A Plus Tard Can Join the Greats With a Second Gold Cup Victory
A Plus Tard can bounce back to form to emulate Al Boum Photo, Best Mate, and L’Escargot by winning back-to-back Gold Cups this afternoon. The defending champion has to put a bad run behind him. But, with four months to recover from his pulled-up effort in the Betfair Chase, a very different horse is expected to line up at 3.30 pm this afternoon.
Trainer Henry De Bromhead has been amongst the winners this week. Victory for his dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle – her fourth at the Festival – left his supporters and fans of jockey Rachael Blackmore in raptures.
Henry De Bromhead and Jockey Rachael Blackmore celebrate after Honeysuckle’s emotional success at the Festival on Tuesday. ©GettyImages
There will be more amazing scenes in the winner’s enclosure if A Plus Tard – top-priced 5/1 with the Cheltenham Sportsbooks – repeats his heroics of 2022 when the nine-year-old sprinted away from 2021 Gold Cup winner Minella Indo to score by 15 lengths. It was a victory that earned the French-bred horse a handicap rating of 180 – the highest mark awarded to any Gold Cup winner since Bobs Worth in 2013.
Sick Note Would Have Been a Plus
A Plus Tard’s defeat in November’s Betfair Chase represented the first and only time the horse had failed to finish in the frame during 14 career starts. He had previously finished third in the Festival’s Ryanair Chase and was runner-up in the 2021 Gold Cup.
Every horse is entitled to a bad day, and if a Plus Tard could have called in sick before his flop at Haydock Park – in a Grade-1 contest he won by 22 lengths in 2021 – he would have. Post-race, De Bromhead discovered his star’s “bloods were haywire”.
If this defeat had not happened, A Plus Tard’s Gold Cup odds would surely be in the low single digits, and not the 5/1 that is available this afternoon. Instead, it is Galopin Des Champs that heads the betting at 2/1.
Undoubtedly a massively talented and exciting chaser, this five-time Grade-1 winner let favorite punters down at last year’s Festival when falling in the Turners Novices’ Chase. He could be the greatest chaser since Kauto Star, but for now, Galopin Des Champs is rated five pounds inferior to A Plus Tard, and he has only raced outside of novice company twice.
Iroko Can Stake a Claim for JP
The 2023 Cheltenham Festival will conclude at 5.30 pm when 22 up-and-coming riders contest the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap. It is a race that Galopin Des Champs won in 2021. Second that day was Langer Dan – a Festival scorer on Tuesday.
Irish-trained runners have a good record in this race. But the prize can stay at home this year with Iroko – a generous 8/1 with the Cheltenham bookies – fancied to provide Cheshire-based co-trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero with a rare victory on a major stage.
Iroko wins the Watch Racing TV In Stunning HD Handicap Hurdle by a wide margin in the hands of Kevin Brogan for trainer’s, Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Qg0p6AdP22
— Wetherby Racecourse (@WetherbyRaces) January 14, 2023
The former French runner was thrown straight into Graded company when arriving on UK shores. A year later, an introduction to handicap company saw this five-year-old score twice. Most recently, the gelding spreadeagled nine rivals by 14 lengths at Wetherby.
Clearly an improving horse with bags of potential, Irish-based conditional rider, Aidan Kelly has been booked to steer Iroko. The young rider enjoyed the biggest success of his career when taking a €26,500 Grade-B handicap chase at Naas three weeks ago. His winning mount was Limerick Lace, a horse that was strongly supported in the betting and, like Iroko, is owned by JP McManus.
