News & Media

It’s so close you can sense it but we’ve got you covered with all the latest build-up to jump racing’s Olympics, now just one week away.

Loyalty important as Shark gives Gainford Gold Cup ride

Shark Hanlon has revealed who will saddle his stable star Hewick in next Friday’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Jordan Gainford, who partnered Hewick to success in the US Grand National in 2022, will be back in the saddle, nearly a year to the day after taking a tumble on Hanlon’s charge.

In his previous four starts, he has been ridden twice by Rachael Blackmore and once by Brian Hughes and Gavin Sheehan, as Gainford was sidelined with a back injury.

"You have to have some bit of loyalty in this game, and Jordan has helped the horse become what he is today,” Hanlon told the Racing Post. “He’s been there from the start and has been a huge part of the journey.

"I just wanted to see how he got on over the last week or so since he came back from injury and it looks to me like he’s riding better than ever.”

The response from Sheehan, who rode Hewick to King George VI Chase glory on St Stephen’s Day, was typically classy. 

Huge respect to @jhanlonracing for his loyalty to Jordan and best of luck to Hewick and connections for Cheltenham...

He gave me one of my greatest moments in the sport and I'll always be grateful ❤️ https://t.co/k7gbOOInOM

— Gavin Sheehan (@GavinSheehan92) March 5, 2024

Champion Hurdle now poses big questions for Mullins and Elliott

The absence of Constitution Hill from the Unibet Champion Hurdle, the Festival’s opening day showpiece, means Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott are being tempted to shuffle their powerhouse packs.

Lossiemouth, an impressive winner at Cheltenham on Trials Day, is the favourite for the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle after winning last year’s Triumph Hurdle.

But she still holds an entry in the Champion Hurdle, despite connections firmly stating their preference would be taking on her own sex.

"I haven't thought about whether we would supplement anything else, and we have plenty still in it,” said Mullins, whose State Man is now the odds-on favourite.

Testing ground could be ideal for Elliott’s Irish Point, a dual Grade 1 winner who was originally being targeted at the Stayers Hurdle.

“You’d have to be thinking about that decision with the ground the way it is,” said Elliott.

Flooring Porter looks set for crack at Stayers hat-trick

Flooring Porter gave Cheltenham some of its most famous scenes in recent years – and Gavin Cromwell is now leaning again towards the Stayers’ Hurdle with two-time former champion.

Cromwell’s preference had been the National Hunt Chase, though jockey Keith Donoghue has made no secret he wants a crack at the bigger race for what could be his first graded success at the Festival.

Cromwell said he would wait until the last minute before making the call but movement in other races may have finally decided it.

“We are leaning towards the Stayers’ Hurdle,” he told Attheraces.com. “That isn’t 100 per cent confirmed, but with Irish Point looking likely to go for the Champion Hurdle, that might just seal it.”

Elsewhere, Cromwell has confirmed My Mate Mozzie, a winner on the course in October, will run in Tuesday’s Arkle, rather than the Grand Annual.

Slevin wants the rain to stay away for O’Brien hope

JJ Slevin is not the only one checking the weather forecast – but he knows he needs drying ground for Joseph O’Brien’s Ryanair Chase hope Banbridge.

A Group 1 winner at Aintree, Slevin insists he will be a live contender on a sound surface and won’t be phased by the big atmosphere.

“Joseph took his time this year to get him back going. He's a spring horse and he's a real decent horse,” he said.

El Fabiolo is the favourite the 2m4½f race, which trainer Mullins has won five times in the last eight years.

Meanwhile, Slevin is confident that Fastorslow will be a game rival to Galopin Des Champs in next week’s Gold Cup.

“We have a chance for sure, we've already beaten him twice and we know how to do it,” added Slevin, a William Hill racing ambassador.

“If we can get a scenario like we did at the Punchestown festival last year I don't see any reason why we can't put it right up to him again. I think that will happen at Cheltenham and I'm looking forward to it again."

Weather watching in Gloucestershire

The weather for next week is best described as ‘changeable’.

Four of the next seven days have rain in their description in Gloucestershire and the forecasters are predicting murky drizzle on Tuesday, with 8mm expected to fall before the tape goes up on the Supreme Novices’.

The most recent published going is soft to heavy – and it’s hard to see that changing, though Prestbury Park is famously fast drying and it could be very different come Friday.

Did you know…

With seven days to go it seems only appropriate to mention that the most wins by a jockey in one year at The Festival is the magnificent seven ridden by Ruby Walsh in 2016.

He started with Douvan, his shortest-priced winner in the Arkle, and then followed up with Annie Power and Vroum Vroum Mag in a classic ‘Ruby Tuesday’.

Before the end of the week he’d also returned to the winner’s enclosure with Yorkhill, Black Hercules, Vautour and Limini, a very tasty 500-1 seven fold.

Festival trivia

Which RTE and Racing TV pundit was unshipped from Oscar Delta when poised to win the Foxhunter Chase in 2013? (Answer tomorrow)