The Coral Cup is always a fiercely competitive handicap contest on day 2 of the Festival. The 2m5f contest was won last season in impressive style by 33/1 shot Heaven Help Us. Andrew Mount has previewed this event alongside an exclusive 888sport sign-up offer of Bet £10 – Get £45 Sign-up offer.
Key Stats and Trends
Age
Five-year-olds are just one from 46 in the past ten years. Seven-year-olds lead the way with four winners (from 67 runners) for a profit of £11.00 to a £1 level stake at SP.
Running Style
Five of the last ten winners were held up, one made the running and four were ridden prominently.
Headgear
Six of the last ten winners went without headgear, two wore cheekpieces, one had a tongue-tie and one wore a hood.
Trainers
Willie Mullins is just one from 38 in the past ten years and Gordon Elliott is one from 16. Nicky Henderson leads the way with three winners (from 32 runners) for a profit of £18.00.
Recent Form
Last-time-out winners are five from 53 in the last ten years for a profit of £44.00.
Prep Race
Those who ran in a Class 1 race last time are just three from 140 for a loss of £68.00. Those who ran in a Class 2 contest are five from 63 for a profit of £38.00.
Weight
Those near the head of the weights have fared well. Since 2004 (18 years) simply backing the top six in the weights would have found ten winners from 123 bets for a profit of £57.50 to a £1 level stake at SP (expected winners = 5.81).
Recent Run
Those who raced recently (1-28 days ago) are just two from 162 in the past 18 years for a loss of £137.50 (expected winners = 5.27).
System
In the last ten years backing those who had prepped in a Class 2 contest and had been rested for more than four weeks would have found five winners from 43 bets for a profit of £58.00. Six were in the top six in the weights and they recorded form figures of 118701 (3-6) for a profit of £72.00.
The Main Contenders
TEAHUPOO
Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old heads the antepost lists though his wins have come over 2m-2m2f and he’s only 33-1 for the Champion Hurdle. If he’s going to take the handicap route at Cheltenham the County Hurdle will probably be the target.
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THREE STRIPE LIFE
The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old was fourth to Sir Gerhard in last season’s Champion Bumper, doing second best of those to come from off the pace. He won his maiden hurdle at prohibitive odds before runner-up efforts in Grade 1 company, latterly behind Sir Gerhard. He too could head for the County Hurdle if taking the handicap option.
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GOOD TIME JONNY
Tony Martin’s seven-year-old has won three of his last four starts in handicap company with the defeat excusable, as he was ridden patiently in Gowel Road’s race at Cheltenham in November when the winner never came back to the field. The latest win came in a valuable three-mile contest at Leopardstown but the cut back to 2m5f shouldn’t be a problem.
After the Leopardstown win his trainer, quoted in the Racing Post, said ‘He won’t go to Cheltenham, definitely not. He was there in November, it didn’t work out and he didn’t like it.’ That seems a little short sighted as the Cheltenham race was run at a crawl and simply didn’t suit his patient style.
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UNEXPECTED PARTY
Dan Skelton’s seven-year-old was a big eyecatcher at Wetherby in late October, winning easily despite racing in the ‘swamp’ on the inside rail. I was confident that he’d follow up at Cheltenham but, having raced prominently at Wetherby, Bridget Andrews switched him off in rear in a steadily-run contest and challenged on the far side where the ground was slowest.
He was just over two lengths down at the line and also found one too good back at Wetherby next time when perhaps hitting the front too soon. He was hugely impressive at Ascot on his latest outing, landing quite a punt over the 2m3.5f trip and his subsequent 12lb rise to 142 still gives him some wiggle room with the handicapper.
Dan Skelton’s says the Coral Cup is the number one target but he has often mentioned how he’d like to run Unexpected Party over two miles again and, given his love affair with the County Hurdle, don’t be surprised to see him rock up in that event. If he does take the Coral Cup route, he’d by high on the shortlist.
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WINTER FOG
Emmet Mullins does well with his handicap runners in Britain, scoring with seven of the 24 qualifiers for a small profit of £3.73 to a £1 level stake at SP. Taking the best price the night before would have boosted that profit to £13.50. Winter Fog made an encouraging stable debut when second of 27 in the Leoaprdstown Pertemps Qualifier over Christmas and I imagine the longer race will be in the agenda.
