finished a very long way clear and there’s nothing of his calibre among the mares she faces in this contest.
The Timeform Flag
Native River – 15:05 Cheltenham (Horses For Courses)
Al Boum Photo is a worthy favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup as he seeks to win the race for the third year running. But he’s not the only past winner in the line-up, and at double-figure odds the 2018 hero Native River looks cracking value to emulate the great Kauto Star and regain his crown. Native River has the ‘Horses for Courses’ flag as he makes his sixth Festival appearance, his other good runs at Cheltenham being his second place in the 2016 National Hunt Chase and his third place when contesting the Gold Cup for the first time a year later. He had to miss the Gold Cup last year but had looked bang on course for another bold showing after winning the Denman Chase at Newbury for the third time. This year, however, he has warmed up by winning the rescheduled Cotswold Chase at Sandown where he was a joy to behold in turning in a top-class performance in testing conditions to give a sound beating to Bristol de Mai and last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Santini. He may be one of the senior runners in the field at the age of 11, but Native River’s last run was on a par with his Gold Cup-winning form of three years ago, and a repeat of that gives him every chance again.
Handicap Hope
Langer Dan – 16:50 Cheltenham
Langer Dan creeps in towards the bottom of the weights in the Martin Pipe after picking up a 5 lb penalty for last Saturday’s win in the Imperial Cup. While this looks a much more competitive handicap, he warrants plenty of respect for what was an easy win at Sandown. Having caught the eye on his previous start at Market Rasen, Langer Dan confirmed that promise with a career-best effort, travelling powerfully and then quickening clear as soon as Harry Skelton pushed the button to beat Miss Heritage by four and a half lengths. Langer Dan runs here off the same mark as when sixth in the Fred Winter at last year’s Festival. Although Langer Dan was below form when tried over a longer trip at Plumpton earlier the season there was probably more to that effort than a lack of stamina as he was given a breathing operation after that race. Other Imperial Cup winners have managed to follow up at Cheltenham the following week, and Langer Dan can become the latest to land the £50,000 bonus.
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