Road to Cheltenham is backing a potential superstar in the Triumph Hurdle - who else makes his best bets for Day 4?
13:20 Cheltenham
LULAMBA
I think Nicky Henderson has a potential superstar on his hands in LULAMBA and the yard are clearly confident enough to bring him to the Triumph Hurdle off the back of a juvenile hurdle success at Ascot. He was brilliant that day, putting his rivals to the sword with ease and looking very straightforward in the process.
East India Dock is a worthy rival but his form took a knock in the Fred Winter on Tuesday and I’m inclined to take him on. Lulamba’s BHA rating of 140 puts him 6lbs adrift of his market rival and 5lbs off the mark of Hello Neighbour but he is a horse with huge upside and he should come on massively for that Ascot run.
15:20 Cheltenham
INTENSE APPROACH
John McConnell has a decent record in the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle and INTENSE APPROACH has a similar profile to the likes of Bardenstown Lad and Streets Of Doyen, though I believe this son of Jack Hobbs is a slightly classier type and he’s a much more catching on the eye in the way that he travels through his races.
He’s a big price given his liking for quick ground and I’m expecting him to go well in what looks like an open enough contest. The trainer is going through a dry spell in terms of winners but he is a fair each way price and I can see him running a nice race and being in the mix come the winning post. Hopefully he can get his head in front.
17:20 Cheltenham
KOPECK DE MEE
I must confess – I knew very little about KOPECK DE MEE (NAP) when he was exported from France last summer but a friend who’s massively into his French racing gave me the nod to keep a very close eye on him. His form ties in with the likes of Kitzbuhel and Karam Le Rouge and he could be miles better than his current BHA mark of 136.
Connections are entrusting a conditional jockey with him and that perhaps suggests the level of confidence behind this horse. The vibes out of Closutton are that he’ll take the
world of beating and he’s NAP material in my eyes. I’ve bought into the hype and fingers crossed he wins the boys race and I can end the 2025 Cheltenham Festival on a high.
