Cheltenham Festival Market Movers - 30/12/2020

Second in last years Champion Bumper, the Willie Mullins sort won on the bridle when sent off 1/12 fav on hurdling debut at Cork last month and he followed that up in impressive fashion over the weekend.

Sent off 7/4 fav, he was ridden prominently throughout the race by Paul Townend and on the home turn he started to get away from the pack and then with the final two fences been bypassed due to low sun, he showed that beautiful turn of foot on the flat to win with relative ease.

He looked as though as he could potentially stay 2m 4f but the money has come for him for the 2m Novice Hurdle affair at Cheltenham and he already looks like he could well be something very special.

12 lengths behind Epatante in last years Champion Hurdle, it was no surprise to see the Evan Williams sent off as 13/2 second favourite behind the 1/4 favourite in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton but what was a surprise was the performance of both horses.

Off the bridle a lot earlier than Epatante, he showed incredible staying power down the home straight to not just out stay his main rival but show a much superior turn of foot.

Track wise, Kempton is a lot different to Cheltenham with it been far more flat and right handed but that hasn't stopped punters taking an early gamble on him for the big one in March and he does look a very tempting e/w bet for the race on the antepost.

The Mares Chase is the new race at the festival this season, taking the place of the Limited Novices' Handicap Chase and it could feature some very talented mares on the day.

The horse that attracted market support off the back of what she did over Christmas was the Willie Mullins trained Colreevy who went on to land the feature race at Limerick on Boxing Day.

After stablemate Asterion Forlonge fell, she picked up the running and went on to land the Grade One which saw her price slashed for the Mares Chase in March.

From 16/1 she can now be backed at a best price of 7/1 with most firms going 6/1 for her to land the Grade Two event.

Already favourite for the Champion Chase, the Willie Mullins gelding solidified that favouritism with an almost perfect round of jumping in a race which could quite easily have not gone his way with a below average performance.

Held up nicely in midfield, Townend gave him a nudge around three furlongs out and that's all he needed before being ridden out over the last furlong to just make sure he knew he was in a race.

With Altior getting beaten at Kempton and nothing else really laying down a solid challenge on the antepost markets, he's going to take a heck of a lot of beating at Cheltenham in a couple of months.

Arguably the surprise of the weekend came in the Desert Orchid Chase as the Skelton's continued their incredible year with 20/1 shot Nube Negra picking up his first Grade 1 in impressive fashion.

Always travelling the best in the race, Harry asked him to go two out and go he did galloping away to a three length victory to deny Altior a second victory int he race.

Off the back of that performance, it's not surprise to see the bookies running slightly scared for the Champion Chase with him now in to as short as 10/1 from 50/1.

Quite comfortably the debut run of the weekend, French Aseel stormed towards the top of the Triumph Hurdle antepost market with an impeccable display on his first run over hurdles.

A summer recruit from France for renowned point to point trainer Ellmarie Holden, he was sent off 7/2 favourite and that priced looked absolutely enormous as he hosed up to a 22 length victory in a big field.

He wasn't originally in the betting for the Triumph Hurdle prior to the race but that performance has seen him smashed in to second favourite for the race.

He looks a real contender.

On Tuesday the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle market was given its clear favourite after the Paul Nicholls trained Bravemansgame landed his first Grade One over hurdles in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.

The taking performance saw him see off rival Star gate by 10 lengths which warranted the bookmakers to slash his price from 16/1 straight into 6/1, with some firms going slightly shorter.

Bravemansgame has done nothing wrong over hurdles this season, progressing with each run and with his handler comparing him to Denman, punters are starting to take notice.

Monkfish was an exceptional winner of the Grade One Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday, seeing off rival Latest Exhibition for the second time in his career.

Having already been favourite for the RSA Novices' Chase on the Wednesday in March, the Rich Ricci owned six year old strengthened in the betting.

Being 4/1 before the race he went into 9/4 with some firms going even shorter with 2/1 being touched in places and having landed both his events over fences and the Albert Bartlett last season, he looks to now be one of the bankers for the festival.

The final market mover for the Cheltenham festival from the Christmas races is one of the biggest movers of the season so far with A Plus Tard shaking up the Gold Cup market.

The race of the Leopardstown festival was always set to be the Grade One Savills Chase and it did not deliver with A Plus Tard coming from the clouds to land the event from Kemboy.

Having landed a race over 2m1f at last year's meeting, he was stepped up in trip by Henry De Bromhead to three miles for the first time and it paid off.

From that win he was heavily moved in the Gold Cup betting being 40/1 and unlikely runner before the win and now a prominent 10/1 in the market and having some of the best form entering the contest.