'He's got the class and the form' - leading Albert Bartlett quotes and insight

Friday: 2.50 CheltenhamAlbert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) | 3m | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

The Albert Bartlett has thrown up some wild results in the last decade and an average winning SP of 18-1 reminds us that rewards can be reaped by ignoring the obvious.

Experience tends to be one of the most important factors as the average Albert Bartlett winner ran 5.4 times over hurdles before arriving at the festival, compared with 3.4 for the Supreme and 3 for the Ballymore.

The programme for stayers is a logical reason for this. The Albert Bartlett is the first of three three-mile Grade 1 novice hurdles in Britain and Ireland and presents a culture shock for novices who have generally been conditioned in smaller-field races over shorter.

The race can often come too soon for a staying prospect. Two of the last four Stayers' Hurdle winners, Lisnagar Oscar and Paisley Park, were well beaten in the Albert Bartlett, while Native River finished ninth in the 2015 running.

Good Time Jonny is the Unowhatimeanharry of this year's running. Both were plodding around in low-grade handicaps over shorter and improved chunks for time and a step up in trip.

Tony Martin has campaigned his horses sparingly in Britain over the last five years so the decision to run Good Time Jonny is interesting.

His stamina and battle-hardened handicap experience cannot be questioned, while his 146 rating is third only to Ginto and Hillcrest, who head the market.

You have to wind back the clock to 2013 to find the last winning favourite and the money could come for the gigantic Hillcrest.

Henry Daly's emerging star has looked a beast all season and fits the bill of a typical winner.

The only question is whether he can back up from running a quick time on heavy ground at Haydock just 27 days before the festival.

Ginto and Minella Cocooner bring two strands of Grade 1-winning form to the table and share similarities as both made all in seven-runner races over shorter trips at Naas and Leopardstown. They are entering the unknown in terms of distance but neither were stopping at the line.

There are three useful Flat stayers to measure up against the National Hunt types.

Stag Horn was rated 103 on the level and has achieved the most over hurdles so far with his strike in the Grade 2 Leamington at Warwick.

No trip is long enough for Stag Horn according to his connections. He would be a younger-than-usual winner at five, but improvement can be expected on his third hurdles start and with another three furlongs to tease out his stamina.

Falcon Eight is officially 6lb superior on the Flat to Stag Horn and finished fifth on his hurdling debut in a red-hot maiden behind Grade 1 horses Journey With Me, Minella Crooner and Kilcruit.

He cashed in on an easier opportunity next time and becomes only the second runner at Cheltenham for Dermot Weld in the last five years. The same owner-trainer team combined to land the Neptune (now Ballymore) in 2015 and this Chester Cup winner has claims.

Venetia Williams' horses have been running exceptionally well at the festival this week and Green Book, rated 89 on the Flat, was just 3-1 to defeat Hillcrest at Haydock last time.

He didn't give his running there when beaten 99 lengths but was spared a hard race on heavy ground and that might not hurt, while it is worth noting that half of the previous ten winners of the Albert Bartlett were beaten going into Cheltenham.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

'Trevor loved all these big meetings'

Leading owner Trevor Hemmings died in October and his silks could be carried to festival success for the first time since by Hillcrest.

He heads the market after winning four of his five starts this season for trainer Henry Daly, including when beating Ballymore fourth I Am Maximus by two lengths at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

After unseating regular rider Richard Patrick on his next start, the seven-year-old proved he stayed the Albert Bartlett trip when comfortably landing a Haydock Grade 2 on heavy ground last time.

"Winners at the festival are hard to come by and it would be great to get another one," said Daly. "It's nice to have a leading chance this time and I'm just really sorry Trevor's not here to watch him run.

Hillcrest (left): won impressively at Cheltenham on New Year's DayCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"He loved all these big meetings and it would have been lovely for him to have been here chuckling away. It would be special to win.

"Bar his little blip on Trials day, which was just one of those things, his season has gone incredibly well. He's progressed quickly since winning on his first start at Aintree, which was not run to suit.

"The rain this week is helpful from his point of view because it's led to safe ground. I'd have been getting nervous if it was fast ground."

What they say

Dan Skelton, trainer of Ballygrifincottage
He started the season unknown and he acquitted himself well in a Graded race first time. He's won since and he stays well. He's seven, which is a positive for this. He's yet to take on these horses and I don't know where we fit in but he's got a good profile for the race.

Martin Keighley, trainer of Brorson
I was gutted he didn't get into the Pertemps as he would have had a really big chance. He's still a novice but he's got lots of experience and is a strong stayer. He should run better than his price, although he wouldn't want the ground to be too soft as he's a lovely mover.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Ginto and Where It All Began
It's a new trip for Ginto, but he's always looked like a horse who stays very well and he should go well. He's got the class and the form and must have a very good chance. Where It All Began is a nice horse who will enjoy this sort of test, and I'm hoping he runs well.

Tony Martin, trainer of Good Time Jonny
I'm very happy with him. He seems to have a solid chance. The lads who own him are special. They've been here before with Benefficient and you saw how much Heartbreak City meant to them, too. They are great lads to train for and they put their heart and soul into the game. All they want to do is give it a whack so fingers crossed this horse can give them something to shout about.

Venetia Williams, trainer of Green Book
I look at the other novice hurdles this week and think why does the one we're in have such a big field! He struggled at Haydock last time but his run before that was good. He has a country mile to make up on Hillcrest but that didn't appear to be his running that day.

Paul Townend, rider of Minella Cocooner
He probably got it soft in front [at Leopardstown] which he won’t do on Friday, but he is a galloper, he will stay all day, and if we can get into the same kind of rhythm as the last day, we will be there or thereabouts. Ginto probably sets the standard here.

Ann Duffield, trainer of The Real Whacker
He doesn't mind soft ground but if it dries dries it can become tough to get through. He's unexposed and has improved. It's a big ask but he deserves to take his chance and there's only one Cheltenham.
Reporting by Jonathan Harding

Friday's Cheltenham Festival previews:

1.30 Cheltenham: who will come out on top between star juveniles Pied Piper and Vauban?

2.10 Cheltenham: 'He's got a big chance' - who fancies their chances in a red-hot County Hurdle?

3.30 Cheltenham: leading trainers on their chances of winning the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup

4.10 Cheltenham: which trainer is taking the best horse he's ever brought to Cheltenham?

4.50 Cheltenham: Willie Mullins once again has good reason to be hopeful about the mares' chase

5.30 Cheltenham: 'He'll run a huge race' - is there a dark horse lurking in the Martin Pipe?

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