Cheltenham Festival Market Movers - 08/02/23

The first market mover for the Cheltenham festival from the weekend was Gerri Colombe for Gordon Elliott and owner Robcour with the gelding now the stand out favourite for the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

Lightly raced in both bumpers and over hurdles over the last two seasons, his whole career has been geared towards getting the best of him over fences and so far, Gordon Elliott has done so.

Making a nice chase debut at Fairyhouse in a Beginners Chase when seeing off Grade Two winning hurdler Bronn and the talented stayer Tenzing for Willie Mullins.

He was then next seen on Boxing Day he saw off Adamantly Chosen, Kilcruit and Authorised Art with ease in the end to land the Grade One Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick.

At the weekend he made it back to back Grade Ones over fences and eight wins on the bounce including his PTP, when travelling over to Sandown to land the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase.

This horse went from 8/1 into 3/1 stand alone favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase over three miles, begging for a step up in trip and he gets that in this race.

Good Land put up the first big performance of the weekend from Leopardstown on Saturday when taking the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy Solicitors Novice Hurdle.

Although he unseated on hurdles debut this season at Fairyhouse when just pecking on landing at the first that can be put behind him because what he did at Leopardstown over Christmas was special and the form has worked out accordingly.

Winning over 2m4f at Leopardstown over Christmas he went on to beat a good field by eight lengths, with the big form boost coming from Embassy Gardens who he beat by close to 10 lengths.

Embassy Gardens has since gone on to score over 2m7f at Thurles beating a field by 35 lengths and he is now the second favourite for the Albert Bartlett.

Good Land beat that horse doing handstands and the extra two furlongs in the Nathaniel Lacy only bought improvement with him cruising past Weveallbeencaught and he went on to beat Absolute Notions by close to two lengths.

Set for the Ballymore at the Cheltenham festival he is now a general 4/1 shot for the race having been 12/1 before Saturday.

One of the performances of the weekend from the Dublin Racing Festival came in the Grade Irish Arkle where El Fabiolo showed just how good he was to land the event by 10 lengths.

A superb hurdler last term finishing second to Jonbon at Aintree by a Neck in a Grade One on his second start and then rounding out the season at the Punchestown festival and landing the first Grade One of his career.

Sent chasing this season, he made his seasonal debut at Fairyhouse when showing what an engine he had without jumping very well, but at the weekend he gave the performance of his career to see off stablemates Appreciate It and Dysart Dynamo to land the Grade One Irish Arkle.

Being the only horse comfortable withe pace of runaway leader Dysart Dynamo, he still made jumping mistakes but when asked to win the race pulled away from a tiring field with any amount in hand, to beat Banbridge by 10 lengths.

A 7/1 chance for the Arkle before that race he went to near the top of the market to now a best price of 2/1 behind favourite Jonbon.

Serious horse.

Facile Vega was the flop of the weekends action with it looking like the bubble has now burst for the Grade One winning superstar.

Champion bumper winner from last year Facile Vega, who made his seasonal/hurdles debut at Fairyhouse this season was sent off 1/9 off the back of his exploits last term when landing back to back Grade One races at the Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals, he ran how a 1/9 shot should do, bolting up without even being asked.

Sent to Leopardstown over the same C&D as the weekend next time out over Christmas, he landed his first Grade One over hurdles in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle, seeing off stablemate Il Etait Temps comfortably.

Again sent off the strong favourite looking to make it back to back Grade Ones over hurdles, he blew up turning for home finishing 20 lengths last of the horses that finished the race with Il Etait Temps reversing the form in a big way to win with what looked any amount in hand.

He went from the strong 8/11 favourite for the race to now the 4/1 joint favourite with Marine Nationale, a huge drifter.

Off the back of this event Il Etait Temps is now near the top of the market being a best price of 9/2 for the race, having been 33/1 before the event.

Another race that moved the markets for the 2023 Cheltenham festival was the Grade One Dublin Chase with Gentleman Mee causing a huge upset when beating the 1/5 stablemate favourite Blue Lord.

Having landed a Grade One at Aintree last season ahead of Arkle winner Edwardstone, Gentleman De Mee had not been the same horse this season.

Running three times this season before the Dublin Racing Festival and showing next to know form he came back to life on Sunday going from the front to beat Blue Lord comfortably by seven lengths.

Blue Lord was backed on the day like defeat was out of the question going off at 1/5 off the back of his victory at Leopardstown at Christmas in Grade One company but he now sees himself a 12/1 outsider for the Champion Chase from 5/2 third favourite.

Gentleman De Mee on the other hand now looks to have a big chance if in the same form at the Cheltenham festival, moving from 50/1 into 8s for the same Grade One.

Looking at the bumpers from the weekend now and one of the biggest shocks on day one of the meeting was A Dream To Share landing the Grade Two bumper for trainer.

Although now unbeaten on all three starts, he had not been seen for sometime before Saturday, making his rules debut at Tipperary in May when winning by four lengths and then in June he went to Roscommon and landed another race under a penalty.

The form of both those races had not worked out massively and with others in the field on Saturday wins closer to the race and owned by bigger trainers, he was overlooked in the market at 12/1

However, he swept round the outside of the field to win very impressively and he now sees himself as a general 6/1 shot for the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham festival from 33/1.

The final race of the Dublin Racing Festival saw a very smart performance from a nice mare for Willie Mullins and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede with Fun Fun Fun.

A winner at Sligo in October on her rules debut she went on to bolt up by 10 lengths showing a very nice cruising speed to see off her rivals.

Saved since then for the Mares Bumper Grade Two at Leopardstown she was easy enough in the betting but on course looked a superstar seeing off Lily Du Berlais for the same connections by close to 10 lengths.

She also saw herself go from 33/1 into 6s for the Grade One at the Cheltenham festival and getting the allowance could have a chance.