Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Tips: Gidleigh Park to shine

| March 14 |

5 mins read

The last of the Grade 1 novice hurdles is the Albert Bartlett, an exacting stamina test over three miles on the New Course.

This race is known for throwing up future staying chasers, with Bobs Worth, Minella Indo, Monkfish and Stay Away Fay amongst the winners since the race was added in 2005.

This is an Extra Place Race, so Betfred are paying 4 places instead of 3 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets.

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Tips

Gidleigh Park @ 6/1
Chigorin @ 16/1

Runners

Butcher Hollow (Tom Cooper/Sean Flanagan) @ 50/1

Has won a point and a bumper (soft); similar form in all three placed efforts in maidens in Ireland and his pedigree points to stamina, so going up in trip in a first-time tongue-tie may help.

Captain Teague (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) 8/1

Finished third in the Champion Bumper last season and hurdles form already showing he wants a stamina test. Winner of the Grade 1 Challow at Newbury (2m4f, soft), impressively so, but no winner of that race has won at this Festival in the same season.

Chigorin (Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 16/1

Landed his maiden at Fairyhouse (2m7f, heavy) on second start in December and off since. Trainer/jockey landed this with rank-outsider Minella Indo in 2019 and this physically imposing sort could have plenty more to give.

Dancing City (Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins) 5/1

Bumper form ties in with the mighty Ballyburn. A Navan maiden hurdle winner over 2m4f in December and defied being outsider of six to win the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle over 2m6f at last month's Dublin Racing Festival. Runner-up well beaten here on Wednesday.

Dripsey Moon (John McConnell/Ben Harvey) 100/1

Dual winner in points and landed a Perth maiden (2m4f, good to soft) in August. Three attempts in graded company in Britain/Ireland have yielded wide-margin defeats and a similar outcome appears likely now.

Gidleigh Park (Harry Fry/Johnny Burke) 6/1

Unbeaten after a bumper and three hurdles races, the Walk In the Park gelding had to dig in to fend off Lucky Place here over shorter on Trials Day in January and showed a willing attitude. They were clear, however, and the runner-up was fourth in the Coral Cup on Wednesday. Trainer likes him and has won this before.

High Class Hero (Willie Mullins/Patrick Mullins) 6/1

Winner of all five starts under Rules, four over hurdles. A 2m5f heavy-ground Listed Limerick success in October remains the highpoint, and perhaps surprising he hasn't taken in something stronger on route here. Unbeaten, however, and part of five-strong Mullins bid for a fourth win in this race.

Johnnywho (Jonjo O'Neill/Jonjo O'Neill Jr) 12/1

Carlisle novice winner, has since come up shy when fourth in graded contests won by Captain Teague and Gidleigh Park over shorter. A chance he will improve at this trip.

Lecky Watson (Willie Mullins/Brian Hayes) 10/1

Fourth in last season's Champion Bumper here, 2m7f hurdles winner on debut at Thurles (soft) in November and placed efforts since behind Supreme winner Slade Steel at Navan (2m4f, heavy) and Reading Tommy Wrong (2m4f, soft) at Naas in a Grade 1. Jumping needs to be more efficient but stamina test will suit.

Readin Tommy Wrong (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) 5/2

Authorized gelding scrambled home in a 2m soft-ground Cork maiden hurdle in November, but took a major step forward when bagging the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas upped to 2m4f (soft) in January as rank outsider. Ile Atlantique and Firefox were behind that day and have both run well here this week in defeat. Paul Townend takes over now for the first time.

Search For Glory (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 18/1

Second-season novice who has managed to win three times this campaign, including two 3m Grade 3s on deep ground. He was pulled up in this race last year however and more required now as the blinkers go on.

Spread Boss Ted (Willie Mullins/Sean O'Keeffe) 33/1

Bumper winner at Kilbeggan in July and winner of small-field hurdle races at Navan (2m, soft to heavy) and Fairyhouse (2m4f, heavy) either side of Christmas. Now stepping out in the big league for the first time.

Stellar Story (Gordon Elliott/Sam Ewing) 20/1

A brother to former Festival regular The Storyteller for this yard, he won a 2m4f Navan maiden on testing ground in November and has held his own since trio of graded races, though has plenty to find with Dancing City on their DRF clash last time. Increased tax on stamina likely to help his cause.

The Jukebox Man (Ben Pauling/Kielan Woods) 16/1

Winner of a bumper and maiden/novice hurdles at Ffos Las, all on testing ground and the jumps events at 2m4f. Improved on that when third to Captain Teague in the Challow at Newbury in December and needs another step forward now in this company.

Verdict

Gidleigh Park @ 6/1 & Chigorin @ 16/1

The Irish challenge is strong, with Willie Mullins accounting for unbeaten duo Readin Tommy Wrong and High Class Hero. It could be folly to overlook them, with the former in particular capable of better for all that his Naas Grade 1 might have come at the expense of a weak finisher in Ile Atlantique.

Shanagh Bob was a long-range fancy for this, but the well-being of the Seven Barrows team is in major question and confidence is low unless that changes before post-time, so the other unbeaten British challenger GIDLEIGH PARK is preferred.

Harry Fry's charge showed a gutsy attitude to win here on Trials Day, repelling Lucky Place who ran a fine race here on Wednesday when stamina looked his forte.

The trainer won this race with Unowhatimeanharry in 2016 and has another strong contender now.

Taking on the Mullins masses is a danger, but Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore have also won this before, with Minella Indo in 2019 as an outsider, and determined Fairyhouse scorer CHIGORIN could be another to run big for the top duo this week.