CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 2 2025

2:40 Coral Cup

COMFORT ZONE 12/1 generally – 0.75 POINTS E/W (4 places, 1/4 odds – Sent Sunday)

IMPOSE TOI 8/1 generally – 0.75 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

COLONEL MUSTARD 28/1 William Hill, 25/1 generally – 0.25 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

We have 3 selections in this race. We already lined up Comfort Zone at a nice price on Sunday and the write up starts with him.

COMFORT ZONE is a horse I have been lining up for this race for quite a while and I probably should have struck a bit earlier and got the 16/1, but I wanted to wait and see the entries, the weight he would carry and so on…

As the season progresses I have a spreadsheet of UK and Irish horses, a simple spreadsheet, with a top 10 on who I feel are the best handicapped horses in either the UK and Ireland. Sitting on the top in the Irish list is COMFORT ZONE. It is not as easy as blindly following whatever is on the list as I also have marked down, ground preference, course, trainer form, but being organised with my notes and handicaps, definitely helps keep me on top and ahead of the trader.

I can see COMFORT ZONE being a big gamble once jockey bookings and final declarations are confirmed tomorrow and I think it is time to strike before his price comes crashing.

He is trained by Joseph O’Brien and I just love him as a trainer. Following in his fathers footsteps, he knows how to lay a horse out for a race, especially a handicap at Cheltenham as we have seen time and again over recent years.

Back to COMFORT ZONE and you can tell by the way he has been campaigned he has been very much targeted at this race. He is rated 137 by the handicapper and I think that mark is very workable. He is just a 6 year old who still has improvement to come and they have never hidden how much they think of this horse.

Going back to 2022 and COMFORT ZONE was a lovely winner of a maiden, beating Jazzy Matty who actually went on to win at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. He was then sent to a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse, coming home 3rd to none other than Lossiemouth, beaten 6 lengths. He went on to win two Grade 2 at Chepstow and Cheltenham and had a decent each way chance in that year’s Triumph Hurdle. Unfortunately he missed the rest of the season due to a setback but it does give us an idea of just how well he started his career over hurdles and he was up to winning two Grade 2s.

He started mixing it on the Flat and Hurdles when he came back in training and has run some very good races. A 3rd to The Wallpark at Galway, in a hurdle race over 2m 6f, in August looks like great form. A 7th of 30 in the Irish Cesarewitch back in September was followed by a lovely win in flat handicap at Naas in October. He has had just one run over hurdles since and that was an excellent 3rd of 20 at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.  

Since then he has been locked away, his handicap mark protected and now they are ready to try and take advantage of his handicap mark in my opinion. 

We know he stays very well as his form behind The Wallpark tells us that. We know he loves decent ground and we know they will go quite quick here, meaning you will need a horse who stays. It is clear through his form that he loves big handicap races and he is well trained with all the hustle and bustle.

I can see him sitting 4th, 5th, 6th just stalking them, getting plenty of cover, before being pulled out when they come to the 2nd last. With a clear run, the Cheltenham Hill will be no problem, we have seen how well he goes up the hill in the past, when outbattling Scriptwriter up the hill. 

I think COMFORT ZONE has a huge chance and although you need some luck in these big field handicaps, I am confident he goes very close. E/W.

I didn’t want to push the button with IMPOSE TOI until I saw the final entries but he was always going to be included if truth be told. He returned from 322 days off the track to win a decent handicap at Newbury in November off a mark of 134. To win that race, carrying 11st 8lb and coming back from 322 days off the track, tells me he is a very good horse. He has gone up the handicap by 7lb but I still think he has much more to come. He is just a 7 year old who has only had 10 career starts and in typical Henderson fashion, he has been very patient with the horse.

IMPOSE TOI is no stranger to big field handicaps and even has winning form at Cheltenham on the old course, when winning a 17 runner handicap at the 2023 November Meeting.

This is a much better race but he is progressing all the time and I still don’t think he has reached his ceiling.

Nicky Henderson has not run him since November so it is clear they have been looking after his handicap mark. Reading between the lines, I don’t think he was supposed to win in November, probably down to his fitness, yet he still won which has obviously made Nicky Henderson think ‘we could have a good handicap plot on our hands here’.

Henderson even referred to the horse as wants to go up to 3 miles after winning at Newbury. This race could be set up perfectly for him if that is the case. They go faster than they should in this race and it could set up nicely for a horse who stays that bit further.

