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| Yong Gun - Felix Yonger is the selection in the JLT |
Now sponsored by JLT the race formerly known as the Jewson will enjoy Grade 1 status this year for the first time but though some things change I expect others to stay very much the same and for Ireland to once again emerge victorious.
Willie Mullins has already taken this race once – with Sir Des Champs in 2012 – and he looks poised to land the spoils again this year with Felix Yonger.
The son of Oscar was one of several horses under the ownership of the Wylies that joined Willie Mullins after the Howard Johnson shenanigans.
He’d been a decent Bumper performer for Johnson, albeit trailing in almost last in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2011.
He’s gone from strength to strength since joining the Irish champion trainer though and has a solid piece of festival form in the bag already having chased home Simonsig in the 2012 Neptune.
He was unbeaten over fences until an odds on defeat on Boxing Day and was then stuffed in the Irish Arkle by Trifolium when last seen.
It’s no coincidence though that nearly all his bad runs to date have come on deep winter ground and connections have been keen to stress that better ground come the festival will see him in a much better light than he’s been seen in on his last two starts.
That Arkle defeat encouraged them to step him up in trip and we know that he’ll stay up the hill over that trip from his Neptune run. He also holds verdicts over both Defy Logic and Trifolium over fences and with the latter fancied by many to win the Arkle, given who he is trained by Felix Yonger could end up starting at less than half the price he is currently available at.
Factor in Ruby Walsh likely taking the ride and slight question marks over most of his main domestic rivals and he actually looks a really good price.
The majority of the Irish challengers prominent in the betting also hail from the Mullins yard and are likely to run elsewhere or not at all and that realistically narrows the dangers down to a handful.
Current favourite, and rightly so, is Paul Nicholls’ Wonderful Charm, a horse that enjoyed a fantastic second half of 2013 over fences, remaining unbeaten until having to give 8lb to Oscar Whisky on International day at Cheltenham.
Prior to that he’d won his other three starts over the larger obstacles and being beaten just half a length giving weight to a horse of Oscar Whisky’s class is arguably actually his best performance to date.
He’s not been seen since but now the ground looks to be drying out should be coming in fresh and on his preferred surface.
One slight concern for me though, and this is purely a personal thing, is the situation with the Nicholls jockeys. There has to be something we’re not privy to with Daryl Jacob and the lack of confidence behind him in certain quarters doesn’t fill me with confidence either.
That aside Wonderful Charm has done little, if anything, wrong to coin a tired cliché and will be a tough nut to crack if in peak form off a lengthy absence.
Taquin Du Seuil and Oscar Whisky have seemingly been beating each other all season and if both give their running should be there or thereabouts once again.
The latter comes here with a bit of a dent to his lofty reputation though having merely been workmanlike in landing a three runner Scilly Isles at Sandown last time out.
He has a formidable Cheltenham record though – if not at the festival itself – and is all class. With that latest run possibly still clouding a few people’s judgement, he could end up going off at a bigger price than would have been expected and as result makes most appeal of the home brigade.
His old rival Taquin Du Seuil also began his chase career well but then suffered two reverses when beaten by Oscar Whisky in the Dipper and then finishing only third in a strong renewal of the Henry VIII at Sandown.
He got back to winning ways landing a very weak Grade 2 at Haydock on his latest outing though but will need to improve from that again to get on terms in a competitive looking race at the festival.
His only real spring time run to date saw him well beaten in last season’s Neptune, but if he was to get his favoured heavy ground would become widely more appealing.
Harry Fry’s Vukovar rounds out the strongest of the home challenge and this completely unexposed French recruit could be anything to coin another cliché.
He was beaten on his UK debut by the enigmatic Mr Mole but then sluiced up at Newbury over Christmas in a weak race.
He looked impressive that day, but on what we know he’s not of interest to me, he could very well romp home by a distance and if he does I’ll accept my fate but in a race this hot I’m not prepared to back purely on potential.
Of the rest that are actually likely to run Djakadam rates a strong second string for Willie Mullins if taking his chance, while Sizing Gold will surely appreciate the drop back in trip having blatantly been outstayed last time out when beaten by National Hunt Chase bound Foxrock.
Admirable handicapper Double Ross is also worthy of a mention having enjoyed a good season to date and racked up an impressive record round Cheltenham in the process. He’ll no doubt give you a run for your money if lining up but will in all likelihood find one or two of these simply too strong.
The Irish have made this race their own since its inception and for me that trend looks like continuing in 2014 with Felix Yonger the selection in a fascinating looking contest.
Willie Mullins has several horses heading up markets for festival races at the time of writing, some of which in my opinion don’t deserve to be as short as they are, Felix Yonger however is not one of them and providing the ground is right I expect him to be much, much shorter on the day.
Recommendation:
Felix Yonger 1pt win @ 7/1 (Bet Victor) [NRFB]
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