A strong Irish challenge on Cheltenham Trials Day plus Fairyhouse price boost

Lossiemouth, Capodanno and Noble Yeats are among the Irish contenders heading over to Cheltenham Trials Day on Saturday for a tremendous day of racing. With £700,000 up for grabs in total, a large amount of that purse could be returning to Ireland.

SBK’s welcome offer has been particularly popular with our audience over the past month and it is certainly worth claiming your €40 in free bets for this weekend's racing bonanza. SBK is also offering unmissable price boosts on any horse of your choice in the 14.15 at Fairyhouse and the 15.15 at Doncaster on Saturday.

Cheltenham Festival hopefuls Jonbon, ridden for the first time by James Bowen, and Burdett Road are short prices to take the spoils for the home team in the rescheduled Grade 1 Clarence House Chase and the Triumph Hurdle Trial and those races are best watched.

Elsewhere on the card, splendid grey mare Lossiemouth hasn’t been seen on the track for 273 days, however that winning performance in the Triumph Hurdle was most impressive and she should be classy enough to get the better of her four rivals.

Trainer Willie Mullins has given her plenty of time between her campaigns to improve and strengthen and her time off the track isn’t a worry, given the yard’s success with this approach.

Love Envoi, who ran a fantastic race in the Mares’ Hurdle behind Honeysuckle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival looks her biggest threat. With excellent form in the book and at a track she relishes, she’s dangerous for trainer Harry Fry.

Capodanno is overpriced for the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at 13.50 given his latest third in the Savills Chase, won by Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs. While the winner scored by 23 lengths, Capodanno was beaten only a head by Gerri Colombe.

Grade 1 Betfair Chase winner Royal Pagaille carries top weight and on the better ground may be vulnerable. There are doubts around Ahoy Senor and his jumping, however up and coming novice Stay Away Fay and Coral Gold Cup winner, Datsalrightgino, are progressive and add intrigue to the race.

Later on the card, Aintree Grand National winner Noble Yeats takes his chances in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle for Emmet Mullins and faces some talented opposition in Paisley Park, Champ and Dashel Drasher. Noble Yeats gets plenty of weight from the market leaders and has previously got the better of Dashel Drasher in the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase at Aintree.

He may then head to the Stayers’ Hurdle before his big target which is once again the Aintree Grand National.

A big talking horse is Gidleigh Park in the closer seeking his fourth win on the bounce for Harry Fry. The young hopeful steps up to Grade 2 level and he’s a big, strong galloping type who should be suited to Prestbury Park.

It’s not a typical Cheltenham card without a Gavin Cromwell longshot to serve up some each-way value and Antrim Coast could provide just that. Second at Cheltenham in October behind Butch and previously a winner at Punchestown, Cromwell has an excellent record at Cheltenham with a 25% strike-rate overall. Antrim Coast is worth consideration at a current price of 16-1. Both have entries in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.

In the 14.15 at Fairyhouse, the Grade 3 Solerina Mares’ Novice Hurdle, you can choose any horse for a price boost with SBK. The Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy was impressive at Leopardstown over Christmas when winning by 15 lengths and looks the one to beat here.

A smart mare who struck on her racecourse debut in France, she shrugged off Butcher Hollow on her jumping debut and looks exciting.

The race is dominated by Mullins as three of her stablemates take her on, headed by Pink In The Park, who is the most seasoned of the bunch and represents her biggest danger.

Henry de Bromhead is flying and enjoyed Thyestes victory this week. He sends out Look To The West, for the same owners Robcour, and she is a dual winner who looks open to plenty of improvement over a longer trip today.

At Doncaster, the SBK Great Yorkshire Chase at 15.15 is another race in which you can enjoy a price boost of your choice and even better, it is the big betting race of the day, offering 7-1 the field.

Famous Bridge is a big staying chaser who has impressed with two wins at Haydock and currently heads the market. His trainer Nicky Richards won this contest back in 2021 and looks to have a fine chance once again.

Also popular in the betting is the Emmet Mullins-trained Sweet Will. The seven-year-old won a handicap hurdle at Doncaster back in March last year and ran well over Christmas at Leopardstown before being hampered at the last and finishing fourth. He will be on song for this and should make an impact.

Cap Du Nord is an experienced staying chaser for Christian Williams who does well in this sphere, while Forward Plan beat Mister Coffey last time out at Doncaster in mid-December and the two reoppose.

Trainer Toby Lawes is excited about his contender Surrey Quest, who has won twice for the yard since joining him from Nicky Henderson. The quality sort is seeking a hat-trick and represents good each-way value at around 9-1.

Kandoo Kid has been remarkably consistent for trainer Paul Nicholls and finished second in a Grade 2 at Ascot last time and as such carries a lot of weight.

One to consider at a bigger price is Twoshotsoftequila for Rebecca Menzies. A course and distance winner, he finished third behind Forward Plan and Mister Coffey here back in December.