It is the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival and one of the biggest horse races in the world, The Gold Cup is just around the corner and with a stacked field, the big question is: can Al Boum Photo make it three wins in a row?
The horse has won the race the last two years, ridden both times by Paul Townend, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by Mrs Joe Donnelly but can Al Boum Photo make history by winning for the third consecutive year for the first time since Best Mate from 2002-2004? Here is the lowdown on Al Boum Photo and the horses that can stop its fantastic run.
Al Boum Photo
At 5/2 Al Boum Photo is unsurprisingly the favourite once again. He looks difficult to bet against under the watchful eye of Willie Mullins, the best trainer in the business, and ridden by Paul Townend, who stays patient with the horse and can time the last minute sprint to perfection. The relationship the horse has with his jockey and trainer is crucial. It is the best horse in the field, however they will all be out to beat him and try and disrupt his race using different tactics and methods to beat one of the greats.
Champ
A Mullins horse that won the 14:10 RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase last year, Champ comes into the Gold Cup as 5/1 second favourite. An incredibly powerful and fit horse, Champ’s sprint finish last year was quite literally breath taking, coming out of nowhere to beat off Minella Indo and Allaho. Barry Geraghty was on board last year but with a new trainer in Mullins it may not be Geraghty riding Champ this year. A good horse but, at 5/1 and not as good as Al Boum Photo, it maybe best looking elsewhere.
Santini
Nicky Henderson trains this nine-year-old who finished second to Al Boum Photo by a nose in the Gold Cup last year. While the form dipped slightly after Cheltenham, it showed shades of its best on its last outing in Sandown. The lack of form has resulted in the odds slightly increasing and at 14/1 it is definitely worth an each way bet. He pushed Al Boum Photo all the way last year and maybe this year he can go one better.
Samcro
An outsider that you could potentially use to brag about to your mates for the next year. Trained by Mrs Denise Foster, Samcro won last year at the festival in the Grade One Marsh Novices’ Chase on Thursday 12th. Although the Gold Cup distance is longer, this horse has shown potential that suggests it is definitely in with an outside chance. Any horse that has done it at Cheltenham before and at 50/1 Samcro is definitely worth a cheeky 10p each way bet.
The festival gets underway on Tuesday and it’s not just the Gold Cup to look forward to. With so many grade-one races and great horses in action, Cheltenham looks like it is going to deliver its usual week of brilliant action albeit slightly different than normal. As for the Gold Cup, it is shaping up to be a brilliant race and, with just over a week to go before the big race, the build-up is just starting to heat up.
