Cheltenham 2025: Gunning for more antepost acclaim in the Bartlett

I'm delighted to be back on the road to Cheltenham! Over the next 20 weeks, taking us to those unrivalled four days in March, I'll be putting up as many antepost tips for the Festival.

The first entry into the book for Cheltenham 2025 is a bit of a longshot, but one recent history suggests is worth taking a punt on.

Despite its reputation as being a graveyard for punters, I've had a fair bit of success with antepost betting on the Albert Bartlett in recent years.

I backed Monkfish in 2020 and was the founding member of the Ginto fan club a couple years later. In the book at 66/1, he went off 5/2 and was arguably travelling best of all before suffering a fatal injury on the approach to the final flight.

Last season it was Stellar Story, at 33s. He won at that same price and I'd be lying if I said I was confident on the day, but the point is I seem to have a good eye for a staying novice hurdler.

Step forward, BALLYGUNNER CASTLE.

I think this five-year-old gelding, trained by Willie Mullins, is going completely under the radar heading into the new season.

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Ante-Post Odds

Bought for £68k as a store, the son of Soldier Of Fortune - out of a full-sister to dual Cheltenham Festival winner Yorkhill - made his racecourse debut in a Thurles bumper over just shy of two miles back in February, finishing a staying-on third behind a couple of stablemates.

The winner, Coco Masterpiece, ran a fine race behind Redemption Day (12/1 joint-favourite for the Supreme) on his subsequent start and the runner-up, Fishery Lane, went on to finish fifth, beaten just six lengths, in the Champion Bumper at the Festival.

As for the selection, connections opted to go to Limerick for a 2m3f bumper on soft-to-heavy ground and he sluiced up, giving five pounds and a beating to the useful Olympy De Cerisy, who had the rest of the field trailing by over 30 lengths.

That was a fair performance. The well-backed runner-up was given plenty of rope out in front, but Ballygunner Castle reeled him in easily, pulling nine widening lengths clear under Jody Townend.

Post-race, she said: "He is a big galloper and will be a lovely horse over jumps."

With that in mind, I think it's testament to this horse's ability that he was able to do the business back over two miles, on good ground, at a tight track like Tipperary the following month.

Patrick Mullins admitted immediately after that he couldn't get his mount to go fast enough in front and that he did well in the circumstances for a horse whose pedigree is "all three miles". Music to my ears.

That form received a fair boost earlier this month, too, courtesy of the runner-up Aruntothequeen winning a Listed mares' bumper at Gowran Park by a cosy three lengths. She was getting a whopping 17lbs from Ballygunner Castle at Tipperary.

Adding further intrigue is the fact Mullins' Readin Tommy Wrong won the race in 2023. He went on to land the G1 Lawlor's Of Naas on just his second start over hurdles before lining up in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.

I'm very hopeful this lad follows a similar route. Don't be surprised if he starts over the minimum trip, as the aforementioned Readin Tommy Wrong did, but his future almost certainly lies over further and given his trainer has the likes of Salvator Mundi, Redemption Day, Jasmin De Vaux and Kopek Des Bordes, plus the inevitable French recruits we're yet to even learn the name of, for the shorter races, the Bartlett looks the most-likely target if he proves up to Grade 1 standard.

Find more Cheltenham Tips here at Betfred Insights