'She could very easily be overlooked in the market' - trainer quotes for the Cheltenham Festival Mares' races

Key trainer quotes looking ahead to the three mares' races at the Cheltenham Festival

Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (3.20 Cheltenham, March 11)

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of July Flower
She's been in great form since Leopardstown. She's a lovely mare and I'm delighted for Duncan [Angove, owner] as he backed us to get her. We had her as a young horse, but then she moved back to France. We really liked her as a bumper horse at home – she did a piece of work with Slade Steel in their bumper season and worked really well with him. We followed her in France as I knew how much I liked her, and she was third in the French Champion Hurdle, which is rock-solid form. She could go for the Mares' Hurdle or the Stayers', but I'd imagine it'll be the Mares'.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Brighterdaysahead
We won't be making a decision until the week beforehand. But, look, we'll be straight and say it – we won't leave it until the 11th hour to make a decision. We'll run her in whatever race we feel is best for the mare. She's the number one. Whether that's the Mares' Hurdle or the Champion Hurdle, we'll see.

Brighterdaysahead: also has the Champion Hurdle as a realistic optionCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Willie Mullins, trainer of Jade De Grugy, Kargese and Lossiemouth
Jade De Grugy hasn't been out yet this season as she had a setback. She'll return in the Grade 3 Quevega Mares Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday, a race we've used before for some of our good mares, including Annie Power. I've been very happy with her home work, and she's going for the Mares' Hurdle. I imagine Kargese will go for the Mares’ Hurdle. She’s a very keen horse but has been fine since Ascot. At the moment we’re going for the Champion Hurdle with Lossiemouth. We’ve been training her for that for two years.

Jeremy Scott, trainer of Golden Ace
We’ll have to head to Cheltenham now and make a decision as to where we go. We didn’t have heaps in hand over Burdett Road in the Kingwell Hurdle, which we might need if we’re going for a Champion Hurdle, but she hasn’t seen out two and a half miles this season.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Nurse Susan and Take No Chances
Nurse Susan has had a couple of setbacks, which has been frustrating, but she's a high-class mare. I don't think I'm going to have time to get a run into her before, but I'll be doing lots and lots with her at home and it might be that we end up running in the Mares' Hurdle. Take No Chances has had a fantastic season and put up a great performance to beat Kargese at Ascot last time. She's in flying form and is versatile between two and three miles, so she's a likely runner in the Mares' Hurdle.

Take No Chances (left) and Kargese (centre): both entered in the Mares' HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (1.20 Cheltenham, March 13)

Willie Mullins, trainer of Maughreen
She put in a huge performance at Punchestown when she jumped like a handicapper. Cheltenham is going to be a tough ask for a mare having just her second run over hurdles, but everyone has said she's a brilliant jumper since we started schooling her. She’s our top mare for novice hurdles.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Jubilee Alpha and Just A Rose
Jubilee Alpha was unlucky on her reappearance at Newbury before bouncing back to win at Taunton. She deserves to be prominent in the betting after her win at Windsor last month. This has been her number one target. Just A Rose won impressively at Taunton on her debut for us, and we'll learn a lot more about this this coming week.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Diva Luna
Coming into this season she was almost our most exciting horse having not really been extended to win Listed and Grade 2 mares’ bumpers. It hasn’t really worked this season, we had a nasty bug early on and then she got touched off at Lingfield. She won as I hoped she would at Cheltenham and the form is working out okay, although it wasn’t the deepest race in the world. She got bogged down in terrible ground at Sandown, so it’s not been plain-sailing. She seems in very good form now and I think it’s the first time she’s started to look like the horse she was last season. She could very easily be overlooked in the market as she’s beaten a lot of the British horses in bumpers. She’s not a brilliant jumper or professional in every way, but if I can get her right for the day she’ll be a lively outsider.

Diva Luna: won her only previous start at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Robbie Power, assistant to Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Tareze
She's improving all the time. She's a big mare and stronger this season. Sally [Rowley-Williams, owner-breeder] has had some very good horses with us over the years, including Special Tiara, who won a Champion Chase. She'll be quite keen to go to the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, and that's a possibility if we get soft ground. She's probably entitled to go there, and I wouldn't be worried about the drop back in trip.

Jamie Snowden, trainer of Hollygrove Cha Cha
She's won five of her six races, and her only defeat was at Taunton when she found the track a bit tight and quick. She's not slow, however, and I wouldn't be averse to dropping her back in trip. She's in the Mares' Hurdle and the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase (2.40 Cheltenham, March 14)

Willie Mullins, trainer of Allegorie De Vassy and Dinoblue
Allegorie De Vassy will definitely go for the Mares' Chase. We've done things different with her this season and I think it's paying off. Dinoblue's another for the Mares' Chase. The two of them went a great gallop [in the Opera Hat] and there was no hiding place, despite only two of them being involved. I'm very happy with both of them and they will meet off levels at Cheltenham. It'll be interesting.

Only By Night: also has Arkle option Credit: Francesca Altoft Photography

Colin Russell, owner of Only By Night
The Mares’ Chase might be the one for her at Cheltenham. She’s entered in the Arkle as well, and if the ground was heavy then we’d be more tempted to look at that. It’s still up in the air, and it’s a nice problem.

Lucy Wadham, trainer of Telepathique
Huntingdon was the first time she'd been right-handed, which probably explains why she went left. She won't have that problem at Cheltenham and we'll have a look at the race.

Ante-Post Pricewise on the Mares' races:

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