Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup high ideas as Galopin Des Champs faces JP McManus rival

Galopin Des Champs can raise the Cheltenham roof and join the pantheon of greats who have won three Gold Cups but the festival has been beset by drama with giants such as Constitution Hill, State Man and Jonbon all blundering

IN the JCB Triumph Hurdle run over two miles and a furlong at Cheltenham, the unbeaten HELLO NEIGHBOUR (1.20) looks a corking each-way wager around the 9-2 perch.

A winner of a brace of races on the Flat to earn a rating of 97, Gavin Cromwell’s horse has taken to hurdling like PSG to Anfield, with victories in Grade 1 and 2 events at Leopardstown this winter. This talented animal doesn’t do a tap when he hits the front, and his yard saddled the second in the juvenile handicap hurdle on Tuesday.

LARK IN THE MORNIN (2.00) bolted up in the Fred Winter Hurdle when rated 122, so he must improve to repeat the trick in the Wiliam Hill Handicap Hurdle run over two miles and a furlong off a perch of 132. He hated the heavy ground when scoring last year, and he will enjoy faster conditions this time.

Joseph O’Brien — who had a handicap winner here on Tuesday — has trained him for this event all season, and he ran a blinder under tender handling at Leopardstown last time out at Crimbo. Snare the 6-1 on offer with a layer paying five places.

DINOBLUE (2.40) was beaten three parts of a length on very soft terrain in last season’s renewal of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase run over an extended two and a half miles. On a quicker surface Willie Mullins’ consistent lady can go one better.

You need a tough horse to win the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle (3.20) run over three miles, so have a few quid each-way on WINGMEN (3.20) at 10-1, with a firm paying four places.

He looked to be crying out for a longer trip when second in a Grade 1 affair to Final Demand over six miles and six furlongs at Leopardstown, having earlier finished third in the same grade over two and a half miles at Navan in January.

The fact JP McManus has supplemented INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN (4.00) at the last knockings for the Boodles Gold Cup run over three and a quarter miles, has convinced me to back the beast each-way at 15-2 with Ladbrokes.

He was only seven lengths behind Galopin Des Champs when not given a hard ride over three miles at Leopardstown 41 days ago. He won the Kim Muir by eight lengths over today’s journey at last year’s festival and a Grade 1 Novice Chase at Aintree.

Anorak Andy has assured me WILLITGOAHEAD (4.40) will win the St James’s Palace Fox Hunters Chase (4.40) run over three and a quarter miles for new owners, Bective Stud, who have sent him to Gordon Elliot.

We finally find out if KOPECK DE MEE (5.20) is the biggest certainty since Ben Hur leapt into a chariot, when he rocks up on his first run for Willie Mullins off a perch of 136 in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle run over two and a half miles. JP McManus purchased the beast after he ran five times to qualify for this event in France, where he landed a Listed affair at Auteuil in May. He can be a handicap snip off this mark.

SIR ALEX JOINS ‘ELITE’ OWNERS

SIR Alex Ferguson landed another treble yesterday when he netted a Cheltenham winner in front of a team of watching football rivals.

The Manchester United legend leapt for joy as his horse Caldwell Potter stormed home in the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

It gave him his third Cheltenham winner following the successes of Protektorat and Monmiral at last year’s festival.

His latest victory – which places the former manager high up the league of elite racehorse owners – was all the sweeter because it happened in front of members of the current Liverpool team. Andy Robertson, Diogo Jota, Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley were watching from a private box.

Former manager Harry Redknapp also looked on as his horse Shakem Up’arry missed out on a repeat of its victory last year.

After his latest triumph Fergie, 83, said: “He’s done something today we’re very proud of. Winning last year was fantastic and doing it again is fantastic.’’

Meanwhile, Irish wonder jockey Rachael Blackmore sent the Guinness flying with two more historic victories – making it 18 wins at the course.