'I can't understand why she's still 40-1, that's massive' - Cheltenham clues from last week

The countdown to the 2023 Cheltenham Festival has ticked towards the final fortnight and some final clues were on offer during the last week. Our deputy Ireland editor David Jennings has picked out four horses who caught his eye with a view to the festival.

Brandy Love

Some firms initially pushed Brandy Love all the way out to 10-1 (from 7-2) for the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle after her reappearance at Punchestown last Wednesday. That was an overreaction.

If the mare was flying fit, the vibes were strong and she was running off the same weight as Queens Brook then it would be hugely disappointing to see her beaten the best part of five lengths by Gordon Elliott's 144-rated mare.

But, the fact of the matter is that Willie Mullins warned us over and over again that Brandy Love was in need of the run. He had to run her here to blow away the cobwebs for the festival and she displayed enough of her old zip to trade at a low of 1.14 in-running on Betfair.

Queens Brook and Brandy Love after the Quevega Mares' Hurdle at PunchestownCredit: Patrick McCann

She got tired up the home straight, as you would expected for a mare who hasn't been seen since last April, but there were enough positives to take from the effort to make her a major player against Honeysuckle and Epatante at Cheltenham.

I'd imagine there will be huge improvement to come from a fitness point of view, plus the pace of the Mares' Hurdle will play more to her strengths.

The 10-1, unsurprisingly, quickly dried up but there is still plenty of 7-1 out there and that is more than fair. She is still on the way up, whereas some of her main rivals are on the way down.

Brandy Love16:36 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr:

Thanksforthehelp

It was hard not to be impressed by the manner of Thanksforthehelp's performance in a Pertemps qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday.

The problem for punters is whether he was impressive enough to actually get into the Pertemps Final. He won on Saturday off 117 but you needed to be rated 134 to get into last year's race. He will need to get at least a 14lb hike to have any chance of sneaking in.

That said, there are only 40 possibles for the race at the moment so there might not even be a full field. If the unexposed grey does line-up, he could even go off favourite on the day. He has untapped potential.

Thanksforthehelp16:36 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr:

Perseus Way

There might be something hiding in the long grass that has 12lb or 14lb up their sleeve, but Perseus Way is a rock-solid juvenile who ought to have a big say in the Boodles.

He would have made Nusret fight a lot harder had he not met the last all wrong in the Adonis on Saturday, and his experience will be a big help at the festival.

He has now had five starts over hurdles and remains progressive. It is hard to envisage him finishing out of the frame in the Boodles and 12-1 is a perfectly fair each-way price.

Perseus Way16:36 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr:

Mullenbeg

A rating of 121 would suggest Mullenbeg has no chance of winning the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, but I would give her a squeak of sneaking a place at the very least and I'm surprised she remains 40-1 with some firms. That's massive.

She travelled like the best horse in the race against the boys in the Dovecote, but probably paid for her early exertions inside the final 100 yards. The pace of the race next month will allow her to settle better and I could see her running a massive race.

She will be tanking coming down the hill, that's for sure, and I would expect her to trade a hell of a lot shorter than 40-1 in-running on the exchanges.

Mullenbeg16:36 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr:

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