Cheltenham Festival Market Movers - 28/11/22

The first horse on what saw a busy week of market movers for the Cheltenham festival was the Nicky Henderson trained Luccia who put up a sparkling performance on hurdles debut.

A winner at Warwick over 2m on soft in January beating smart performer Blow Your Wad, she then went to Sandown in March and improved again to bolt up by 17 lengths beating some extremely smart horses including a Willie Mullins runner.

Having been a non-runner on a few occasions this season ahead of her hurdles debut the mare was seen for the first time over timber at Newbury on Saturday when bolting up in a Listed Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

To start her off in such a tough event shows just how much they like her and with Henderson pinpointing the Grade Two Mares Novices' Hurdle at the festival as her big aim, she went from 10/1 into a best price of 9/2 with one firm, with the rest generally a 4/1 chance.

Another Nicky Henderson horse from last week that saw his odds slashed for a race at the Cheltenham festival was the expensive Jet Powered, who saw his odds of 16/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle now as a sort as 7/1.

Jet Powered was acquired by superb national hunt owners the Donnelly family and the five year old gelding made his rules debut at Newbury at the weekend.

A winner in December 2021 at Borris House in a three mile PTP on yielding to soft ground for 4YO's, he bolted up showing a nice turn of pace and foot perfect at his fences.

Exciting for a yard that has done well for this owner and having cost 350,000gns, he impressed massively on his debut when being well backed and bolting up on Friday, beating another expensive PTP recruit Ittack Blue by 11 lengths, not coming off the bridle.

As you can tell it was a superb weekend for Nicky Henderson as he turned out winners left, right and centre and arguably his most impressive one was the superstar Constitution Hill in the Grade One Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

The gelding is a serious animal for Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley, with the £120,000 purchase first taking the eye on debut at Sandown in December.

Heading to Sandown in a Novices' Hurdle, he cruised next to the favourite Might I for Harry Fry, who is a good horse in his own right, and having jumped the last impeccably he went on to take the event by 14 lengths.

Next time out he managed to land Grade One glory in the Tolworth Hurdle winning just as impressively as his previous, pulling away from a decent field to win by 12 lengths.

Sent straight to the Cheltenham festival off the back of that run he made it 3/3 under rules when taking the Grade One Supreme by 22 lengths from the superstar Jonbon.

A non-runner in the Ascot Hurdle the week before, he was switched to the fighting fifth on Saturday and never being asked off the bridle, he cantered home to see off stablemate and multiple Grade One winner Epatante by 12 lengths.

He looks an absolute freak and a horse of a lifetime that at the age of five is only improving and that has seen his price of 11/8 for the Champion Hurdle slashed into 4/6.

The racing in Ireland this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday saw some very nice winners and one of those was Dawn Rising at Navan in the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle.

A smart type for Joseph O'Brien and JP McManus, he had been a nice horse for Aidan O'Brien and since being bought and switched yards, he has massively improved on all three starts.

Third of 17 at Galway behind Champ Kiely in a Maiden Hurdle, he then got off the mark at Listowel in September over 2m4f when bolting up.

Upped in grade at the weekend, taking on the superstar bumper horse American Mike, he blew him out the water to take the event by eight lengths.

This has now seen his huge price of 33/1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle as short as 10/1, with him sure to progress event further.

Also on the Navan card on Sunday was another nice type, this time for Willie Mullins with Grangeclare West for Cheveley Park Stud winning a decent Maiden Hurdle after being off the track for 547 days.

A horse with a big reputation off the back of being bought for £340,000 in December 2020 having bolted up in a point to point.

He made his rules debut at Punchestown in May 2021, when going on to score easily by nine lengths, never having to do too much to win.

Suffering a setback and obviously not being easy to train he never appeared last season for his hurdles debut, but having been given time he returned this term for that timber debut and over 2m4f went on to bolt up by 12 lengths.

Looking a stayer in the making he has seen quotes of 10/1 from 33/1 for the Ballymore and then 16/1 into 5/1 favourite for the Albert Bartlett.

The final horse to note from this week that was a big market mover for the same team of Willie Mullins and Cheveley Park Stud was the excessively expensive Classic Getaway with the £570,000 purchase showing his true potential over fences.

A superb winner on rules debut in May 2021 off the back of a classy performance at Borris House in a PTP, he was sent over hurdles at Clonmel in January this year for his timber debut and he was very underwhelming when second to stablemate Cash Back.

A winner next time out on easier ground at Punchestown when looking a bit of a slogger, he was sent to Cheltenham in the Albert Bartlett and was pulled up.

Dropped back to 2m4f at Punchestown in April for his final run of last season, he was a much better third behind two decent horses.

Having his very high price tag for top class owners a lot was expected of him and he finally showed the first big glimpse of that potential on Saturday at Gowran Park when seeing off stablemates Minella Cocooner and Whatdeawant to win well.

Always bought to be a staying chaser and showing he can be the horse the yard thought he could be, he was slashed for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham festival being 50/1 before the race and now best odds of 10/1.