Cheltenham Festival 2018: The sires set for success

BENEFICIAL

Currently fourth in this season’s prize-money table, King Edward VII Stakes winner Beneficial achieved the feat of siring three winners at the 2013 Festival with Benefficient (JLT), Salsify (Foxhunter) and Salubrious (Martin Pipe). Beneficial’s Festival highlight, though, came the following year when his top-class hurdler More of That kept his unbeaten record when winning the World Hurdle. His leading contenders this year are Maria’s Benefit who bids for a six-timer in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, De Plotting Shed who’s favourite for the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase and unbeaten novice chaser Benatar in the JLT.

FLEMENSFIRTH

A Group 1 winner for John Gosden in France and Italy in his racing days, Flemensfirth is enjoying a fine season in second place in the prize-money table, and a good week at Cheltenham could take him to the top. Pick of his past Festival winners was undoubtedly 2010 Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, also winner of the Ryanair the year before. Tidal Bay was another Festival regular for Flemensfirth, his win coming in the Arkle in 2008. Invitation Only is set to line up as favourite for the same day’s JLT. Foxrock (Foxhunter) and former Grand National runner-up The Last Samuri (Cross Country) are also among Flemensfirth’s main hopes, while Tornado Flyer, a relative of Hurricane Fly, is an intestering runner in the Champion Bumper.

MARTALINE

French-based sire Martaline, who was a smart middle-distance performer, doesn’t have numbers on his side in Britain but he has punched above his weight at the Festival before, scoring a double in 2014 thanks to Dynaste in the Ryanair and Very Wood in the Albert Bartlett. Squouateur has been an unsuccessful favourite for races at the last two Festivals but is fancied for the Kim Muir (unseated in it last year) again, while the Nicky Henderson-trained pair Terrefort, winner of both his chases in Britain, and We Have A Dream, going for a five-timer, are prominent in the betting for the JLT and Triumph Hurdle respectively for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

MILAN

Fifth in the prize-money table this season, St Leger winner Milan is principally a strong influence for stamina (sire of last year’s Grand National winner One For Arthur, for example), though got the Champion Hurdle winner when Jezki was successful in 2014. 2017 was a rare blank year for Milan at Cheltenham, though that followed a double in 2016 thanks to Mall Dini (a leading Kim Muir contender this time) and Josies Orders who’ll bid to regain his Cross Country crown this year. Other staying types with good prospects are Santini in the Albert Bartlett, Monalee in the RSA and Singlefarmpayment in the Ultima Handicap Chase, though Milan has a good chance in the Champion Bumper too with Acey Milan.

OSCAR

Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Oscar has been one of the top jumping sires of recent seasons and boasted a brace of winners at both the 2013 and 2014 Festivals. Lord Windermere and O’Faolain’s Boy were successive winners of the RSA in those years, the former coming back twelve months later to cause an upset in the Gold Cup. That added to Oscar’s Festival record which already included the 2012 Champion Hurdle winner Rock On Ruby and the 2010 Champion Chase winner Big Zeb. Last season’s Irish Grand National winner Our Duke could give Oscar another win in the Gold Cup, while others with leading chances in their respective races include Louis’ Vac Pouch (Pertemps Final), Any Second Now (Close Brothers) and Finian’s Oscar (JLT).

Finian's Oscar wins the Novices' Chase @CheltenhamRaces and remains unbeaten over fences. #TheNovemberMeeting
▶️ https://t.co/7iJOPsvjqx pic.twitter.com/q7uLe9ZrwU

— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) November 17, 2017

POLIGLOTE

Another son of Sadler’s Wells, like Milan and Oscar, Poliglote is another French sire represented by a small but select group of imports in the British Isles. Don Poli performed well at three consecutive Festivals, winning the Martin Pipe in 2014 and the RSA in 2015 before his third in the 2016 Gold Cup, while Let’s Dance gave Poliglote his latest Festival winner in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle last year. She’s part of a strong team for Poliglote this year that also includes Top Notch, runner-up twice at past Festivals, in the JLT and Politologue in the Champion Chase. Both of those have enjoyed fine seasons already (Poliglote’s runners tend to go well in the mud), while Wonderful Charm is a leading contender for the Foxhunter.

PRESENTING

Derby third Presenting occupies third place in this season’s prize-money table and can usually be relied upon to come up with a Festival winner. For the last two seasons it is Yorkhill who has got his sire on the scoreboard in the Neptune and the JLT, while Presenting’s cv also includes two Gold Cup winners earlier this century in War of Attrition (2006) and Denman (2008, after winning the RSA the year before). Denman went on to finish runner-up in three more Gold Cups, though none came closer to giving Presenting a third success in the race than On His Own, controversially beaten a short head by Lord Windermere in 2014. Yorkhill forms part of Presenting’s team this year, though he might have better chances of success with the likes of Gold Present (Ultima Handicap Chase), Movewiththetimes (Close Brothers) or Didtheyleaveuoutto (Champion Bumper), the last-named out of a half-sister to Denman himself.

SADDLER MAKER

Out of a half-sister to Poliglote (and also by his sire Sadler’s Wells), Saddler Maker is probably the least-known of these sires in Britain, though he’s certainly made more of a name for himself on this side of the Channel in recent years. No fewer than four of his runners finished runner-up in races at the 2016 Festival – Alpha des Obeaux, Apple’s Jade, Bouvreuil and Bristol de Mai – and while he had three more placings at last year’s meeting, Apple’s Jade’s made the breakthrough when winning the Mares’ Hurdle, a success she’s odds on to repeat this year. Meanwhile, younger sister Apple’s Shakira is favourite to go one better than Apple’s Jade managed in the Triumph Hurdle. Bouvreuil was third in last year’s Plate, and could go for the same race again, while Chef des Obeaux will have plenty of support in the Albert Bartlett.

Apple's Shakira bolts up on her UK debut in the opener @CheltenhamRaces. #TheNovemberMeeting

Results ▶️ https://t.co/7iJOPsvjqx pic.twitter.com/6ZNTO9UMCP

— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) November 18, 2017

OTHERS

KING’S THEATRE heads the prize-money table going into the Festival where his representatives will include two of the most popular horses in training, Cue Card and The New One, veterans of twelve Festivals between them and both former winners at the meeting, while William Henry is vying for favouritism in the Coral Cup. GERMANY has a couple of high-profile runners, one, Faugheen, bidding to recapture past glories in the Champion Hurdle which he won three years ago, and the other, Samcro, odds on for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and very much one for the future. Faugheen’s stable-companions Douvan and Min give their sire WALK IN THE PARK two shots at the Queen Mother Champion Chase for Willie Mullins. Mullins’ strong hand in the Champion Bumper includes Blackbow whose sire STOWAWAY also has the unbeaten On The Blind Side lining up in the Supreme. Last year’s RSA winner Might Bite looks the one to beat in the Gold Cup, and could initiate a quick last-day double for his sire SCORPION who’s also responsible for Foxhunter favourite Burning Ambition. ROBIN DES CHAMPS has a good historical record at the Festival with the likes of Quevega, Vautour, Sir des Champs and Un Temps Pour Tout who won his second Ultima Handicap Chase there last year, but his best chance of success this time around looks to lie with Sizing Tennessee in the National Hunt Chase.