Robbie Power On Day One Of The Cheltenham Festival
Former Gold Cup winning jockey Robbie Power is hopeful about getting his Cheltenham Festival off to a winning start in the Ultima Handicap Chase.
Speaking directly from the track, Power analysed the opposition in his three opening day races as he prepares to partner Discordantly, Aspire Tower and Ofalltheginjoints on Tuesday.
“As you would expect for a handicap chase at Cheltenham it’s a very competitive race, but Discordantly is a horse that we’ve always thought this season would win a big handicap.
“He ran a cracker in the Troytown when third, unfortunately made a bad mistake in the Thyestes and unseated me and was going very, very easily in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National Trial when he overjumped five out and just knuckled at the back of it.
“He’s a horse we think is definitely capable of winning a big handicap and at his price he must have a big each-way chance.”
“Honeysuckle is the one we all have to beat. The rain that fell at the weekend will help her and not so much Epatante.
“Aspire Tower is an improving horse. He had a very good run at Christmas when second to Sharjah and he was probably a shade unlucky that day not to win. So if things go his way he has to have a good each-way chance and Henry De Bromhead’s plan was always to run him at Christmas and bring him to Cheltenham fresh and well.
“I sat on him yesterday and he seems in great form.”
4.50 National Hunt Challenge Cup
“I was very impressed with Galvin when I rode him over three miles at Cheltenham in the October meeting. I think the step up in trip will suit him.
“Any overnight rain or if the ground was very tacky won’t be to his liking as he’s definitely a better horse on better ground, so that would be a slight concern.
“I think Escaria Ten is very interesting. He was second last timeout at Naas and had Pencilfulloflead behind him in third, so that was good run and he could be the one for me in this race.”
Listen to Robbie Power’s full preview of day one at Cheltenham on the BoyleSports blog.
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