7 Tips for Cheltenham - No. 2 Embassy Gardens

Willie Mullins and his son Patrick have combined to win the last two runnings of the National Hunt Chase for Amateur riders on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival with Stattler and Gaillard Du Mesnil.

This year they look to have an outstanding chance of bringing up the hat-trick courtesy of Embassy Gardens, currently priced at 2/1 with Unibet.

With the National Hunt Chase to be run in honour of Willie’s late mother Maureen Mullins next week there will be added incentive for the family to bring the trophy home to Closutton once more.

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Jockey: Mr Patrick Mullins

Owner: Sean & Bernadine Mulryan

Race Record: 15241P611

Embassy Gardens has been earmarked for this long distance chase from early in the season and his preparation has gone smoothly with two wins from his first two runs over fences.

The eight-year-old had always promised to make a better chaser than hurdler and hit the ground running with a comfortable success over the larger obstacles at Punchestown in December over three miles in heavy ground.

He stepped up another furlong in distance when contesting a Grade Three Chase in Naas at the end of January, the same race his stable used as a prep for Stattler in 2022, and he again won very easily.

After the Naas race trainer Willie Mullins said about the performance of Embassy Gardens: “that was a really good performance and what I like about this horse is that he really loves jumping. When he sees a fence he wants to jump it and that’s a huge asset in this game. He jumps, stays and does everything right. He’s learned to settle now and is much easier to ride. He looks a natural for staying chasing and he’ll go for one of the staying chases in Cheltenham.”

Learning to settle has been the key to Embassy Gardens’ smooth transition to chasing and he gives the distinct impression that the best is yet to come from him over fences and he should relish this marathon distance of three miles and six furlongs.

His chief threat is almost certain to come in the shape of the JP McManus-owned Corbetts Cross. The pair met once before at Cheltenham last year in the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle where Embassy Gardens ran too freely and, having led for much of the race, was pulled up in the home straight. Corbetts Cross held every chance in second place when running out at the final hurdle.

Corbetts Cross has an edge in experience over fences having competed in point-to-points when trained by Eugene O’Sullivan and with four racecourse starts over the larger obstacles for Emmet Mullins this season compared to Embassy Garden’s two, but he can only boast one victory over regulation fences coming into the Cheltenham race. Corbetts Cross has twice finished behind Embassy Garden’s Stablemate Grangeclare West and his final preparation race for this assignment didn’t go according to plan when he collided with another runner at the third last fence at Fairyhouse in February and was brought down.

Presuming Embassy Gardens settles as well in the cauldron of Cheltenham as he did at both Punchestown and Naas this season he certainly has the class to prevail in what should be a vintage clash of two talented performers in the closing race on the opening day of the Festival next week.

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