Historic Turners awaits as first all-Irish affair in Cheltenham Festival history

The presence of Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs has produced some Cheltenham Festival history as Thursday's four-runner Turners Novices' Chase (1.30) will be the first all-Irish race at the meeting.

It is the smallest field at jump racing's showpiece event in almost 30 years and the race's lowest field since introduced in 2011.

There were 16 confirmations for the 2m4f event at the six-day stage but nine of those were ineligible for the race having since been declared for alternative options, including Blue Lord, Bravemansgame, L'Homme Presse and Stattler.

Only four of the seven possible runners have been declared though, with just El Barra, a stablemate of Galopin Des Champs, and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Busselton taking on the market big guns.

Turners Novices' Chase racecard and betting

The last four-runner race at the Cheltenham Festival came in 1994 when the Nicky Henderson-trained Raymylette landed the Cathcart. The previous four-runner field before then was the 1965 Gold Cup won by Arkle.

The previous smallest field in this race came when there were eight runners in 2015, 2017 and 2021, with an overall average of ten runners.

There were five runners in the Arkle last year and in 2018 and the same sized field for the Champion Chase in 2020, although Altior and Chacun Pour Soi were ruled out after declarations. Tuesday's National Hunt Chase has attracted a field of six, with no English-trained runners.

In a similarly high-profile event on the Flat, the all-conquering Sea The Stars defeated three Aidan O'Brien-trained rivals in the four-runner Juddmonte International at York in 2009.

Bob Olinger was successful in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at this meeting last year and is 2-2 over fences this campaign, winning at Gowran Park and Punchestown.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained seven-year-old boasts a 6-7 record – his sole defeat on his hurdling debut in November 2020 – and will be partnered by regular rider Rachael Blackmore.

Paul Townend will be aboard Galopin Des Champs, who proved a handicap blot when landing the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last year.

Galopin Des Champs is 2-2 over fences this season and posted a 3lb higher Racing Post Rating than Bob Olinger in this sphere when successful in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase in February.

Ten declared for Stayers' Hurdle

Flooring Porter will face nine rivals in his bid to become the first horse since Big Buck's to win back-to-back runnings of the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (3.30).

The £5 acca punter waiting on five Cheltenham fancies for £275,000

The Gavin Cromwell-trained seven-year-old defeated Sire Du Berlais by three and a quarter lengths last year under Danny Mullins and posted his best Racing Post Rating when a two-length second to Klassical Dream in the Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown in December.

Klassical Dream reopposes and is the sole runner for Willie Mullins, with Ireland responsible for half of the field. The Peter Fahey-trained Royal Kahala is among the quintet with connections opting to have a crack at this race rather than the Mares' Hurdle.

The 2019 winner Paisley Park and 2020 scorer Lisnagar Oscar return for another crack at this championship event, with Champ, trained by Nicky Henderson, needing to reverse Cleeve Hurdle placings with the former.

The Philip Hobbs-trained Thyme Hill, a dual top-level winner, is another leading player and the mount of Tom O'Brien.

Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle racecard and betting

It will be the Ryanair Chase (2.50) rather than the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup for Irish Gold Cup hero Conflated after he featured in nine declarations for the 2m4½f contest.

He takes on last year's winner Allaho and the Dan Skelton-trained Shan Blue, who returns for the first time since dramatically exiting the Charlie Hall Chase when having the race at his mercy.

Allaho's stablemate Melon, a four-time runner-up at the Cheltenham Festival, has been declared for this race rather than the Stayers' Hurdle.

Mullins has won five of the six editions of the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (4.50) and saddles seven of the 22 runners, including Brandy Love, Dinoblue, Grangee and Statuaire. Britain have yet to win the race and the unbeaten Love Envoi, owned by Noel Fehily Racing, looks the best hope for Harry Fry.

The Neil Mulholland-trained Kansas City Chief could bid for a unique double in the Pertemps Final (2.10), having won three days earlier at Plumpton on Monday.

Victoria Malzard's mount is a veteran at the age of 13 but in the form of his life this season, boasting form figures of 1312 at Cheltenham and not finishing out of the first three in six starts. He features in a full field of 24 with Dunboyne, one of the market principals, the last horse to make the cut.

Ryanair Chase racecard and betting

Turners Novices' Chase runners and riders

Bob OlingerRachael Blackmore
El BarraPatrick Mullins
Galopin Des ChampsPaul Townend
BusseltonJJ Slevin

Ryanair Chase runners and riders

AllahoPaul Townend
ConflatedDavy Russell
Eldorado AllenBrendan Powell
Fanion D'EstruvalCharlie Deutsch
JanidilMark Walsh
MelonPatrick Mullins
Mister FisherJames Bowen
Saint CalvadosHarry Cobden
Shan BlueHarry Skelton

Stayers' Hurdle runners and riders

ChampJonjo O'Neill Jr
Flooring PorterDanny Mullins
Home By The LeeJJ Slevin
Klassical DreamPaul Townend
KoshariJonathan Moore
Lisnagar OscarAdam Wedge
Paisley ParkAidan Coleman
Song For SomeoneNico de Boinville
Thyme HillTom O'Brien
Royal KahalaKevin Sexton

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