Irish look to dominate Cheltenham meeting once again

A year ago — with empty stands due to the pandemic — the score was: Ireland 23 Great Britain 5.

It sounds like a rugby game, but in fact it is the result of the annual Prestbury Cup at Cheltenham for the most winners at the Cotswold meeting.

In 2022 — with 65,000 predicted to cram the stands daily from Tuesday through Friday — the home side is hoping for a better showing.

That, however, might be wishful thinking as the meeting could again be dominated by one man, Irish trainer Willie Mullins.

Over the past five years, Mullins has saddled a remarkable 277 runners at Cheltenham — more than Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson between them.

Nicholls rightly points out that the Irish haven’t always been so dominant. Three years ago the Prestbury Cup ended up in a 14-14 dead heat.

Over the past five years, five trainers have been responsible for 65% of the festival runners. They are Mullins, Henderson, Henry de Bromhead, Nicholls and Gordon Elliott. The quintet will hold the aces once again.

The main event on Tuesday — the first day of the festival — is the Champion Hurdle for which Henry de Bromhead’s star performer Honeysuckle is practically unbackable at ante-post odds of 4-7.

However, there is a magnificent quote from the Mullins camp which hopes to overturn the favourite with their runner, Appreciate It.

Mullins told reporters: “Honeysuckle looks a good thing in the Champion Hurdle. Everything we know says so. People who bought tickets for The Titanic thought the same. Can Appreciate It be her iceberg?”

The first race on Tuesday — the Supreme Novices Hurdle — gives Great Britain the chance to strike first with Henderson’s runner Constitution Hill. If the market is correct, he has to beat the Mullins duo of Sir Gerhard and Dysart Dynamo.

Even if the Irish do emerge on top come the final race on Friday, the home side will leave the meeting with heads held high if they can win the week’s top event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 2021 winner, Minella Indo, as well as A Plus Tard, both trained by De Bromhead, are back chasing this rich prize, but face two up-and-coming chasers in Protektorat and Galvin.

Minella Indo ran no sort of race in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day which is a worry for his supporters hoping for back-to-back wins.

Protektorat, trained by Dan Skelton and part-owned by Alec Ferguson, looks worth an each-way punt at his ante-post odds of 8-1 while the chances of Gordon Elliot's hope Galvin (4-1) will be enhanced if it rains.

An emphasis on stamina will also help Galvin while A Plus Tard, winner of Haydock’s Betfair Chase, was let down by some sticky jumping at Leopardstown.

Nicholls and jockey Harry Cobden will look to Bravemansgame to show he’s headed for the top by winning Wednesday’s Brown Advisory, but the bookies make the Mullins inmate, Galophin Des Champ, the firm favourite.

Also on Wednesday, Henderson’s charge Shishkin will start as the odds-on favourite to beat the Mullins hope Energumene in the Champion Chase.

The Ultima Handicap Chase on Tuesday is always a good betting race and the principals in the betting are Death Duty (Gordon Elliot) and Does He Know (Kim Bailey). However, this column is going to recommend each-way support of trainer Emmet Mullins’ 9-1 chance Noble Yeats.