Ruby Walsh (1/3)
WITH AN EMBARRASSMENT of riches from the Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci team at his disposal, not to mention some live contenders in the colours of Andrea and Graham Wylie, it’s no surprise that Walsh is such a short price to add to his 45 festival wins and be crowned top jockey once again.
In fact, it is entirely plausible that he could land the elusive Grade 1 four-timer on the opening day as he rides favourites Min, Douvan, Annie Power and Vroum Vroum Mag in the four big races.
He was so close last year, undone only by the shadow of a fence. Can he go one better?
Biggest race: The Gold Cup. Willie Mullins has never won the blue riband race in the Cotswolds, and he might never have a better chance with three of the top four horses in the betting at the time of writing. Walsh will have first pick of the Ricci pair Djakadam and Vautour, and then need to sit tight and pray that he gets it right.
Best chance: Douvan. Last year’s Supreme Novice has hardly put a foot wrong since turning to chasing and he’s rightly a 2/5 shot for the Arkle on day one.
Barry Geraghty (4/1)
Second only to Walsh in the all-time Cheltenham winners list, Barry Geraghty has a full arsenal for his pursuit of a first jockey’s title since 2012.
It would be a bit of a shock to see My Tent Or Yours lead the chasing pack up the hill in the Champion Hurdle, while in the Queen Mother, there will surely be a few sentimental pounds sent the way of Sprinter Sacre who, Geraghty argues, only needs to be within a stone of his best form to challenge the lethal Un De Sceaux.
But if one of those were to come through, and Yanworth, More Of That, and Ivanovich Gorbatov live up to their pre-Festival billing, it could be enough to snatch the crown.
Biggest race: More Of That stunned everyone two years ago when he stayed longest to win the three-mile World Hurdle in JP McManus’s colours. His staying credentials aren’t really in doubt and he’s looked a class act in winning two novice chases at Cheltenham this season. No More Heroes is a worthy rival in the RSA, making this a match that Geraghty will be determined to win.
Best chance: Yanworth in the Neptune. Alan King’s star came in fourth in last year’s Champion Bumper and has been better again this season, winning a perfect four from four. He’s set to go off the odds-on favourite in the Neptune on day two.
Bryan Cooper (7/1)
Bryan Cooper’s coming of age came at Cheltenham in 2013 when, just 20, he bagged a remarkable hattrick of festival wins. Three years on and the rising star of Irish racing is the retained rider at Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, a job which opens an enviable amount of doors.
It also presents some very difficult choices, not least in the Gold Cup where Cooper has the option of favourite Don Cossack and three more live contenders in Don Poli, last year’s third Road to Riches, and Valseur Lido.
Biggest race: The Gold Cup. The spotlight will be on Cooper’s big race decision, no matter who he chooses.
Best chance: Apart from Friday’s showpiece, Outlander has serious credentials in a wide-open JLT Novices’ Chase, as does No More Heroes in the RSA.
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