Missed any of the action at Cheltenham today? Here’s how Day Two unfolded.
17:30: And just like that, Day Two is over. Today will be remembered for the birth of two stars; Faugheen and Sire De Grugy. Thbey romped home in the Neptune and the feature, the Queen Mother, and we should see them for many years to come at the Festival.
Elsewhere there was bad news for last year’s hero jockey Bryan Cooper, who broke his leg after a fall in the Fred Winter, while Barry Geraghty had the ride of the day, on O’Faolains Boy in the RSA.
Tomorrow sees yet more class action take place, including the battle of Big Buck’s and Annie Power in the World Hurdle. We’ll be back here with all the action from around 1pm. Thanks for stayign around, see you then.
17:23: Black Hercules led for most of that race but was overhauled in the final furlong. Vigil threatened but never was really in the hunt.
17:22: Here’s the result of the last
1st 14 Silver Concorde 16/1
2nd 13 Shaneshill (IRE) 7/2 f
3rd 6 Joshua Lane (IRE) 33/1
17:20: And after all our Mullins and Weld talk, it was a Weld runner we didn’t mention who did the business, Silver Concorde. Robbie McNamara timed his run to perfection. Shaneshill and Joshua Lane made up the places.
17:15: About to go here. Best of luck folks!
17:12: Money still flooding in for Vigil and Shaneshill. Form is all but impossible to read here but a horse like Tony Martin’s Golantilla, at 16s, could be value. Was third in this race last year.
17:08: Kerry man Bryan Cooper has been taken to hospital with a broken leg after a fall in the Fred Winter. We wish him a speedy recovery.
17:00: Okay, the bumper is all about two men; Willie Mullins and Dermot Weld. Mullins has three runners (Black Hercules, Shaneshill and Killultagh Vic) and he won it the last two outings with Champagne Fever and Briar Hill. But the market leader is Dermot Weld’s Vigil at 9/2.
Hayley has picked Shaneshill and she is on a run while your humble correspondent is waiting on Black Hercules to complete a double with Faigheen that will just about pay for a manicure for my hands after two full days of live blogging, with two to go.
16:56: Upset by how close KatGary was to winning the last race? Well you weren’t as upset as this Tote Jackpot punter. So, so close to massive money.
16:54: Just 20 minutes to the last race of the day, and a real Irish interest one at that, the Champion Bumper. We’ll be back to preview it, and the many Willie Mullins horses to watch, in a minute.
16:50: Sorry to report that Akdam, who fell at the second last, has died.
16:47: Quite a few took a tumble in the Fred Winter but the good news is all the horses and jocks, including AP, are okay. Keltus was hampered by one of the fallers, which I think was Clarcam. Katgary was also hampered and that may have influenced the result.
16:45: Here’s the result, and all those placed were in the lower end of the handicap. Lesson learned.
1st 14 Hawk High (IRE) 33/1
2nd 13 Katgary (FR) 8/1
3rd 23 Orgilgo Bay (IRE) 16/1
4th 20 Keltus (FR) 25/1
16:44: Incident packed race, won by Hawk High, a 33/1 winner who carried 11-1
16:42: Astre De La Cour is gone, as is Goodwood Image and AP McCoy was down for a while but he is up now.
16:40: The horses are circling here and this race might be the most open of all in the Festival so far. here we go.
16:34: A look at the market under 11 stone suggest that Orgiglio Bay (10-12) could be the bet at 16s. Go EW at least.
16:31: The lead in the betting has switched to Dawalan, a Nicky henderson runner. Ridden by Barry Geraghty, he is well weighted and has had a solid season so far. History suggests horses should have less than 11 stone on their back to win this but both market leaders are north of this mark.
16:23: The favourite, almost inevitably in a race like this, is Willie Mullins/Ruby Walsh team of Ivan Grozny at 8/1. Well rated, we like the look of him too.
16:19: Okay, RTE have signed off but we will stay with the live racing all the way to the bitter end. Next up is the Fred Winter, another massive handicap hurdle. 24 go to post aand we’ll be back to preview it in a mo.
16:11: Here’s the official result
1st 1 Balthazar King (IRE) 4/1
2nd 13 Any Currency (IRE) 10/1
3rd 3 Big Shu (IRE) 3/1 f
4th 10 Duke Of Lucca (IRE) 25/1
16:10: Yep, Balthazar King did it, just, from Any Currency on the line
16:05: Halfway round, no fallers so far and the field has tightened up.
16:02: Big Shu and Uncle Junior are near the rear right now. Still a long way to go though.
16:01: Field already hugely stretched out
15:59: Almost off here, I’ll do my best to update you on the expected mayhem I am about to witness.
15:57: Struggling with your punting? You’re not the only one.
