Ireland’s dominance at the Cheltenham Festival has been well documented in recent years, with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead and co. ensuring that the Prestbury Cup — the title contested between Britain and Ireland for the most winners — has returned to the Emerald Isles for the last three years on the bounce.
In that time, Irish-trained horses have won 11 of the 15 renewals of the five feature races — the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Gold Cup — with successes in all five last year thanks to Honeysuckle, Energumene, Allaho, Flooring Porter and A Plus Tard as the Brits left empty handed.
Things could change this year, however. Constitution Hill andShishkin are the favourites for the Champion Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase respectively, while Marie’s Rock, Edwardstoneand Bravemansgame are in the top three of the Cheltenham betting for the Stayers’ Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup.
The latter is the one all involved with British racing will want to regain from the grasps of their rivals. The Irish have taken home the Gold Cup for the last four years in a row through an Al Boum Photo double in 2019 and 2020 and Minella Indo and A Plus Tard landing dual triumphs for De Bromhead in the last couple of years.
Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs is the short-price favourite in the Gold Cup odds for the Blue Riband race at 3/2, but market leaders don’t carry a fantastic record in the Gold Cup despite A Plus Tard’s victory last year — with just five of the last 12 favourites going on to win the showpiece event of the entire jumps racing calendar.
With almost 60% of the last 12 winners in the top three of the betting, Bravemansgame stands a good chance. But trends aside, the eight-year-old has proven that he’s a fantastic chaser this season after some doubts crept in last year due to trainer Paul Nicholls pulling him out of a much-anticipated clash with L’homme Presse in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase due to unsuitable ground before he came last of four winners in the Mildmay at Aintree.
He has progressed massively out of novice company, winning the Charlie May Chase at Wetherby on reappearance in October before romping home 14 lengths clear of his nearest contender Royale Pagaille in the prestigious King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Nicholls is confident of Bravemansgame’s ability as well, claiming: “He’s run well once before at Cheltenham, so the track is no issue to him and he was just a baby then anyway – he’s twice the horse who ran at the 2021 festival.
“He’s so much stronger and with his two wins this year what more could you want from a horse who’s going into the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
“I’ve got absolutely no concerns in my mind about him staying the distance, he travels nicely and he jumps nicely all of which is what you want. To me he’s got everything you’d want in a horse trying to win the Gold Cup, it’s just down to whether he’s good enough on the day. He’s got a lovely chance and I really am very happy with him.”
Bravemansgame can compete with Irish Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs, but the Cheltenham Gold Cup could go any number of ways with last year’s winner A Plus Tard the second favourite at 11/2 and Noble Yeats and Stattler both in single figures at 7/1 and 8/1 respectively. The best horse on the day will win, and if Bravemansgame can emulate his King George display then that could be him.
