Majborough is very much a plausible threat to Sir Gino in Arkle - and an Albert Bartlett clue may have gone unnoticed at Musselburgh

Two key takeaways from this week's big-race action

The My Pension Expert Arkle is shaping up to be a showdown to savour at the Cheltenham Festival after Majborough enhanced his claims with victory in the Irish equivalent.

JP McManus's five-year-old beat horses with much more experience when winning the Triumph Hurdle at the big meeting last season. That victory marked him out as a potential top-notcher and there has been nothing to suggest otherwise in two starts over fences this campaign.

The Willie Mullins-trained chaser was a comfortable winner of a quality beginners' event at Fairyhouse in December and looks a plausible danger to Sir Gino after his Grade 1 win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

There is a little room for improvement in his jumping but Mark Walsh's mount has such size and scope that the odd error has failed to stop him in his tracks.

None of his rivals could cope with his relentless galloping and it was a little surprising he was not made a tad closer to Sir Gino in the ante-post market.

Sir Gino, who is likely to run in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury this Saturday, tops the betting at 4-6, with Majborough cut to 9-4 (from 11-4) on Saturday, and it promises to be a mighty clash on the opening day of the festival.
Jack Haynes

We may have seen the Albert Bartlett winner this weekend - but not at Leopardstown

Final Demand was an impressive winner of the opening race at this year’s Dublin Racing Festival and, in turn, had his odds for the Cheltenham Festival slashed.

Willie Mullins’ six-year-old is a best-priced 3-1 favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, but he also has the option of the Turners, as does the Albert Bartlett second favourite The Yellow Clay.

The betting is wide open without the big two, so it might pay to take a chance on the John McConnell-trained Intense Approach.

Intense Approach won over Cheltenham’s Old course in October and justified 5-4 favouritism on his return to action in Saturday’s Scottish Stayers’ Novices’ Hurdle at Musselburgh.

His stable landed that prize in 2022 with Bardenstown Lad, who went on to finish third in the Albert Bartlett, and Intense Approach is expected to take the same route – with the race his only entry at the festival.

Intense Approach has won four of his last five starts and the 40-1 about him notching another win next month looks generous.
Joe Eccles

David Power Jockeys’ Cup standings (ITV races)

Harry Skelton 246
Harry Cobden 228
Sam Twiston-Davies 204
Nico de Boinville 196
Sean Bowen 166

British jump jockeys’ championship

Sean Bowen 130
Harry Skelton 117
Sam Twiston-Davies 86
Harry Cobden 73
Gavin Sheehan 72

British jumps trainers’ championship

Dan Skelton £2,099,184
Paul Nicholls £1,463,373
Nicky Henderson £1,272,595
Nigel Twiston-Davies £1,069,935
Olly Murphy £1,002,917

Irish jump jockeys’ championship

Paul Townend 81
Sam Ewing 54
Keith Donoghue 53
Darragh O'Keeffe 50
Danny Mullins 40

Irish jumps trainers’ championship

Willie Mullins €3,603,700
Gordon Elliott €2,946,125
Gavin Cromwell €1,676,880
Henry de Bromhead €1,205,560
Joseph O'Brien €898,875