Having a miserable day with these horseys
— Cian Healy (@ProperChurch) March 12, 2014
15:55: Big Shu is now the favourite at 4/1. A few in JOE Towers have him at a bigger price. Could blow the roof off if it wins. 15:52: We’ll level with you, we’re backing Balthazar King to repeat but there are other contenders worth talking about. Big Shu is the big challenge, with Paul Carberry in the saddle and he won this race last year. Any Currency, funnily enough, has seen a lot of money in recent minutes, in to 10s from 16s. Sizing Australia, Quantitativeeasing and Quiscover Fontaine are all familiar names who go in this and Sire Collanges, from Paul Nicholls, is from a fine line of great horses. In short, this is wide open, so don’t discount Willie Mullins’ Uncle Junior either. 
15:41: Okay, the almost four mile Glenfarclas Handicap is up next. Sixteen runners go to post for this cross country challenge. Irish trainers have won this eight out of nine of the last renewals so it is hard to overlook them. That said, the one exception to that glorious run, Balthazar King in 2012, goes again for Phillip Hobbs and is the favourite at 9/2 15:38: By the way, Jerry is two for two. Time to pile into Shaneshill for the bumper so
Ok @hayleyladbrokes, I’ll take your advice, 100 on faugheen, 20 Sire De Grugy & 30 Shaneshill. I’m waiting on another few tips coming my way — Jerry Flannery (@jerryflannery) March 12, 2014
15:32: Great reception for Jamie Moore from the crowd and the other jocks
15:27: That was a really interesting, and incident packed race. Captain Conan barely made it halfway before being pulled up. Out the back from the start, something must have been up.
Four from home Baily Green took a fall and took out Paul Nicholls’ Hinterland in the process though both looked to be just losing touch with the leaders. Three out, Arvika Legeonniere was out of it and for a spell it looked like two veterans at the course, Somersby and Sizing Europe, would battle it out. But Jamie Moore timed the run of Sire De Grugy perfectly and he blew past the older horses going over the last and he won by six lengths.
15:25: Sorry, third place went to Module.
1st 7 Sire De Grugy (FR) 11/4 f
2nd 9 Somersby (IRE) 14/1
3rd 6 Module (FR) 20/1
15:24: Sire De Grugy is the real deal all right. Romped home with real class, beating Somersby and Sizing Europe with ease.
15:22: Captain Conan pulled up
15:20: They are lining up now. This will be ferociously fast so will get back to you as soon as they cross the line.
15:15: Five minutes until the off and Sire De Grugy is still holding onto favouritism at 11/4. Donn on RTE has stuck his neck out for Kid Cassidy. He’s a man worth listening to.
15:06: With the top of the market so confused, we have plumped for two longer options. I like Baily Green, mainly because Mouse Morris rarely brings a horse to Cheltenham that doesn’t perform and at 12s it is value. Somersby, a horse that has run well at this course, is worth a small investment at 16s too.
15:03: Captain Conan beat Sire De Gugy at Cheltenham earlier this year and with Nicky Henderson’s record in this one, plus his winner in the last, the horse is now in to 7/2.
Arvika Legionnaire is at 9s and his poor jumping in the Arkle scare me off.
Kid Cassidy has fans and has beaten Sire De Grugy too and the great Sizing Europe, at 12, might still be a force to be reckoned with.
15:00: Nice of Jean to pop up and tell us the weather mid-coverage
14:59: Right, suitably refreshed so let’s get into the Queen Mother. The big story pre-race has been Sire De Gugy. The eight-year-old has won four and finished second once in his last five runs but his favouritism has softened. With no Simonsig or Sprinter Sacre, it seems that he is more the reluctant than deserved favourite.
14:51: That Coral Cup was crazy, with about 10 horses in contention headed to the last. And hats off to Nico de Boinville for besting the great AP McCoy to the line. Right, less than half-an-hour until the big one, the Queen Mother Champions Chase. Time for a quick cuppa.
14:48: Here’s the result
1st 2 Whisper (FR) 14/1
2nd 9 Get Me Out Of Here (IRE) 12/1
3rd 22 Bayan (IRE) 11/1
4th 13 Smashing (FR) 25/1
Dell Arca was fifth
14:45: Whisper nicks it on the line from Get Me Out Of Here, a fourth second place for the latter at the Festival . Waiting on a photo but looks like Whisper did it.
14:39: They are headed to the line here. Dell Arca now clear favourite at 8s but lots of money for Bayan and Vendor too.
14:33: With most places paying out for fifth in the Coral Cup, we advise you go EW in this one. We like Alan King’s Meister Eckhart at 16s.
14:28: One interesting name in here is Dunguib, whose name still sends shivers down my spine after his Supreme Novices flop a few years back. Carrying top weight here, Phillip Fenton’s runner is now 11 but won last time out. If you fancy him, he’s drifted out to 14s now.
14:25: 15 minutes until the Coral Cup goes off. With 28 runners, this is a bit of a lottery but a few names have risen to the top of the betting. Bayan, Dell Arca and Vendor can’t be separated at 12s in the market right now.
