Gavin Sheehan: the inside track on my Friday rides at Cheltenham

I was riding away from Cheltenham for the first couple of days of the Festival, and that proved quite fruitful as I picked up winners at Sedgefield and Huntingdon, along with three seconds. 

I have been keeping an eye on proceedings at Prestbury Park, though, and I, like everyone else, was in complete shock on day one with the Unibet Champion Hurdle outcome. I don’t think anyone could have saw that result coming, but fair play to Jeremy Scott, Lorcan Williams, and connections of Golden Ace. It just proves that you’ve got to be in it to win it!

For the second half of the Festival, I’m very much at HQ, and hoping to continue picking up points in the David Power Jockeys’ Cup. My position (sixth) has remained unchanged while I’ve been riding elsewhere, so I’m hoping I can cement that now I’m back at Cheltenham. 

I’ve got two rides on the final day and the first of them comes in the opening race, the JCB Triumph Hurdle. Marche d’Aligre (1.20) is a huge price and I think he’s quite up against it. The weather hasn’t come for him like I’d have hoped as he needs softer ground to be seen to best effect. There are also some potentially classy horses in this with East India Dock for James Owen, and Lulamba for Nicky Henderson, so I hope that we can at least stay on for some points. 

My best ride of the week comes in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on

Wendigo

(3.20) and his form took a nice boost with The New Lion winning so convincingly on Wednesday. We’re stepping up in trip again, which I think will suit us, but as ever at Cheltenham, we’ll need the luck on our side, too! 

I think he has the ability to go well in this, and as I said about Golden Ace, you’ve got to be in it to win it...!