All eyes are firmly set on the upcoming Cheltenham Festival. One of the biggest horse racing events in the world, the prize money on offer across the four days of racing tops £4.5m. But more than the money, is the prestige. And the bragging rights.
For many, the Cheltenham Festival will be their main target of the season. The likes of Presenting Percy, Apples Jade and Altior are in it to win it. Others have a more strategic plan in mind and plan to use the festival as a stepping-stone to the 2019 Grand National.
The most obvious dual-festival runner is Tiger Roll. Treading the same path as last season, he looks set to dominate the Glenfarclas Chase before heading to Aintree to defend his Grand National crown.
Seemingly unstoppable, bookmakers are not taking any chances on him. He is currently evens to win the Glenfarclas and the 10/1 favourite to win the National. However, fans may be interested to hear that you can back him to win both at odds of 18/1 with some bookmakers. Good value if you think he is a banker!
But back-to-back double wins are not a foregone conclusion. And Tiger Roll will have plenty of competition at both festivals. One contender ready to step up to the plate and throw down the gauntlet is Ultragold from Colin Tizzard.
Tizzard readily admits that the decision to opt for the Glenfarclas over the Ultima was largely based on how successful that route proved to be for Tiger Roll last season.
Paul Nicholls is planning a similar path for his charge Give Me A Copper. Though lightly chased, a decent run in the Ultima Handicap Chase will certainly solidify his Grand National claims. Though I fear that a horse that has only had two runs in a year and half may have his work well and truly cut out for him at Aintree, irrespective of how he performs at Cheltenham.
Lake View Lad is also in contention for the Ultima. If he can successfully navigate the 3m and does well with the step up in trip he could be one to consider for the National. However, he will need the ground on the softer side so a definite decision will not be made until much closer to the race.
With just a week to go until the Supreme Novices Hurdle starts the festival, there are still a lot of races with far more entries than rules allow. But whoever ultimately takes to the starting line, you can bet that those that are successful will very quickly have their odds slashed for the 2019 Grand National!
