*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules
Cheltenham Festival 2023 is almost upon us and racing fans will be looking for a little bit of insight into every race, so we’ve got jump jockey icon turned tactical guru Ruby Walsh and top pundit Rory Delargy with us every week to hopefully get you clued in.
The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle kicks off proceedings on Wednesday March 15th as some of the best stayers go head to head.
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Our dynamic duo will be doing weekly ante-post podcasts to deliver their early thoughts on every race – amazing, eh?
Is it Hermes Allen’s to lose as Paul Nicholls eyes another Cheltenham success? Or will Willie Mullins pull it off with one of Gaelic Warrior, Champ Kiely, Impaire Et Passe or Grangeclare West?
Ruby Walsh: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
Champ Kiely had done very little wrong until the Royal Bond where he just ran too keen. He was good at Naas in the Lawlor’s of Naas Hurdle and won by outstaying the opposition and there were a couple of disappointments in behind him.
You wouldn’t think he’d go three-mile route, he races a bit keenly. When you look at Willie’s Ballymore winners, like Sir Gerhard who was a Grade 1 winner at 2m and Faugheen, I think very good horses tend to win this race more than anything else.
Impaire Et Passe looks to have the ideal way of racing for this. He’s relaxed, not keen, he’s not going to over-race throughout the contest. That could be a negative for Champ Kiely who also tends to jump to his right a bit. Impaire Et Passe looks slightly more straightforward.
It looks to me like Grangeclare West wanted further last time. He beat Firm Footings at Navan at 2m4f and had done very little wrong prior to that in bumpers. He was coughing and blowing hard after the race, but I would say they all were.
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Quais De Paris won at Tramore. He definitely wants to go a bit further and Indiana Dream won at Fairyhouse which was a good performance from him as well. He’ll improve but the question is how do they step forward from that?
The most likely winner to me is Impaire Et Passe. I like the way he travels, he showed at Punchestown that he has a turn of foot and he’s a brilliant jumper. He ticks all the boxes and he’d be the one I’d be siding with in the opening race on Wednesday at the Festival.
Ruby’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Antepost Tip
*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules
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