Cheltenham 2019 antepost: Three to watch in the handicap hurdles
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With the National Hunt season’s showpiece event on the horizon, we have three handicap hurdlers that could make their presence felt at the Cheltenham Festival.
Housesofparliament
The Coral Cup is consistently one of the most difficult puzzles to solve year after year at the Cheltenham Festival but there’s a son of Galileo who looks overpriced in the ante post markets.
Housesofparliament was a Group 3 winner on the Flat when trained by Aidan O’Brien before going on to place in Classic company in the Doncaster St Leger. The gelding was then switched to the care of Joseph O’Brien and while he was slow to adapt to the new discipline last season, he’s starting to fulfil his potential over more stamina sapping trips.
The six-year-old shaped with plenty of promise at Ballinrobe when runner-up in May before showing improved form when stepped up in trip at Gowran Park. He’s not been seen since but it’s feasibly connections are attempting to protect his official rating of 138 which ought to get him in to the contest with a nice low weight and good ground with a fast pace over an extended two miles five furlongs should see him to best effect.
His owner has enjoyed success in the race down the years with the likes of Khayrawani and Time For A Run and this contender rates as a attractive each-way proposition at 25/1.
Wax And Wane
The Fred Winter has produced some big-priced winners in recent years, with six of the last seven renewals won by a horse sent off 25/1 or bigger.
Tim Vaughan’s Wax And Wane was useful on the Flat for Karl Burke and wasn’t totally disgraced on hurdles debut at Warwick when well beaten, shaping as if in need of the run on debut for his new yard.
The four-year-old ought to have learnt plenty from that outing and he will have found the ground on the quick side for him that day. With all his best form coming on soft or heavy ground, there’s no doubt he will need rain to be seen at his best, but he looks overpriced (50/1 in a place) at present and the trainer does well with his juvenile hurdlers.
Whiskey Sour
Willie Mullins has a fine record in the County Hurdle on the final day of the Festival having won four of the last eight renewals and Whiskey Sour is of interest again this year.
The son of Jeremy was an excellent third in last year’s renewal when sent off as the 7/1 second favourite and he has been forgotten about this time around after some moderate performances on the Flat of late.
Hurdles would appear to be his sphere for now and he can remarkably run from just 2lb higher than he was rated last year. He hit the front a furlong too soon that day but he remains with plenty of potential and he’s sure to go off shorter than 20/1 if taking
Featured image credit: Official Cheltenham Festival website.
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