The price is about right so not much value, but with Nico De Boinville who rode him to a smooth success at this course, in November 2023, he ticks a lot of boxes. E/W.

Our final selection is COLONEL MUSTARD who I think is a huge price at 33/1. He is high enough in the handicap on a mark of 146, that is for sure, but Lorna Fowler brings in the talented Tiernan Power – Roche to claim 5lb. Again not many will know about Tiernan but he is a very good jockey who has been riding winners for fun this season in Ireland. He is actually coming into the Cheltenham Festival in hot form, with 5 winners from his last 19 starts. He even out-rode Keith Donoghue in a finish at Leopardstown 8 days ago and what about the peach of a ride he gave Monbeg Park on the same day.

Many other seasoned punters scroll by jockey bookings but not me, I want to know about these excellent conditional jockeys. Are they worth there claim or not and for me Tiernan is worth every bit his 5lb claim. He brings the mark of COLONEL MUSTARD down to 141 and that is a perfectly winnable mark in my opinion.

COLONEL MUSTARD ran in last years Champion Hurdle and was not disgraced in 5th. What caught my eye most last year was, although he was outclassed, he didn’t lose any ground going up the hill and I think Cheltenham plays to the horses strength.

He has only been to Cheltenham twice, finishing 3rd to State Man in the 2022 County Hurdle and then 5th in last years Champion Hurdle.

COLONEL MUSTARD has always been a 2 miler but twice this season he has run over 2m 2f, coming home 2nd to Soleness who has gone on to great things over fences. He was then 3rd of 5 (beaten 2 lengths) to Lucky Place at Ascot over 2m 4f back in November. His final start was back in December when 2nd to Kitzbuhel and that was over 2 miles. Now a 10 year old you could argue he wants further and as I have already mentioned, they won’t hang around here with 26 runners that is for sure.

He is a very tough horse who you know will knuckle down up the hill, if close enough and taking the claim into consideration, he has just 11st 2lb on his back. I have seen worse bets at 33/1 anyway and I am happy with a small interest. E/W.

5:20 Champion Bumper

KALYPSO CHANCE 6/1 generally – 0.75 POINTS E/W (4 places, 1/5 odds)

EL CAIROS 33/1 generally – 0.25 POINTS E/W (4 places,1/5 odds)

We have two selections in this race.

KALYPSO CHANCE is a horse I rate highly and I know connections think an awful lot of the horse. Whenever Gordon Elliott is asked about this horse, he never shies away from how good they think he is. Whatever he does in bumpers is a bonus as I believe he is going to be a great chaser in the future.

He has had two starts in bumpers and won both races as easy as you like without coming off the bridle.

He stays that bit further as well so you know when they come to the Cheltenham Hill, he should take it in his stride.

Not a lot to add really but from what I have seen so far, he is the one I want to be siding with in the Bumper.

A left field selection and I can’t quite believe I am putting up a David Maxwell horse. Fair play to him though, he buys his horses, he pays his bills, he has every right to ride his horses but I do question why he don’t put a professional jockey on his horses. He would get a lot more back but I guess riding your horses into the winners enclosure, is something money can’t buy, so fair play. If he was on a hurdler or chaser at Cheltenham, I wouldn’t get involved if he was riding, but he may just get away with it in a flat race. I am keeping stakes to the very minimum and this bet is just going on the horses ability alone.

EL CAIROS was a lovely winner on his only bumper start back in November at Newbury. He didn’t just quicken up either, he took off under David Maxwell who literally couldn’t keep him straight. I immediately thought, this is a good horse and without being too harsh on David Maxwell, I bet Gary Moore had one of his jockeys riding this horse.

His win at Newbury was on good ground also so the more the track dries out, the better.

I will take you back to Cue Card in 2010 and in NO WAY am I comparing Cue Card to EL CAIROS, but Cue Card won a race at Fontwell and quickened up smartly before going on land the 2010 Champion Bumper.

EL CAIROS showed a similar turn of foot on debut which took him to the front in a matter of strides.

If EL CAIROS is close enough at the bottom of the hill and can show the same turn of foot turning in, who knows. He is speedy alright.

Look, it is a tough one for me as I think the horse has plenty of ability and hopefully the jockey is not our undoing, which may be the case…..E/W. 

Good Luck