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FILS DOUDAIRIES
Formerly with Joseph O’Brien, the seven-year-old chased home Unexpected Party at Ascot on his debut for Nicky Henderson in January. He raced keenly towards the head of affairs in a race dominated by the closers (the winner, third and fourth all came from midfield or further back) and he has to be of interest given his trainer’s good record in this race. His Ascot run came on soft ground and he had plenty of form on heavy going in Ireland, so his participation could be ground dependent.
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I AM MAXIMUS
Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old tends to sweat up before his races and it will be fascinating to see how he copes with a huge crowd at Cheltenham. He beat My Drogo in a Cheltenham bumper on his debut in October 2020 and can be forgiven his hurdles debut defeat at Exeter as he’d been off the track for 13 months and jumped out to his left on the right-handed track.
He set the record straight with a comfortable Newbury win from Raymond Tusk next time, though the runner-up has done little for the form. He built on that with a Listed second to Hillcrest back at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day but I’d want to see how he handled the preliminaries before getting involved.
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FINEST EVERMORE
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old completed a hat-trick in summer/early autumn, with the wins in a bumper, maiden hurdle and a novice hurdle. She could only finish third when odds-on for a Punchestown Listed contest in December on her return from a short break but has since run a respectable fourth behind Royal Hakala in mares’ Grade 3 at Leopardstown. She’s 20-1 for the Mares’ Hurdle at the festival and that race would seem the obvious one.
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CAMPROND
The Philip Hobbs-trained six-year-old is suited by a sound surface and it’s no coincidence that all his wins have come between March and October. He seemed to find the two-mile trip on the sharp side when fourth of 19 in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle here in November, having won over longer trips twice the previous month. He was only just touched off in a 22-runner handicap hurdle at last year’s Aintree festival and will be very interesting if the ground is no worse than good to soft.
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PARTY CENTRAL
Gordon Elliott’s consistent mare has form figures of 12211411 (5-8), with the fourth place excusable as she jumped out to her left on a right-handed track. She comfortably justified favouritism in the 2m1.5f mares’ handicap hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and her connections may prefer to stick to taking on her own sex in the Dawn Run, for which she’s a 16-1 shot.
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DANS LE VENT
Dans Le Vent doesn’t always get going until the race is all but over, yet has run well in defeat on three occasions since November’s Grade 3 handicap hurdle win over three miles at Haydock. He fared second best of the closers when fifth of 19 to Cobblers Dream in the Lanzarote and was a solid third of 17 to Green Book at Sandown last time. He’s currently rated 10lb higher than when eighth to Heaven Help Us in this race last year but he’d have to be considered each-way on day with those firms offering enhanced place terms.
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COBBLERS DREAM
The Ben Case-trained six-year-old impressed from the front when landing the Lanzarote and doesn’t have to lead. His subsequent 8lb rise looks fair enough and his record over 2m3f-2m5f now reads 1211 (3-4), with the defeat excusable as he took the ‘swamp’ route at Wetherby.
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CH’TIBELLO
The veteran fell early at Kempton in mid-January and I just wonder whether we’ll see him run here on the back of a wind operation. He landed the 2019 County Hurdle on his first run back after wind surgery and was just touched off after a wind op on his reappearance last term. Another crack at the County Hurdle could also be on the cards though.
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CORAL CUP VERDICT
It’s very difficult to find a definite runner let alone the winner at this stage but siding with Nicky Henderson’s FILS DOUDAIRIES could be the answer, especially if the ground is on the soft side. Henderson has won this race three times in recent years and saddled the runner-up, fifth and sixth last year. He could also send I Am Maximus here.
Unexpected Party is high on the shortlist, despite a nagging doubt that he may yet end up in the County Hurdle. Camprond will enter calculations if the ground isn’t too testing, though he too could end up in the County or miss Cheltenham entirely in favour of Aintree where he ran so well last year. Veteran Ch’tibello, winner of the 2019 County Hurdle, would have claims along with Dans Le Vent, who will no doubt be putting in good work at the finish.
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