The countdown to the Cheltenham Festival is on. At this stage, just one day separate us from Tuesday’s curtain raiser. However, surely we can’t be the only ones left scratching our heads on who to back in each of this year’s Cheltenham Festival 2021 feature races?
Luckily, jockey-turned-pundit Ruby Walsh has delved deep into the racecards and form guides and has come back out with his selections for all four of the championship races, which includes the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and of course the showpiece race, the Gold Cup.
Who better to trust than Walsh, a jockey who knows the Cheltenham Festival like the back of his hand? So, read on as we look at the Irishman’s picks, and perhaps it will help make your selection process less of a stressful affair!
Champion Hurdle – Honeysuckle
Unbeaten in her 10 career outings over hurdles, Honeysuckle (9/4) looks like the mare to beat in the Champion Hurdle. Her recent victory at Leopardstown in the Irish edition of the race saw her leapfrog defending champion Epatante in the Champion Hurdle betting market, and Walsh is confident the Henry de Bromhead-trained horse will do the business again in the day one feature.
“Honeysuckle was better at Leopardstown than she has been at any stage in her career,” Walsh said. “Although her first Hatton’s Grace victory where she beat Bacardys by a long way [at Fairyhouse in 2019] was a pretty dominant display as well.
“Watching her this year in Leopardstown winning the Irish Champion Hurdle, absolutely trouncing Abacadabras, Saint Roi, Sharjah, Saldier and Petit Mouchoir… if you own her, train her or ride her, you would be thinking “yeah, let’s have a go at the Champion Hurdle”.
You can listen to Walsh’s full preview of the race here.
Queen Mother Champion Chase – Chacun Pour Soi
All eyes will be on Chacun Pour Soi, who is the evens favourite in the Champion Chase betting market. Seven-time Festival Top Trainer Willie Mullins is yet to win the one-mile, seven-furlong race and Chacun Pour Soi is in with a fantastic chance of landing the Irish trainer his maiden Champion Chase title, something the likes of Un De Sceaux, Min and Douvan couldn’t do.
“It has been a stop-start career for the supremely talented Chacun Pour Soi,” Walsh said. “He’s a very, very good horse but he just has to go and deliver on the biggest stage at Cheltenham to be considered a great horse. I hope he gets the chance to do it. Chacun Pour Soi’s in great form and he looks the best in the field.”
You can listen to Walsh’s full preview of the race here.
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
Day three’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle had potential to be one of the races of the meeting, as Paisley Park (11/4) and Thyme Hill were set to go head-to-head for the third time this season. It was all square at one apiece between the two foes, and the Stayers’ Hurdle presented a great chance for one of them to win bragging rights. However, it was recently revealed that Thyme Hill will no longer be taking part in the showdown due to a pulled muscle.
Walsh was originally in favour of Thyme Hill, claiming he was ‘the most likely winner.’ But, with the Phillip Hobbs-trained horse out, we’re sure there’s only one winner now and that’s Paisley Park.
You can listen to Walsh’s full preview of the race here.
Gold Cup – Al Boum Photo
Al Boum Photo will be hoping to steal all the headlines for the third year in a row on the final day of the Festival. The Mullins-trained horse is aiming to land the Gold Cup for the third time on the spin, which would see him emulate the achievements of the great Arkle and Best Mate. It will be hard for anybody to look past the nine-year-old and Walsh believes it’s best to back him sooner rather than later.
“It will not be straightforward, but Al Boum Photo is the most likely winner,” the former jockey said. “You may not want to back him now, but I would be getting on him before racing starts on Tuesday because if Willie Mullins gets on a roll at the Festival – and he’s got a lot of really well-fancied horses – he will be plenty short enough, whether the public get into him or not. If it goes the other way, you can always back him again, but if he rolls in then you will have missed the price.”
You can listen to Walsh’s full preview of the race here.
