Keith Donoghue’s William Hill blog: Cheltenham Festival Days 1 & 2 Rides

William Hill ambassador Keith Donoghue looks over his rides on day one and two of the Cheltenham Festival, featuring Total Look, Now Is The Hour and Stumptown.

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Cheltenham, Tuesday

I’m really looking forward to this year’s Cheltenham Festival as it would be the most depth to the amount of rides I’ve ever had at the meeting. I’ve often come over to Festival before and had five or six rides and out of them one or two have chances, but you could make a case for nearly every horse I will be riding this year. You need a bit of luck and if I can get one winner out of them it would be absolutely brilliant.

I’ve already been out on the track this morning [Monday] riding a few of them that will run this week. I had a quick sit on Stumptown, Sixandahalf and Total Look. They all left the yard on Saturday and they seemed to travel over fine.

First up for me at this year’s meeting is Only By The Night in the Arkle (2:00pm). Everybody knows that Majborough looks a top-class horse and it is a good race. It is a step up for us, but we think she is a good mare and we are really looking forward to running her. It was left up to Gavin (Cromwell), and her owners, to make the decision to go for the Arkle and that is what they thought was best. She has really improved for a fence this season. I’m excited about riding her in a race like this, but we have the utmost respect for Majborough. This is a different ball game to what she has been running in as she is coming out of mares only company and it is a proper race. It is nice to see her taking on the boys, but we will know by tomorrow whether it was the right or wrong decision.

I’ll be keeping in the silks of owners Colin and Jackie Russell for my next ride aboard Malina Girl in the Ultima Handicap Chase (2:40pm). She has been a brilliant mare that has picked up loads of black type and she has run well in loads of big races. It is hard to know how well handicapped she is, but she would have to have a great each-way chase in a race like this. I’ve not ridden her in her last two starts, but I thought the run at Exeter the last day was a good run, however this is a 24-runner handicap and she is going to need a bit of luck as it is a competitive race. She performed well at the track before, and she has winning form on the Old Course, which is a tick in the right box and the ground will be grand for her.

Gavin has two in the Fred Winter (4:40pm) and I’m on Total Look, who has already had a run at Cheltenham, albeit on the New Course, in December. It was a solid enough run at Cheltenham on his previous start there, but he didn’t jump great. He missed the last three hurdles and that probably cost him. His jumping definitely has to improve and I think the English handicapper has been hard enough on him as well. It was the same at Punchestown when he was beaten there, he just didn’t jump well enough. We have done plenty of schooling with him and we have put the cheekpieces on him to try and help assist him with his jumping. He has got the right constitution for a race like this as he has a good mind and plenty of experience from the flat, but this race is a bit of a lottery. When he got beat at Cheltenham on his second start this race was always going to be his target over the Triumph Hurdle.

The drying ground would be a bit of concern for Now Is The Hour in the National Hunt Chase (5:20pm) as if you look at his form his best form is on soft or heavy ground so it has to be a bit of a negative. However, we think this trip will suit him, and he is in good form, but it is a good race. He had a good run last time at Navan, but he got put up 10lbs for it and then he got a bit in England as well so he doesn’t look overly well handicapped, but hopefully he has a good chance.

Cheltenham, Wednesday

I’ve got three nice rides on Wednesday starting with Al Gasparo in the Coral Cup (2.40pm). He will love this spring ground, and he won well at Leopardstown over Christmas time the last day.

It is once again another highly competitive handicap, but he has to have a good each-way chance. I don’t think he performed the last day he ran at Cheltenham, which was over three miles. He is a funny horse as he can be a bit in and out, but when he has things his own way he does have plenty of ability. He is a very naturally fit horse, and he runs well fresh, so that was the plan to come straight here after his last run. One thing you can be sure of is that he won’t be lacking for fitness. I’d say he is up there around his ceiling in the handicap and there is probably not much room for manoeuvre in his mark over hurdles.

I’m really looking forward to riding Stumptown in the Cross Country Chase (3:20pm). He hasn’t run since December, but he is in great form. I think he is one of my best chances of the meeting.

I keep telling myself that carrying top weight is not a negative and I’m just hoping the weight doesn’t beat him. If you have a horse at the bottom of the weights you are happy it is not a conditions race, but when you have a horse at the top you wish it was. He has just really taken to the banks and cross country fences. He loves jumping around those tracks and it seems to have brought out a different side to him. I popped him over a few fences there this morning and everything was all good. He has run in blinkers before, but we are putting the cheekpieces on him to help him there at the finish. If I can win on him like I did in December then that would do me fine!

My Mate Mozzie has been a brilliant horse. He always runs well in these big handicaps whether that is on the Flat, over hurdles, or over fences. You have to ride him for luck the way he has to be ridden, but I would love to see him have a big day and hopefully it can be in the Grand Annual (4:40pm) on Wednesday. He ran a cracker at the Dublin Racing Festival. He had top weight there and he was giving stacks away to the winner. It was his first run in a while so he should take a step forward for that.