By Ed Culham
CHELTENHAM’S biggest prize, in terms of trophy size, is today’s St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase (4:10pm), known to most over the years as the Foxhunters.
And, despite it being one of the less valuable contests over the four days, this race is the pinnacle for hunter chasers.
Only open to horses holding a hunting certificate and restricted to amateur riders, this contest presents a chance to some of racing’s lesser-known connections to taste Festival glory.
Philip Rowley and Will Biddick, who train horses mainly in the point-to-point sphere, have both been successful here in the last five years, but the likes of Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins have also weighed in with a winner each in that time too.
Vaucelet is the red-hot favourite to go one better than stablemate and last year’s runner-up Winged Leader, and he’s the most obvious winner.
The problem with committing to a 5/2 favourite in this 24-runner contest is that it can be a bit messy.
Only 16 of the 37 runners to have contested the last two renewals of this contest have actually finished the race, which consists of 3m2f and 22 fences, while four of the last six winners have returned at odds of bigger than 16/1.
At the prices, CHRIS’S DREAM, who only narrowly missed out on Grade One success in the Down Royal Champion Chase a little over two years ago, looks to have solid each-way claims at 9/1.
Now an 11-year-old, Henry de Bromhead’s hunter chaser has made a successful switch to pointing.
He made light work of winning a good contest at Moig South in November, at which point this race was confirmed as his ultimate target, while he doubled up at Carrigarostig two months ago to keep things ticking over nicely.
He might not be quite as good as he once was, but seems to be in good heart and could go close, or even win if the favourite meets trouble.
In the concluding race of the Festival, the Martin Pipe (5:30pm), I already advised COOL SURVIVOR in Monday’s ante-post column at 15/2.
That price has since contracted to just 5/1, but I wouldn’t put anyone off supporting him at those odds, particularly given the ground has become testing.
Stamina will be all-important for the 28 and final race of the week, something that he has in abundance.
POINTERS
Chris’s Dream e/w Cheltenham 4:10pm
Cool Survivor e/w Cheltenham 5:30pm
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