The final grade one race on the first day of The Festival is the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle. This year’s renewal will be the fifteenth occasion it’s been ran, with Willie Mullins’ stable dominating it since its inception in 2008. The mighty Quevaga won the race six years in a row from 2009 to 2014, which led to one of the best bars at the racecourse being named after her (you can find me there for the week). Willie has trained nine winners, six being Quevaga. Ruby Walsh has ridden eight winners in the race, again, six of them being Quevaga. Quevaga is the only horse over seven years of age to have won the race. A seven-year-old has won three of the last four runnings and a five-year-old hasn’t won the race since the electric mare, Apple’s Jade won it in 2015. The Mares’ Novice Hurdle was introduced in 2016 and no mare who has won that went on to win this race the year after. Telmesomethinggirl who is currently at the top of the market at 5/2 won last year’s Novice Hurdle.

Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – 4:10pm March 15th

Telmesomethinggirl looks the one to beat here. The 5/2 favourite is shortening as the weeks go on.. The Henry de Bromhead trained mare won last year’s Mares Novices’ Hurdle, powering up the hill and away from the competition. She hasn’t had a win since then, but looked much better in her last run, which was Advent Surety Irish EBF Mares Hurdle on the 29th of December in Leopardstown. Royal Kahala and Heaven Help Us finished ahead of her that day, but kept on well up the run in. While it wasn’t a win, it was an improvement on her fifth place finish the race before. Henry looks like he has her peaking at the right time, but she has some good competition to beat in this grade one hurdle.

Concertista at 4/1 is up next in the betting but will be going for the Mares’ Chase so we can ignore her. Stormy Ireland follows close after at 9/2 and is currently Willie Mullins’ shortest priced mare in the race. Stormy Ireland has had recent success on the Cheltenham track, having won the grade 2 Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day. She made all that day and dug deep to hold on in the end, but viewers couldn’t help but wonder, if Brewin’upastorm hadn’t fallen at the last, would he have won. The way they were both travelling coming to the last suggests the gelding would have taken home the first-place prize money. One very positive piece of information working in her favour, however, is that on the ‘Road to Cheltenham’ show Ruby Walsh said that he thinks she is the one to beat in the race, given the form she has and the horses she has beat.

Royal Kahala is fourth in the betting with a current price of 5/1. The staying mare has won her last two, including the 3m100y grade two Galmoy Hurdle in Gowran Park on the 27th of January. The going was pretty soft that day, which only played to her strengths. She loves that distance and ground, so it would be an interesting call to send her to this shorter distance. The ground is usually good to soft on the first day of The Festival, so that will suit, but the speeder run race may place against her. However, she does have the bragging rights over Telmesomethinggirl and others, as she took home the W in a mares’ hurdle in Leopardstown on December 29th. As mentioned above, she won by a neck that day over Heaven Help Us, with Telmesomethinggirl in third, but it’s looks ominous that the Henry de Bromhead trained mare will get her revenge in their rematch on March 15th, should she go for the race.

The Willie Mullins trained Burning Victory is currently 6/1, following her victory in the grade three Quevaga Mares Hurdle in Punchestown on February 22. She made all that day, but it didn’t look as impressive as some of her competitors’ performances. We then have Echoes In Rain and Mrs Milner at 8/1, and Queen’s Brook at 9/1, rounding out the single figure prices. Word has it that Echoes In Rain is going to be heading for the County Hurdle but does have solid grade one form, which the others don’t. Certainly, worth keeping an eye on should she go here. The Paul Nolan trained Mrs Milner won last year’s Pertemps handicap at The Festival, so has good course form, but currently doesn’t seem to have the graded form like some of her competitors do, as her most recent run was a fourth in the grade two Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November. Queen’s Brook is a name I see popping up in the tipsters’ circles more and more. The Racing Post did a good brief article on her, which is worth checking out. Dan is also very high on her and she has good course form, coming third in the 2020 bumper behind Ferny Hollow and Appreciate It.

But at the prices, the one that keeps capturing my eye is Martello Sky. Bear with me. I am going to work my way forward from the Mares’ Novice Hurdle last year. As mentioned above, Telmesomethinggirl won that race, and Martello Sky finished eight of the thirteen that finished the race. Not the best form ever, but the 5-year-old, at the time, jumped extremely poorly doing herself no favours. The positive out of that race was that she came from second last with two to jump, to eight at the finishing line. She stayed well up the hill, which is a positive sign, and one that needs to be there. Since then, she is four from five, including two wins on the new track at Cheltenham. She is jumping much better and with good course form entering the contest, she looks good for at least a e/w punt. And she is only six years old, which fits the profile. She is currently 10/1 and dropping.

One final horse of note is Heaven Help Us. She has been mentioned in this article already and is currently a 10/1 price as well. She was no match for Honeysuckle the last day in the Irish Champion Hurdle, but none were. She’s interesting because she is hanging with the mares in her class and won the Coral Cup at The Festival last year. Another possible each-way shout for anyone not keen on any of the above.

• Jack’s pick: Martello Sky: 10/1 E/W.
• Dan’s pick: Queen’s Brook 9/1 E/W.

J.

Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

• Jack’s pick: Sir Gerhard/Dysart Dynamo. 9/4.
• Dan’s pick: Constitutional Hill (Nap of day one) 2/1.

Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase

• Jack’s pick: Haut En Couleurs 6/1 E/W.
• Dan’s pick: Edwardstone 2/1.

Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy

• Jack’s pick: Honeysuckle 1/2.
• Dan’s pick: Head to the Mill House Bar, order a pint of stout and give the mare a shout.