CHELTENHAM Festival bosses have announced a load of changes to next year’s races.
With punters already piling into ante-post bets, it’s worth noting who’s worse off with the changes and who’s fared well.
Willie Mullins will have to get his thinking cap on to find the most suitable races for his Galacticos[/caption]
A lot could change in the six months between now and when the Festival kicks off.
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But it’s worth bearing these horses in mind if you plan to have an early punt.
Slade Steel
Last year’s Supreme winner will be of major interest wherever he goes in 2024.
The now-defunct Turners Novices’ Chase might have been the best port of call, given he won the Supreme on soft and was already a 2m4f Grade 2 winner over heavy.
Mind you, he didn’t exactly look like a boat when finishing third to Mystical Power when last seen at Punchestown in April.
Firefox was second that day and he’s now second-fav for the Arkle.
The Turners looked logical for Slade Steel but Henry de Bromhead now has to decide if he wants him to tackle 2m or 3m as a novice chaser… or stick to hurdles.
Ballyburn
The horse everyone wants to get right – and arguably the most tricky.
Make no mistake, Willie Mullins is likely to leave everyone hanging until the very last minute when he finally makes his decision.
Another who looked suited to the Turners, will he utilise a huge turn of foot to go for the Arkle, or make use of a massive engine and step up in trip to the 3m Brown Advisory?
It’s likely his owners think he’s a Gold Cup horse, but Mullins could even throw him in the Champion Hurdle!
The situation just got even murkier.
Delta Work
The Cross Country has given us some thrilling finishes down the years but it’s fair it’s now a handicap.
Bad news for Delta Work, though.
Surely one of the bankers of the meeting he, possibly along with a load of other Gordon Elliott runners such as Conflated and Coko Beach, will suddenly have to concede a load of weight to ‘lesser’ rivals.
Maughreen
She’s only been seen once but Mullins’ Maughreen is already 3-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Good news for her then, with the scrapping of penalties (additional weight to carry) coming in a race Mullins has won five of the past ten years.
She might be so good a penalty wouldn’t make a difference.
But it will now be off level weights, and that’s good because better horses can run in better races in the run-up to the big one.
Three Card Brag
Bad news for this fella in the National Hunt Chase now it’s a handicap.
When Gaillard Du Mesnil won it off 155 last March he carried the same weight as Chemical Energy (147), Mister Coffey (145) and Tenzing (143).
Rated 146 now, Elliott’s charge was 12-1 second fav for the 3m6f marathon and looked a good fit.
But he’ll have to give bundles away next season should he go for this race, which pro jockeys can also now race in.
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