Rest of Cheltenham Preview Selections:Desert Orchid and One Man both created a little bit of magic around Cheltenham when they ran and the latest grey to pluck at the romantic's heart-strings is Monet's Garden who can deliver a festival triumph in today's Ryanair Chase.
Always the apple of trainer Nicky Richards' eye, and a runner-up in last year's Arkle, Monet's Garden's reputation took a dive in the King George over Christmas when he struggled home a distant sixth behind Kauto Star.
The temptation then was to write off Monet's Garden as another young horse over-hyped by those desperate for another attention-grabbing grey for the public to latch on to. But this one appears to have a lot more substance than that and the critics have had to reappraise their opinion.
A subsequent success in the Grade One Ascot Chase was impressive enough to have Richards seriously considering yesterday's Queen Mother Champion Chase but with the ground still drying, good sense has won out and this Grade Two looks an ideal opportunity.
A Grade One penalty means Monet's Garden has to concede a little weight to the 2005 Ryanair winner Thisthatandtother, as well as the other Nicholls runner Taranis, but a bigger danger could well be Racing Demon whose trainer has left him in the Gold Cup tomorrow as well.
Henrietta Knight's logic in running here rather than in the blue-riband was primarily due to the original prospect of heavy ground but even with that no longer an issue, the Ryanair still looks a better option for Racing Demon. By popular repute, he cannot go left handed but he has only been tried twice that way and one of those yielded a second in the 2005 SunAlliance Hurdle. Racing Demon will be a threat if allowed his chance in a race where Hi Cloy is the sole Irish starter.
The visitors could have better fortune in the opening Jewson Handicap Chase. Kings Advocate is a popular fancy among the Irish punters and Tom Taaffe has had this race pencilled in for some time. Some of his form entitles him to maximum respect, and Taaffe's opinion always has to be reckoned with, but at almost double King Advocate's odds, it could well be that Vic Venturi represents better each way value.
He was a better hurdler for one thing, having scored at Grade Two level, and began his chase career with a win at Galway on heavy ground which indicates today's hill will not be a problem.
New Little Bric represents some of the best British form but Vic Venturi gets almost a stone from him and looks well weighted at his best.
Gungadu is the latest supposed "good thing" to line up for the four-mile National Hunt Chase, a race with a history of tripping up other apparent good things like Jack Of Trumps and Deep Bramble over the years, and most of them jumped better than the latest version.
Gungadu's habit of jumping to his right is worrisome no matter how much better his form reads against some pretty slow types. Certainly at a very short price he makes no appeal as a betting proposition and maybe Blue Splash represents a better option.
The Racing Post Plate represents something of a maze for punters with plenty boasting decent form at the course. That is always a crucial factor and although Tikram's finest hour here was three years ago in the Mildmay Of Flete, he ran a nice race for Alan King in the Boylepsorts Gold Cup before a mistake ruined his chance last time at Sandown.
Adamant Approach will be the sentimental choice in the Pertemps Final and the veteran has a chance, especially with Willie Mullins's stable in good form. Ruby Walsh is an eye-catching booking for Freetown, however, and it wouldn't be a complete shock if the 2002 winner of this race again made his presence felt.
Selections
2.00 Vic Venturi
2.35 Monet's Garden (nap)
3.15 Mighty Man (double)
4.00 Tikram
4.40 Blue Splash
5.20 Freetown
