'He’s a huge price' - Ruby Walsh reveals two value bets for the Stayers' Hurdle

Jonbon is a firm favorite for the Champion Chase this year and is 5-4 with Paddy Power to land the big prize in March after he shrugged off Energumene in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday.

On the second of this year’s Paddy Power Media’s ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast ‘Cheltenham Countdown’, host Tom Nugent together with former champion jockey turned tv pundit Ruby Walsh, and Rory Delargy, a well-known journalist and broadcaster, look at the Champion Chase and Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle. Watch the full show on Paddy Power's Racing Youtube channel.

Champion Chase

Energumene at the weekend beaten fair and square, Ruby?

Yeah looked to me to be beaten fair and square at Ascot, ground was probably a bit drier than it has been in the past and I think Energumene as an 11-year-old would need really testing ground over two miles to get close to or even trouble Jonbon.

Does the Ryanair come into play for him?

I don’t know — does it? I’m sure it could - I don’t know did it sound that way listening to Willie? But maybe it would but look he’s a former dual winner and he’s been beaten in two Clarence Houses and still managed to win the Champion Chase so I’d imagine that’s the grounds that Willie will go on or the lines he’d be thinking.

But could I see him beating Jonbon? I don’t — if Jonbon turns up similar to the horse he was last week end or the horse that won the Tingle Creek, I think he wins the Champion Chase unless you got really testing ground and that’s a huge if and I think that’s the only way I could see any of these horses beating Jonbon if you got into a bog and something happened maybe.

Are we expecting Gaelic Warrior to take a big step forward from Christmas?

He will, but he has to. I think JJ Slevin was very good on Solness at Christmas and he was in peak condition, but Joseph’s horses were just on fire at Christmas — absolutely on fire and I don’t particularly fancy Solness.

Gaelic Warrior will step forward but again he won the Arkle on really testing ground and I think for either of Willie’s horses to beat Jonbon, you may put the Child of Prague out and do a rain dance.

Any update on El Fabiolo still aiming at the Dublin Racing Festival?

Yeah he is — he’s still aiming there, I’d say he’ll do well to get there but he’s coming along every week. Whether he’ll be ready in time for the Dublin Racing Festival or not, I’m not sure but he’s definitely coming forward and Willie had mentioned about going up in trip.

To me he’d have to have a run, you couldn’t — I don’t see you could chance him first time in a Ryanair, I think he’d be too free but he’s getting there.

There’s just a couple of horses — I was thinking about it yesterday — at Cheltenham if I was still riding if you were going there you’d be thinking yeah without bad luck, that’ll win and I think Jonbon is one of those horses.

If you’re riding against him, you need a bit of luck. You need something to happen to him.

The winner?

I think Jonbon is rock solid — I think he’s one of the most uncomplicated horses in training You can ride him anyway — buck him out, he’s never free, he doesn’t race behind the bridle, he’s just so uncomplicated — I think he’s a very admirable horse, I think he’s a very good horse.

I think he’ll win the Champion Chase but for an each-way poke it would be Libberty Hunter for me and the more I looked at it, I didn’t think last week there was a huge amount of pace in it but when you look at Solness and Matata, there’s loads of pace in this race and they’ll go very hard and it will suit one coming from off it.

Paddy Power Queen Mother Champion Chase Odds

Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle

Is Teahupoo’s price more down to a lack of competition than his own strengths?

You took the words out of my mouth — I think it is more lack of competition than what Teahupoo is even doing. He obviously beat Impaire Et Passe 14 months’ ago in the Hatton’s Grace.

Lossiemouth in a slowly run race kicked him out of the way this year. You look at him and you wonder — I know Gordon says he’s definitely a better horse fresh and possibly the run in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park cost him the Stayers’ Hurdle — his first one.

He went there with much less running under his belt last year and he won the race. I think he is the dominant stayer — he’s the one you’d definitely want to be on and I’d hate to be opposing him.

But you kind of look at him and think why didn’t he run at Christmas — maybe the Hatton’s Grace was too close to Christmas? I could understand him not running in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park next week on really testing ground at Gowran and the turnaround for Cheltenham for a stayer that being too tight — I completely get that.

But I look at him and think he couldn’t come out of Fairyhouse and thought that was great, we’ll go straight to Cheltenham. I know I couldn’t anyway. You just kind of wonder why didn’t he run?

The winner but also one lurking?

I don’t know about lurkers but there’s two definitely at a big enough price that interest me — I think going back hurdling would definitely rejuvenate Buddy One. I think he hates fences — do I think he’s good enough to win the race, no, but he could run into a place.

And the other one is the French horse Gold Tweet who won the Cleeve. I thought he ran well for a long way in the Betfair Chase but is he glutton to stay? I’m not sure he is but I just think he’s a huge price.

Looking down through it, there is a mad front runner in here that’s going to make it a really strong race, I don’t think there is. It could be a little bit tactical and that might suit Gold Tweet.

But I think Gold Tweet and Buddy One at 33-1 are there or thereabouts. Just each-way pokes for a shot but I think Teahupoo is really hard to oppose.

Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle odds