Several longshots have been declared as Non-Runners for the final race of 28 this year at Cheltenham but those looking for one last chance for a winner still have a field of 21 to pick from in the Martin Pipe…
This is the final race of the Festival and I’ve written a review of each and every one of them. I reckon at least half of them have featured a Willie Mullins horse in the opening paragraph or two and this is no different as he has the favourite in 4/1 shot Spanish Harlem. The trainer has won the race four times and this five-year-old has good speed but questions about his jumping ability are legit. Yet to win a race this season despite being the favourite three times makes me question the market.
Imagine is only a tick below the favourite at 9/2 with us and despite having a similar record, he has yet to drop below his market projection having won twice as a favourite and finished second three times but was not the shortest price in any of those races. Gordon Elliott has both him and Cool Survivor who has finished fourth in Grade I company entered in the Martin Pipe. Personally I prefer them both to Mullins’ horse but we’ll see. 5/1 for Cool Survivor.
Iroko is the fourth horse shorter than 10s with the market struggling to split the top four in the betting. We have him at 15/2 but two good wins at Wetherby this campaign including looking very classy in his last outing will have raised some eyebrows.
For those looking/hoping for one big last big priced winner to round out the week and love to bet on horses from good yards then you are in luck. Pretty much every top trainer has an entry in this one.
Paul Nicholls has 12/1 shot Irish Hill. Gordon Elliott adds Firm Footings and Felix Daisy to his two shorter priced horses at 16s and 20s respectively. Henry De Bromhead has Spirit of Legend at 20s with Nicky Henderson sending out No Ordinary Joe at 22s. If you wanted to go deeper then the Dan Skelton trained West To The Bridge at 33s may be of interest.
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