This tip has expired. Please check our free horse racing tips section of the website to find the most up to date.
Jack De Bromhead Mares' Novices' Hurdle is the penultimate race for Day 3 and it's a lovely tribute to the passing of Henry De Bromhead's son. Henry De Bromhead has a few runners in this, it would be great to see him win this in the name of his son.
Willie Mullins had previously farmed this race, winning the first five runnings, but the last two years have gone to Henry De Bromhead and Harry Fry. Willie has plenty of horses in this to get his crown back, but Nicky Henderson's young Mare looks the one to beat.
Cheltenham 4:50 – Foxy Girl 12/1 (0.5pt ew)
The hot favourite is Luccia. You can't argue why she is the price she is, she has looked nothing short of immense this season, winning all of her races in great style. She previously won a Listed bumper by 17L on soft ground, beating a horse who recently won a Grade 3 hurdles race only a few days ago in Ireland, so we know she stays and know she handles the ground. The main problem is over hurdles has she beaten a really good horse? I've mentioned the novice form of the British this week and it hasn't looked good, I think this is their best chance of a novice race, but I think she is worth taking on, especially when she is carrying a penalty.
Magical Zoe is one of a few runners for Henry De Bromhead and looked like a real stayer over this trip last time out at Down Royal. She won at 18/1 in a Grade 3 that day but was given a very calm ride by Adrian Heskin that day, and she ate up the ground when asked to do so, so I can see her enjoying today's race, and will be staying up the hill. At 10/1 you can definitely say she is an EW contender.
With Willie Mullins' record at the track, you've got to give his main chance a mention. Going off jockey bookings you've got to say that Loy Of Joy is their main hope. Paul Townend takes the ride, but I don't think her claims for a win in this are particularly great. She lost on her first two hurdle starts and has been kept to maiden hurdles. She won easily on her last race, but she was 1/7F that day. I thought her run the time before was a decent effort over a longer trip, where she was just beaten. She will stay the trip out well but I couldn't be backing her based on what we've seen.
The one I like is Foxy Girl, who is trained by Henry De Bromhead. I'm not backing her because she would've been laid out for the race due to the name, but I simply think she is overpriced on the form she has got under her belt. She has always had ability, shown when finishing 2nd on her debut in France in a Listed race as a 3yo. Robcour then bought her and she has done well in her two starts over hurdles to date. She looked like an exciting horse when bolting up at Limerick in a maiden hurdle by 4L, but it could've been further. That run recorded an RPR of 135 and the form of that race has been franked quite a bit. The runner-up bolted up the time after, recording an RPR of 139 and the 6th finished 2.75L behind Ashroe Diamond in a Grade 3 race.
Princess Zoe deserves a mention in this. The Group 1 winning flat Mare has gone over hurdles and dead-heated in her only race to date. She has to improve to take this race, but she'll stay the trip and love the ground.
