Saturday was a rubbish day for us. The first thing I’d like to mention is the farcical ground description of good to yielding at Navan. Maybe it was before they put half the Boyne, half the Blackwater and all of the Skane onto it.
Game Point
hated the conditions but at least the ‘winter horses’ were happy, eh... To rub salt into the
wound, Casheldale Lad finished third but due to a non-runner, only two places
got paid.
As for our Cheltenham
bets..not much better. I thought Riskintheground jumped and travelled beautifully
but he then stopped like he was shot and was pulled up. Afterwards, it was
reported he burst. Just our luck. William Yeats was backed off the boards and
as they jumped the last, it looked like he was going to win. The gutsy Black Bamboo (never thought I'd write those words) pulled
out more though and held off his challenge. Very frustrating for our 14/1 NAP.
Finally, poor
Give Him A Chance sadly went wrong behind jumping the last hurdle and sustained
a fatal injury. Condolences to his connections.
The show must go on, however, and my 2026 Cheltenham & Navan Sunday selections are below.
The last
time Alan O’Sullivan rode Sequoiaspirit he won by 6.5l at Roscommon in June
(2m4f, yld-sft) off 115. The last time Sequoiaspirit ran over hurdles at Navan,
he won this race off 114. It is hard to believe that this will be his first run
over C&D since, and he pitches up off a mark of 120.
At
Killarney last summer this son of Mainsail was beaten 0.5l off 120 under a senior
rider and he’s going to be effectively 5lb lower here thanks to O’Sullivan’s
claim. Now, it must be said that he has to rebound from two poor runs over timber
and one on the Flat, but it was good ground for all three of those races and he’s
likely to get his favoured softer conditions here.
With odds
of 33/1 and five places available, Sequoiaspirit is the e/w selection.
2026
Cheltenham & Navan Sunday Tip: Sequoiaspirit e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
3.00
Navan – Troytown Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
As a big
Tom Gibney enthusiast, I was very keen on Kinturk Kalanisi here. However, when
I watched Game Point struggle on the ground there today, it cooled my interest.
He’s produced his best form on decent ground and with 10mm of rain forecast
overnight, I have decided to look elsewhere.
Gibney also
runs Intense Raffles, who will love it if conditions turn very testing. However,
his form when fresh is not good so I can’t have him either.
Gordon
Elliott has a heap of runners here and he’s won three of the last five
renewals. The one of his I am going to take a punt on, despite the fact he was
well held in this race last season off 5llb lower, is the Gigginstown owned 9yo
son of Fame And Glory, Search For Glory.
James
Smith, who rode this horse to finish second in valuable handicaps here
and at Leopardstown last season, is on board and takes off a valuable 3lb. He
was also on board when Search For Glory was coming with what looked like a winning run in the Ultima at Cheltenham. However, he sprawled
on landing after jumping the last and unseated Smith in heartbreaking fashion.
On his final
start of last season Search For Glory was pulled up in the Irish National and
after that, he headed off for his summer holidays. While this lad struggled in
this race on his first run back last season, his previous seasonal reappearances
have yielded form figures of 111 so clearly, he is capable of running well when
fresh. He ticks the course form box, he handles soft ground and with odds of
28/1 on offer, Search For Glory is worth backing e/w.
2026
Cheltenham & Navan Sunday Tip: Search For Glory e/w @ 28/1 (5 places)
3.10 Cheltenham
– Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
Last month I tweeted that
Morning Mayhem was one to keep an eye on next time out after he caught my eye on
his last start at Ascot. In that race he was still travelling sweetly on the inside
as they turned for home but he got shuffled back to the rear of the field on
the turn and by the time he found daylight, the race was more or less over.
However, he
ran on really well in the closing stages to finish seventh, 5.25l behind the
winner, and I have no doubt that if he had enjoyed a clearer run, he would have
finished much closer than that. He runs off the same mark here so if he repeats
that run, hopefully he’ll be there or thereabouts at the finish.
Worry
The main worry
I have for this selection is the fact that he’s basically been on the go without
a proper break since his debut in a Clonmel bumper back in May 2025. It’s not
something you see very often but he must be the type that thrives on his
racing.
That last
run at Ascot two weeks ago demonstrated that he hasn’t lost his enthusiasm yet
and while the 66s that was available yesterday has gone, at odds of 33/1 Morning
Mayhem is still worth backing e/w.
2026
Cheltenham & Navan Sunday Tip: Morning Mayhem e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
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