Leading ex-Irish Pointers gear up for Cheltenham

Image © Healy Racing

Former Irish point-to-point horses are lighting up the Cheltenham Festival betting markets as the big festival looms ever closer.

Starting with the curtain-raiser on Tuesday, the newly named, Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Gordon Elliott-trained Romeo Coolio, winner of the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice at Leopardstown over their Christmas Festival, is currently joint second favourite at 5/1. The ex-Donnchadh Doyle-trained Kayf Tara gelding, who won his debut at Belclare also holds an entry on Wednesday in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.

Novice Chases

The ultra-consistent Ballyburn, who has only been beaten twice in ten runs, holds entries in The Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase and the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. Ballyburn was a debut four-year-old maiden winner at Loughanmore when handled by Colin McKeever, and now trained at Closutton by Willie Mullins, he bounced back from his defeat by Sir Gino in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas to impressively land the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown during the Dublin Racing Festival. Ronnie Bartlett’s seven-year-old is 9/2 to beat stable companion Majborough in the Arkle but heads the market at 13/8 in Wednesday’s Brown Advisory.

Sixteen of the 23 entries for Wednesday’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase are point-to-point graduates with Gordon Elliott’s Better Days Ahead, Croke Park and Stellar Story all easy to back at 12/1 or lower.

Champion Hurdle

Nicky Henderson’s stable star, Constitution Hill, who has been unbeaten since being narrowly defeated in his debut point-to-point at Tipperary when trained by Warren Ewing, is the warm favourite at 4/7 as he attempts to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles.

Champion Chase

Another Nicky Henderson-trained star is Jonbon who is 8/11 to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Although missing the Cheltenham Festival last year, Jonbon returned to the winners enclosure at Aintree when landing the Grade 1 Melling Chase and is looking to extend his winning streak to six consecutive victories.

The ex-Ellmarie Holden-trained nine-year-old who won his maiden point at Dromahane, has now recorded 17 victories from 20 starts, finishing second his three defeats.

Turners Novice Hurdle

Final Demand holds an entry in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle (11/8) and the Albert Bartlett Novice’s Hurdle (2/1). The six-year-old son of Walk In The Park won a Lingstown maiden for Matty Flynn O’Connor before joining Willie Mullins.  He won his maiden hurdle at Limerick before progressing to score in a Grade 1 Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Ex-Irish Pointers account for 16 of the 33 entries in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper with Willie Mullins holding eight entries in all. The Mullins trained Gameofinches is currently the 100/30 favourite.

Winning his maiden point-to-point at Dromahane back in November, the ex-Paul Cashman handled six-year-old was a winning favourite when easily scoring in a Punchestown Bumper for Mullins. Other pointing graduates include Bambino Fever (5/1), Jalon D’Oudairies (7/1), Fortune De Mer, Champagne Jury and Dalston Lad.

Gold Cup

Banbridge is another talented points graduate who holds multiple entries during the week. The Joseph O’Brien-trained nine-year-old holds entries in The Queen Mother Champion Chase, The Ryanair Chase as well as the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Ronnie Bartlett’s Ladbrokes King George victor is another who was trained by Colin McKeever during his points campaign. Facing stiff competition in whichever race O’Brien opts for, he can be backed at 5-7/1.

Ryanair Chase

Winner of a Belharbour geldings’ maiden for Donnchadh Doyle, the Willie Mullins-trained Fact To File heads the betting market in the Ryanair Chase (5/4) and is joint second favourite in the betting at 5/1 behind stable companion Galopin Des Champs in Friday’s Gold Cup. The Emmet Mullins-trained Corbetts Cross is also towards the head of the market.

Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle

Irish point-to-point graduates dominate the entries for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with Final Demand, The Big Westerner, Jasmin De Vaux, Wingmen and Ballybow all heading the market.

A total of eight ex-pointers were on the scoresheet at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival and hopes are high to better that figure in 2025.