Ante post focus is back and in this week’s edition I’m looking ahead to the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over three miles.
Run on Gold Cup day, some seriously classy horses have won this Grade One contest in the past including Gold Cup winner Bob’s Worth and three-mile hurdling kings At Fishers Cross and Unowhatimeanharry.
This year my big fancy for the renewal and my NAP of the whole meeting is Gordon Elliott’s Death Duty.
A classy bumper horse, Death Duty won two of his starts in bumpers which included a gutsy defeat of Our Duke who has gone on to become a top-class three-mile chaser in his own right and a dark horse for the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Elliott’s charge did well in bumpers showing a good turn of foot because it was always evident that his future would eventually lie over hurdles and more excitingly still to come in the future, fences.
The six-year-old took to hurdling like a duck to water and is unbeaten in four starts over obstacles with the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding winning well under Ruby Walsh at odds of 1/3 on his hurdling bow. That was a lovely performance as with Walsh in the saddle he did a beautiful job of helping the son of Shantou how to race over hurdles riding him quietly and letting him ping his hurdles which I think has stood him ni good stead since.
YouTube: Death Duty – Rosscommon Maiden Hurdle (17/10/16)
Following that facile eight-length step, Death Duty took the step up to Graded company in his stride winning a Grade Three easily at Navan before following up in the same racecourse in a Grade in December by three and three-quarter lengths with the second that day Monalee franking the form by winning a Graded contest next time.
The Irish-bred gelding was then a winner by nine lengths in the Grade One Lawlor’s Hotel Novices’ Hurdle at Naas on his last start earlier that year.
Death Duty travelled beautifully in that race but was engaged in a ding-dong battle with Augusta Kate before the mare fell at the last leaving Jack Kennedy and Death Duty to come home easy winners.
YouTube: Death Duty – Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
That race is my only fear with Death Duty as both Kennedy and Walsh aboard Augusta Kate were adamant they would have won. I would have liked to have seen how Death Duty would have responded to being in a proper battle as whilst he is criticised for being slow, this horse stays longer than the mother in-law and looks one who could excel in a Gold Cup in years to come.
I myself thought Death Duty would have probably won last time and for me Cheltenham is a track that will suit him even better. A big, scopey horse, he will love the vast open surroundings that Cheltenham offers a horse and the test of stamina it delivers. Elliott’s gelding has an abundance of stamina and if the Albert Bartlett turns into a slog which it sometimes can, he’ll be relentless galloping on at the end of it.
Elliott is a massive fan of this horse and ranks him up there with some of the best he has trained. He will have his charge primed and ready come the Friday of the Cheltenham Festival and this good jumper, excellent traveller and stamina-laden gelding should take a lot of beating in the Albert Bartlett to let punters go home happy from hopefully another brilliant Cheltenham Festival.
Selection (On scale of 1-5 points)
Death Duty Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 5pts Win 5-2 Betfair