14: 20: Sean O’Brien and Tomas O’Leary are having a good day
14:15: Ballycasey looked good with about three to go but couldn’t go with the pace. Carlingford Lough was fifth or sixth and some poor jumps, and being blocked off a few times, probably did for him to get in the money.
Black Thunder also fell, as did Le Bec but all horses and jockeys are fine.
14:13: Here’s the top three
1st 12 O’faolains Boy (IRE) 12/1
2nd 15 Smad Place (FR) 13/2 j
3rd 11 Morning Assembly (IRE) 9/1
14:11: OFaolains Boy just takes it from Smad Place at the line. Great finish and a great ride from Barry Geraghty. Again.
14:09: Don Cossack falls but Bryan Cooper is okay.
14:08: All still standing with a circuit to go. All in with a shout and Ballycasey looks good
14:04: They are at the off now. We’ll update you during the race on this race over three miles
14:00: We think many are reinvesting their Faugheen winnings in Carlingford Lough. He’s now into 6s
13:55: The long-time favourite for this one has been Ballycasey. Another Mullins/Walsh ride, there is a wee bit of money coming in for him after Faugheen’s run but he is out from 9/2 this morning to 13/2 right now. The longer trip and the ground quickening is the worry for me.
The big gamble has been for Carlingford Lough. Trained by John Kiely and ridden by AP, he’s an experienced novice and tough too, with a Galway Plate under his belt. Has to contend here, but the price is now into 7s.
Smad Place, from the inform Alan King yard, has some support at 7s while Morning Assembly, well tipped this morning, is drifting in the market too to 8s.
Finally, Don Cossack, for Michael O’Leary and Bryan Cooper could be great EW value at 12/1.
13:48: Right, the RSA Chase is one of the best of the entire meeting. Won by some big names in the past (Bobs Worth, Albertas Run and Denman to name just three) we wonder if any of these year’s 15 contenders will reach the heights of those horses.
13:46: Okay, only 20 minutes until the RSA Chase and we’ll begin to preview it in a minute. The mood in here is still buoyant as the office is ahead of the bookies for the first time this week. Sorry Hayley…
13:43: Red Sherlock loomed for a while, as did Shanahan’s Turn, but once Faugheen took it up at the turn he burned the opposition off. Faugheen’s jumping was not good, bar the last, but he skidded him.
Speaking after the race, Willie Mullins said Faugheen will go chasing as it doesn’t respect hurdles and tries to run through them. He also said that he thought yesterday’s big winner, Vautour, was the much better horse of the two.
13:40: Here’s the result
1st 6 Faugheen (IRE) 6/4 f
2nd 1 Ballyalton (IRE) 20/1
3rd 12 Rathvinden (IRE) 11/2
13:37: Huge cheers here in JOE Towers. Most of the office had Faugheen either to win, or in the double with yesterday’s Quevega and Vautour so that was a massively popular win.
1:29: Donn has just tipped Faugheen so that is good enough for us. They are at the start and this will be a fast one so we’ll update you as soon as they cross the line. Keep an eye on Bryan Cooper’s mount, Lieutenant Colonel. Royal Boy is a non-runner.
1:25: RTE’s coverage has just kicked off. Have to say we like the addition of Donn McClean to the panel this year. Smart man, smart move..
1:20: Our own Jerry Flannery didn’t have much luck with his charity bets for MS Ireland yesterday, so here’s hoping these selections do the business.
Ok @hayleyladbrokes, I’ll take your advice, 100 on faugheen, 20 Sire De Grugy & 30 Shaneshill. I’m waiting on another few tips coming my way
— Jerry Flannery (@jerryflannery) March 12, 2014
1:18: The big opposition to Faugheen should come from Red Sherlock, from David Pipe’s yard. Like Faugheen he is unbeaten but he is drifting in the market, out now to 9/2. The only horse moving in is Nicky Henderson’s Cup Final. Henderson won this race in 2012 with Simonsig so he knows how it is done and at 16s, Cup Final could be value.
1:14: Right, first up is the Neptune. The big punt here is Willie Mullins’ Faugheen. Tipped up at every preview night, Faugheen has continued to tumble in the odds and it’s down to 6/4 right now. Considering how Vautour, with the same team, did in yesterday’s opener, it looks like a real banker. We’ve stuck it in a few doubles today already.
1:09: We’ll get into the first race of the day, the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle, real soon but first, enjoy this picture from a train station in England via @played_well
1:04: Before we get cracking, have a look at Hayley O’Connor’s tips for the day ahead. You can’t have too many tips, right?
1:00: Good afternoon, and welcome to Day Two of our Cheltenham live blog. After a good night’s sleep and a morning studying the form, we’re ready to face into another four and a half hours of top racing action. Yesterday was thrilling, if not very profitable for us, so we hope today’s racing is just as good, with a few more winner thrown in.
