Gavin Cromwell
Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Cheltenham Festival Day Two preview
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell talks through his runners for the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
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Day One Reaction
Our Tuesday got off to a good start with Only By Night putting in a great effort in the Arkle. It looked as though she might win it at one point up the hill, but unfortunately Jango Baie just came flying home. That said, we were really happy with her.
Malina Girl also ran really well staying on up the hill into third in the Ultima having gone off at a bigger price. It was a good performance, Cheltneham always seems to bring out the best in her.
We were delighted with Robbies Rock as well. He was a big outsider in the Fred Winter and although we thought he could outrun his odds, we weren’t sure he’d be quite that good! He stayed on really well up the hill and ended our day nicely.
Wednesday, Cheltenham
We kick off Wednesday with Al Gasparo in the Coral Cup (2.40pm). He’s running off a mark of 144 which I’d say is probably close to his limit, but he should be suited by the race. Hopefully he’ll run his race and if he does then he should have a place chance.
He’s had two and a half months off the track and it’s important for him to have a good gap between runs. He’s fresh and ready to go here and despite disappointing performance here back in October, the nature of the track won’t be an issue for him.
Fenway Park was declared here but didn’t get in. It’s just a case of declaring him throughout the week and trying to get him in where we can.
We have two runners in the Cross Country Chase (3.20pm), both of which should have a decent chance. Stumptown has really taken to this discipline and my only concern is the hike he’s taken in the weights – I’m not totally sure whether he has the class to win this race off a mark of 157. If he was running in a normal handicap chase off that mark, I don’t think he’d finish in the same parish! That said, he is in good form and if he’s up to carrying the weight then he has to have a good chance.
On the other hand, Vanillier looks to be in here off a nice mark of 147. He’s taken to it well and he seems to really enjoy it. Running over the banks seemed to bring back the spark in him and hopefully the Cross Country course at Cheltenham could continue that. He schooled here and seemed to really enjoy it.
I’d say we’ll try to ride both of them quite positive. Vanillier is the outsider of the two but he’s one I certainly think could outrun his price.
My Mate Mozzie, The King Of Prs and Midnight It Is are our three runners in the Grand Annual (4.40pm). The market has them in that order and I think that’s about right.
The drying ground is certainly a positive for My Mate Mozzie. He’s got plenty of class and speed, so he’ll be dropped out and ridden to come home strong. He’d love a strongly run race and to pick them off up the hill. It’s a race where you need a bit of luck and if he gets it then he should have a chance.
It’s hard to know whether The King Of Prs has hit his limit, but he goes here in good form. Conor Stone-Walsh will be good value for the three-pound claim and he knows the horse well. He’s certainly improved since his run here last year, and we’ll find out on Wednesday whether he’s improved enough to win. I’d expect him to run a good, solid race, nonetheless.
The third of our three is Midnight It Is, who ran a really good race in the Dan & Joan Moore before disappointing at the Dublin Racing Festival last month. We rode him a bit more positive the last day which didn’t seem to suit him, so we’ll probably take our time with him here and have him coming home strong. He acts very well on slow ground, so the drying conditions are a bit of a concern.
