Cheltenham 2025: Press go on 33/1 Kim Muir fancy

The handicap markets for Cheltenham 2025 are starting to take shape and after receiving confirmation about a certain horse's well-being, I've decided it's time to add my first handicap selection to the antepost book.

Exactly three months ago, I highlighted a Henry de Bromhead-trained chaser as a very early shout for the Kim Muir.

Today, after receiving confirmation the eight-year-old is back in training and "in good form" after a short break, I'm putting him up for the amateur jockeys' handicap chase over 3m2f.

I've not stopped banging on about THE SHORT GO - sorry, dear friends and family - since he finished second in a highly-competitive handicap at Cheltenham's October meeting. A race De Bromhead won with subsequent Kim Muir third Whacker Clan last season.

The son of Fame And Glory was ridden cold during the early stages of the contest, but made good headway later on in the show to be just a few lengths off the front-runners approaching three out. He looked in a spot of bother at that point, but kept responding to jockey Jordan Gainford's urges and was hot on their tails turning for home. A brilliant jump at the last saw him go into a clear second and although unable to pass stablemate Senior Chief, he stayed on all the way to the line.

This was a very good performance in a hot race. The winner was a respectable sixth off nine pounds higher in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury a month later considering he jumped like a snooker table, and the third-placed Broadway Boy - 11 lengths behind the selection in the Cotswolds - was runner-up in the same event. Does He Know, a further three lengths behind in fourth, has held his form in the meantime, which can be said to a lesser extent about Le Milos, who was a distant fifth.

The Short Go then went to Navan for the Troytown at Navan a few weeks later. He was sent off a well-backed second favourite for the €59k handicap, but fell at the 12th fence before things got serious.

In a stable tour with the Racing Post a few days later, De Bromhead said: "He was going well when he fell in the Troytown, which was unfortunate. We might leave him off now for the spring as he's been in a while." True to form, he's been off the track since and a spring return is on the cards.

I must stress, I have zero knowledge about any targets, so the Kim Muir shout is purely an educated guess. Perhaps the Cheltenham Festival isn't even on connections' minds, but if so this is surely his aim. His only other realistic option would be the Ultima and unless he comes out and wins a good race beforehand, he's not guaranteed to make the cut.

The Short Go was rated 126 going into the October meeting. Senior Chief was raised nine pounds for his victory, so worst-case scenario I think we're looking at an eight-pound rise to 134.

I'd be happy with that. He's lightly-raced, having ran just five times over fences and four over staying trips, and is progressive, so he could easily still be ahead of his mark.

I wouldn't be surprised if he has a spin over hurdles in the next few weeks, like the aforementioned Whacker Clan before his Kim Muir bid, to dust off some cobwebs. It wouldn't worry me if he went to Cheltenham fresh, though. There's few, if any better than Henry at getting one ready for the big day.

It's a risk backing this horse before the handicap entries are released on February 18, but considering he's as short as 12/1 NRNB in places, I think it's well worth taking a chance at big odds.

I suspect that 33s would be at least halved just for an entry alone - and I could easily see him going off single figures after the race inevitably cuts up.

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