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With two weeks until the Cheltenham Festival takes place, the Off The Fence team is targeting the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and the Coral Cup.
Host Vanessa Ryle returns with former Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Barry Geraghty and racing expert Tony Keenan to look at the latest big-race tips.
Keenan was especially taken by the performance of Emmet Mullins-trained Corbett’s Cross in the Grade Two Johnstown Novice Hurdle in Naas on Friday as a six-year-old defied a significant drop in the trip (two miles) to beat useful Found A Fifty.
Corbetts Cross holds just one current entry in the Festival, over three miles in the Albert Bartlett, and Keenan believes the current price of 5/1 is still great value.
Keenan said: “I can’t stress enough how well this has performed and I couldn’t be more positive about this horse.
“For Found A Fifty, you can’t find a better race on the calendar, but Corbetts Cross can put him in, travel with him without a problem and then get the better of him in the straight.
“There’s no other horse in Albert Bartlett’s field that can do that – he’s going to be blown away.”
Corbetts Cross with owner Paul Byrne and trainer Emmet Mullins
Geraghty was also impressed with the performance, but has a note of caution whether the horse will line-up in Albert Bartlett.
“That’s what I’ve been waiting to see from contender Albert Bartlett because they’re walking around each other and not far behind,” Geraghty said.
“We’ve been waiting for someone to put them above the water and they are now standing high above everything at this stage.
“They have mentioned that they can add people to other races though and it is a concern so that they can come to play. Ballymore can be an option if they go that way.”
Focus: Coral Cup selection!
Geraghty and Keenan also nominated Coral Cup selections ahead of the handicap weights released this week.
Geraghty said: “What I will say is Open for the Oscars. He was third at Haydock on soft ground and won the Cesarewitch on good ground before that.
“He’s got a mark at England 145 so that’s something to keep in mind. He’s in better form on a better pitch and it’s in the Coral Cup so I’ll be keeping an eye on him.”
The Coral Cup ground is away from the stadium in Cheltenham
Meanwhile, Keenan is happy with Jessica Harrington’s team. “One thing I have been thinking about in the Coral Cup is Great People“he said.
“I think he has gone through a very long journey for him in the beginning and has come down in weight.
“He has done very little wrong then won well at Punchestown last time. He is going there with a decent chance and hopefully will be a good price on the day.”
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