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I am resisting the Willie Mullins domination on day two
The Willie Mullins domination has resulted in Yorkhill shortening and Yanworth edging out for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle.
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This week has been a disaster already with many of my bets bigger now than when I backed them such as Yanworth and Taquin Du Seuil for the Ryanair Chase to name a couple.
I am probably in danger of my heart ruling my head in the Glenfarclas Chase, but Balthazar King loves the intricacies of this course and has a great record back from a layoff.
Obviously the sensible pick would be Josies Orders to beat Quantitiveeasing in a one-two but if Annie Power can win so can Balthazar King.
Finally, coming from as far as leftfield as possible in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle it’s Duke Street.
His best form is on better ground. He had not run since November when he stepped on to Chelmsford for an AW flat race on 18 February, but put in a solid performance. Here’s hoping.
Tuesday was an unbelievable day.
I thought last season’s Champion Hurdle was special, but Annie Power’s win eclipsed that!
It didn’t start well for the multitude of racegoers in the pink and green scarfs, hats, ties, shirts even replica shirts of the Ricci silks, all hoping, praying and willing compensation from Annie Power’s fall to come their way when Min was vanquished by Altior. Far from disheartened punters came back for more, and some. They couldn’t shovel enough on Douvan, who in the morning was 4-9 and come off time he was 1-4.
If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again, which is just what Annie Power did in winning the feature. She was greeted in the winners’ enclosure with adulation and grown men wept.
Vroum Vroum Mag was simply majestic in the Mares’ Hurdle and moved from 11-10 in the morning to 4-6 come off time. She really was the punters’ darling.
From the controversy, anger and frustration of Vautour swapping from the Gold Cup to the Ryanair Chase to eight hours later all the euphoria.
My deepest sympathies go out to all those who have done their money in the Cheltenham Gold Cup or are severely inconvenienced by the repercussions in the Ryanair Chase - it does seem to highlight the hazards for ante-post punting, which was slowly losing its charm with all the spectacular offers.
As a balm, the on-course bookmakers are being carried out on stretchers as I write.
One told me they felt they had paid out their own body weight in pound coins, another thought being behind a few grand after five races was not a bad result. Bookmaker Geoff Banks dare not ring his office. With a wry smile he said: “I don’t really want to know”.
Ben Keith was putting stickers on his winning punters when they came to collect but the only trouble was that he had to send for more of the adhesive yellow stars!
It’s Budget Day on Wednesday, with George Osborne poised to read through all his intended plans to assist the economy. It’s clearly thriving in Gloucestershire, if not countrywide, with bookmakers facing their own austerity!
Tanya Stevenson's Cheltenham Festival day two tips:
1.30 Cheltenham: Yanworth at 6-4 with Paddy Power
4.10 Cheltenham: Balthazar King at 13-2 with William Hill
4.50 Cheltenham: Duke Street at 25-1 generally available
Tanya Stevenson's Cheltenham Festival day two pointers:
1.30 Cheltenham - Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle:
Twenty-four of the last 27 winners had run at least three times over hurdles
Twenty-nine of the last 30 winners finished either first or second last time out
Seven of the last ten won last time out
Nine of the last ten has won at least twice in the season
Only one horse older than six has won since 1974 and over 111 have tried
Nigel Twiston-Davies has had a winner, a third and two fourths since 1999
Favourites have won 15 of the 43 runnings
Irish challengers have won 18 of the 43 runnings
Thirty-three of the last 37 winners finished first or second last time out
Just three six-year-olds have won since 1980
Nine of the last ten winners had finished either first or second on their most recent start
Seven of the last eight winners had either run in the Reynoldstown at Ascot or the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown on their most recent run.
Thirteen of the last 15 winners were aged seven
Willie Mullins has trained four winners and two seconds since 1998
Seven of Willie Mullins 15 runners in the race have failed to finish
Since 2000 Ruby Walsh has ridden a second and won in 2007 & 2009
All of the last 50 winners had run in the same calendar year
Four of the last six winners had run in the Albert Bartlett the previous year
Nineteen of the 71 favourites have won
Eight of the last ten finished first or second last time out
Only one winning favourite and one joint favourite in all the 21 runnings
Both Barry Geraghty and Davy Russell have won the race twice
Six of the 21 winners carried more than 11-0
Since 1996 28 horses aged 10 or more have run with resulting in only two seconds and one third placing
Since 1996 over a hundred horses have worn headgear 11 have reached the frame. (Two from seven in 2014)
Since 2003 Richard Johnson has ridden a fourth, three thirds, and won in 2004.
Irish challengers have won seven of the 22 runnings
3.30 Cheltenham - Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase:
Barry Geraghty has won the race on five occasions
Somersby will be running at his seventh consecutive Cheltenham Festival
Seven of the last 10 winners had won on their last start
Master Minded was the last horse to retain his crown back in 2009
Twenty-six of the last 30 winners started a single figure price
Just one win for a horse aged older than ten since 1977
Eleven of the last 13 winners ran in the Tingle Creek Chase
All of the last ten winners had run at least twice prior in the season
Seven of the last ten winners came from the first three in the betting
