Cheltenham Tips: Jamie Radford’s Lucky 15 for Next Week’s Festival

First Street - Coral Cup

From the start of the 2022 season, the BHA declared to drop older horses quicker down the handicap to be one of their measures to combat the 23-5 demolition by Ireland in the Prestbury Cup. This measure was successful in bridging the gap between the two in the handicap races with Britain claiming notable scalps last year in the Ultima, Coral Cup, County Hurdle and the Martin Pipe. 

Indeed, Faivoir’s victory in the Martin Pipe exemplified the above measure as he ran off a 9lb lower mark than his previous year’s 11th placed. This strategy has helped to tackle the strong grip that all novice horses have had on the handicaps as well.

In both 2020 and 2021 novices accounted for five of the handicap winners whilst also having a 2nd place as well. It was a similar story in 2018 when they accounted for four. However, last year only two novices won (Angels Dawn and Iroko) with returning customers Corach Rambler, Langer Dan and Faivoir all winning. 

Other examples are Third Winds victory in the 2022 Pertemps where he ran off a 12lb lower mark than his previous spring run at Aintree. Victories from 10-year-old Global Citizen and 11-year-old Coole Cody proved that older horses were back in the fray.

This year, First Street runs off a 9lb lower mark than his 11th placed in last year’s County Hurdle. Indeed, Nicky Henderson’s runner is only 1lb higher than when finishing 2nd behind State Man, whilst giving him a pound in weight. State Man now stands as a 1/3 favourite for the Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. 

Whilst First Street has normally been campaigned at the 2 mile trip, and often at sharp tracks such as Ayr, Wincanton and Kempton, I have long felt he could be seen to best effect over an intermediate trip. He won two novice hurdles over this distance and I thought his best performance last year was in the Relkeel behind Dashel Drasher and Marie’s Rock, two horses that placed in Grade 1’s in the Spring. 

Although the stamina sapping new course and the fast pace of the County hurdle saw him get away with it, I think the test of the Coral Cup is tailormade for this son of Golden Horn and I expect him to run very well for a trainer that has a good record in the race.

Gowel Road - Pertemps

The Pertemps is a notoriously difficult race to get right with only two favourites winning in the last 10 years. However, I think that Gowel Road is too big of a price to not include in my Lucky 15. Nigel Twiston-Davies’s runner was a strong 7th in the 2022 Coral Cup and runs off 3lb lower in this year’s Pertemps. 

I thought that Pertemps was a strong year too with Fastorslow and Camprond filling out the placing’s alongside two 152 rated Irish hurdlers. He made a mistake that day which caused him to lose his positioning and he struggled after that on rain softened ground. 

This year he started with an excellent 4th behind Slate Lane in Haydock’s Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle. That day he was only two lengths behind Stayers Hurdle contender Crambo and it was a performance that enticed connections to try him in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle next time out. 

Although he was outclassed that day, he was only a few lengths behind Botox Has who’s subsequent 11 length Rendlesham success has earned him a rating of 152. Gowel Road races off a 10lb lower mark on 142 and I thought he ran on strongly in a first time tongue tie at Exeter to grab the final qualifying spot. 

Twiston-Davies has won the Pertemps Network Final twice before and I think he has an excellent contender this year in Gowel Road. 

Ga Law - Ryanair

Having been recently supplemented for the race, I’m hoping that Ga Law can repay the faith installed into him by his connections in winning the 2024 Ryanair Chase. 

Indeed, it was long thought that Jamie Snowden would opt to go for the Plate, run on the same day but the performance needed to win off 11st 11lb is not dissimilar to that needed to win this Grade 1. 

He was 5th in last year’s running beaten just shy of 10 lengths but I think there is reason to think he can improve on that run. His preparation was not ideal having gone into the race off the back of a fall in the Sky Bet Chase and he was not ideally positioned in last place in what was a slowly run race. 

Hitman, French Dynamite and Envoi Allen were all prominently positioned whereas Shishkin has proven himself to be above this level with victory in the Aintree Bowl before practically winning this year’s King George. He was only seven that year too and with Envoi Allen now pushing on 10, I think there is reason to think Ga Law can step up. 

His preparation this year has gone far better with him recently winning over this course and distance on Trials Day. The 2nd placed Lounge Lizard has come out and won already whereas the 3rd placed Il Ridoto is a solid marker to base the form around. Widely available at a double figure price, he deserves his place in the lineup. 

L’Eau Du Sud - County Hurdle

Stomach ulcers were to blame for L’Eau Du Sud’s poor showing in the Greatwood and his run in last month’s Betfair Hurdle showed me enough to put him up as the final selection for the County Hurdle.

Indeed, the horse who beat him, Iberico Lord is deemed good enough to contest the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle with connections deciding to supplement him for the race. 

Filey Bay and First Street have showed the proclivity for placed horses in the Betfair Hurdle to go equally close at Cheltenham and I think L’Eau Du Sud is more unexposed than them both having only completed three times over two miles in England.

Dan Skelton’s record in the race speaks for itself with Faivoir, Ch’tibello, Mohaayed and Super Story winning in recent years and I think that L’Eau Du Sud can join the roll of honour.