Thursday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

It is hard to know who the downpour of rain yesterday will suit better in this race but I much prefer the chances of last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner Bob Olinger (best priced at 11/10). The Henry De Bromhead trained seven-year-old has only tasted defeat once in his seven race career and that came behind Ferny Hollow on his hurdling debut. Since then, he has won easily over both hurdles and fences with his shortest winning distance being by 4 ¾ lengths. He showed last year with his victory over Gaillard Du Mesnil and Bravemansgame in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle that he handles the track well and he has very little question marks coming into this race. Many crabbed his jumping technique on his chasing debut but I didn’t feel it was too bad and he progressed well with an impressive victory in a Grade 3 at Punchestown last time.

This looks a match race between him and last year’s Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle winner Galopin Des Champs who is obviously respected following his impressive victory at the Dublin Racing Festival last time but even in these conditions I feel Bob Olinger will have too much speed for him and expect the Henry De Bromhead trained gelding to win this.

This is a wide open renewal of the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle but Cheltenham brings the best out of Sire Du Berlais (best priced at 5/1) and I feel he holds strong claims of winning this race for a third time. The Gordon Elliott trained ten-year-old won this race off a mark of 145 in 2019 and 152 in 2020 before finishing 2nd in the Stayers Hurdle last year behind Flooring Porter. His runs so far this season have been extremely eyecatching and he has been given a chance by the handicapper off a mark of 156 which is only 1lb higher than his Irish mark.

Sire Du Berlais won this race in 2020 on soft ground before winning the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle on soft/heavy ground so these conditions won’t inconvenience him and I expect him to run well with up to eight places available.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see any of Flooring Porter, Klassical Dream, Champ, Paisley Park or Royal Kahala win the Stayers’ Hurdle this year I feel the most dependable horse in the race is Thyme Hill (best priced at 9/2). Forgiving an uncharacteristic below par run in France on his reappearance, the Philip Hobbs trained eight-year-old has been a model of consistency in his career with his only other effort out of the places being the 2020 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle when he finished 4th behind Monkfish when only beaten 1 ½ lengths at the finish.

Thyme Hill missed this race through injury last season but won the Grade 1 at Aintree instead and comes into this race having finished a close 2nd behind Champ at Ascot in the Long Walk Hurdle. He ran well to finish 3rd in the Champion Bumper behind Envoi Allen and a close 4th behind Monkfish in the Albert Bartlett so he brings festival form into the race and he looks the solid option with four places on offer.