Cheltenham Festival tips: Joe Chambers’ one to watch in Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY FOUR: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – MONKFISH

Monkfish is a gorgeous horse. He’s not in the Ballymore, which is annoying. It’s unlike Willie Mullins to enter a horse sparingly but he’s only put him in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Whether he’s man enough for the Bartlett at this stage, I don’t know, but he’s going to be a cracking chaser. He is a really promising type, and as long as he gets a clear run he will be in with a chance. He’ll go very close.

Willie had a tendency to run the wrong horses in the Bartlett! He said Boston Bob was the best novice he’d ever brought to Cheltenham one year and maybe should have gone in the Ballymore rather than the Bartlett.

He tends to run the Ballymore horses in the Bartlett and the Bartlett horses in the Ballymore! 

But Monkfish is a gorgeous horse – he’s won on his last two outings and I think he’ll go very close at Cheltenham up against Thyme Hill, who could go off favourite.

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In terms of the Cheltenham Festival itself, in my experience, Monday night is the best day. That’s because nothing’s gone wrong, and everyone’s a winner still!

But it’s a great event and we’re well set. We’re in a wonderful position in that most of the horses we’ll have running are in the first one or two in the betting and that’s amazing.

It’s a huge credit to Willie, and we relish the competition. Roll on Festival week!