DAVY RUSSELL blog: Cheltenham Day Two Wednesday

Plenty to look forward to on day two of The Festival after a quiet start for me on the opening day with just the one ride. It gets much busier on Wednesday with five rides and I’ve previewed them all below together with my thoughts on the other races. And of course my rides include Tiger Roll in the Cross Country!

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1:30 – THREE STRIPE LIFE Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 5f

My first ride of the day is Three Stripe Life in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. He was second to Sir Gerhard the last day in Leopardstown and we are both stepping up five furlongs in trip here. The truth is Sir Gerhard looks the one and is potentially the Irish banker of the week. We will give it our best shot, but he will take some beating. He was six lengths better than us at Leopardstown and I suppose we are trying something different by going up in distance. Hopefully we can get closer to him but whether that is good enough to beat him is another question. You would have to respect Journey With Me who carries the same colours as last year’s winner Bob Olinger. He is unbeaten in four starts and won’t mind the rain if it comes. That certainly wouldn’t be ideal for my fella, as it would put more emphasis on stamina. At a huge price Whatdeawant could go well if the rain arrives.

2:10 – FAROUK D’ALENE Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 3m ½f

I ride Farouk D’alene (pictured below) in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase over a little more than three miles. He is one that would like plenty of rain and more. The softer the ground, the better for him. Gordon (Elliott) also saddles Fury Road who Jack gets the leg up on. He made a mistake at the wrong time the last day and is better judged on his win over three miles in Leopardstown over Christmas. Whether any of the Irish are good enough to beat the home team is the question. They have some serious chances and it’s hard to separate the likes of Bravemansgame, L’Homme Presse and Ahoy Senor. I was mad keen on Bravemansgame in the earlier part of the season as he jumps brilliantly, but it remains to be seen whether he can put it all together in the spring. L’Homme Presse steps up in trip but has looked some prospect this season and Ahoy Senor has that X factor but whether the track suits is the question. It looks wide open and a tough race to call.

2:50 – GRAND ROI Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 5f

The Coral Cup is as competitive a race as you would expect. I ride Grand Roi for Gordon here. He wears pieces for the first time and hopefully that will eke out a bit of improvement. That said, he was well beaten in this race 12 months ago when favourite off this same mark so has to step up. Gordon also saddles Saint Felicien who has that touch of class and also The Bosses Oscar who can go well, despite top weight if the rain arrives.

3:30 – Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) 2m

The feature race of the day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase where I have no ride but it promises to be a hell of a contest to watch. Obviously all eyes are on Shishkin and Energumene as they have their rematch from Ascot. Everything went wrong for Shishkin that day but he still managed to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat. This track will suit him better going left handed and the Hill will be an enormous help to him. Energumene will find it tough to reverse that form. Chacun Pour Soi looked like the winner of this 12 months ago before falling into a bit of a hole. For me he has to prove that he can travel to England and do it on these shores. I think Shishkin will take the world of beating.

4:10 – TIGER ROLL Glenfarclas Chase (Cross Country Chase) (Class 2) 3m 6f

Tiger Roll (pictured below) lines up to defend his crown in the Cross Country Chase and is in great form. He seems to come alive at this place but certainly wouldn’t want too much rain to arrive. He is definitely better on a sounder surface. If it does get wet that would be a huge negative. I’m just hoping that the inside track where the Cross Country Course is will be that bit drier. Looking at the opposition and his main danger could easily be stablemate Delta Work who will love every drop that falls. He has come along on a few away days with Tiger and seems to love these fences. It has definitely rekindled a bit of his enthusiasm and he has that touch of class. There is obviously a sea of green golden white of all the JP McManus runners to be feared. I guess Prengarde, their new French recruit, looks the pick of the bunch.

4:50 – BUDDY RICH Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 2m

Next up is the Grand Annual Chase where I ride Buddy Rich. He was a good second to Third Time Lucki here in October and has since won in Navan and run well behind Dunvegan at Fairyhouse the last day so is one of the leading fancies here. He is rated 138 in Ireland and has a tough task in my opinion ofh 144. However we will give it our best shot. Looking at the others and stablemate Andy Dufresne can go well as he has that touch of class.

5:30 – Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) 2m ½f

Finally it’s the bumper and the eagerly awaited clash between Facile Vega of Willies and our hope American Mike. They look like two really exciting prospects. I’d say any rain would be welcome for American Mike. He has been so impressive this campaign and should put up a really bold show. Obviously Facile Vega was mightily impressive the last day at the Dublin Racing Festival but this represents a very different test with 22 runners and it will come down to who handles the occasion the best. I’m looking forward to watching it.

Best Of Luck
DAVY

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Star Sports has pledged its support to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal by announcing it will donate £10,000 for every winner that brand ambassador Davy Russell rides at this week’s Cheltenham Festival.

The leading Jump jockey, who has ridden 22 Cheltenham Festival winners, has another strong book of rides at this year’s meeting, including Pied Piper in Friday’s Triumph Hurdle and if he manages to add to his tally, Star Sports will donate £10,000 for every horse he rides to victory.

If Davy doesn’t ride a winner in any of the 28 races, Star Sports have stated they will still make a significant contribution to the Ukraine Appeal.

Luke Tarr, Head of PR at Star Sports, said: “While we’re very much looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival this week, we can’t ignore what’s happening elsewhere in the world.

“We are pledging our support for the Ukraine Appeal by donating £10,000 for every winner our brand ambassador and leading jockey Davy Russell rides during the week.

“He’s got some great rides to look forward to and hopefully he’ll make his way to the winners’ enclosure on a couple of occasions, but even if he doesn’t, we will still give generously to the cause.”

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STAR PROMOTIONS

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