Cheltenham Festival Market Movers - 30/01/23

The first horse from this week that rocked the Cheltenham festival markets was the Willie Mullins trained Sir Gerhard who made his chase debut at Gowran Park.

A superstar so far in his career winning the Grade One Champion Bumper two seasons ago and last year went back to the festival to take the Grade One Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.

A three time Grade One winner during his career, he was sent chasing this season and although later than originally scheduled, he made his debut at Gowran Park on Thursday over two miles.

He made a satisfactory debut, showing he still has a superb engine but did guess a few times at his fences and will need to touch up on his jumping.

Mullins explained after the race he will be stepped up in trip for his next event, nominating the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices' Chase as his most likely event at the Cheltenham festival.

This saw his price of 50/1 before the race go into a general 6/1 with most bookmakers.

Also on the Thursday from Gowran Park, the Gordon Elliott trained Teahupoo saw himself go to the top of the Grade One Stayers Hurdle market at the festival off the back of a superb performance in the Grade Three Galmoy Hurdle.

A smart hurdler last season earlier on in the term when landing a hat-trick of wins in Grade Two/Three company over two miles, but when asked to mix it with the best in the division, he crumbled in both the Champion Hurdle and Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

Upped in trip this season he has looked a new animal and only six years old is obviously still improving and he showed that on seasonal debut at Fairyhouse in the Grade One Hatton's Grace Hurdle, when being the first horse in history to beat Honeysuckle to land the race.

Stepped up again in trip on Thursday at Gowran Park, looking to stamp his claim on the Stayers Hurdle market, he took on an average field but blitzed them like they weren't there at all winning the Grade Three Galmoy Hurdle by 15 lengths.

This performance saw him go straight to the top of the Stayers Hurdle betting, now a general 5/2 shot having been 7/1 before the race.

One of the biggest movers of the week came on Saturday from Cheltenham Trials Day where the Gary Moore trained Editeur Du Gite caused a huge shock in the Grade One Clarence House Chase to see off Energumene and Edwardstone to land the race.

A horse that has been seen in handicaps for the most part of his career, finishing a good fourth in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham festival last season, this term he looks a different horse mixing it with the best in Graded company and now prevailing.

Having used his seasonal debut at Cheltenham's October meeting as a pipe opener not using his usual front running tactics, he then went to the Grade Two Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas and bolted up by 13 lengths.

Many thought it was a fluke performance from what he has shown in his career, never looking able to do that in the company he has was in and with Edwardstone falling early on, it wasn't a true renewal of the race.

However, supplemented for the Grade One on Saturday he went from the front and although headed by Edwardstone after the last, who hit 1.01 in running, Editeur Du Gite battled back to take the race by a head.

It was arguably the performance of the weekend and it saw his price for the Grade One Champion Chase at the Cheltenham festival go from a general 25/1 to now 5/1 with most firms.

The final market mover ahead of the festival from last week came in the Gold Cup market with Lucinda Russell's Ahoy Senor finally putting it all together to land the Grade Two Cotswold Chase.

A horse that has bundles of ability but on many occasions has chosen not to show it, finally did again on Saturday when giving his best round of jumping probably seen on a racecourse and staying well all the way to the line he took the Grade Two from Sounds Russian by 1 1/2 lengths.

Throughout his career he has put up winning performances in races like the Grade One Sefton Novices' Hurdle, Grade Two John Francome Novices' Chase, Second in the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at last year's festival and then at Aintree last season got his Grade One over fences in the Mildmay Novices' Chase.

However, this performance showed he was back to his best after three poor efforts this season in the Charlie Hall Chase, Many Clouds Chase and the King George.

The market thought the same and it saw his price for the Gold Cup go from 50/1 outsider to 10/1 and now a serious player for the event.