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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Eamon Doggett

Cheltenham Festival 2023 tips: Four Gavin Cromwell horses to watch out for

In his own quiet manner, Gavin Cromwell has become a trainer to follow at the Cheltenham Festival.

Already with two Stayers Hurdle and a Champion Hurdle to his name, the Meath handler doesn't often miss when sending over horses to the Cotswolds.

The star of the 2023 team will again be Flooring Porter, who is looking to win the Stayers' Hurdle for a third time, but Cromwell also has a host of other chances throughout the week.

We have picked out four horses in particular who could be worth following:

Flooring Porter - Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle - 6/1

Danny Mullins on Flooring Porter celebrates after winning the 2022 Stayers' Hurdle (©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

The flagship horse for the stable, Flooring Porter now appears to be on track to bid for a third successive Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

An injury saw the gelding become a doubt for the Festival, but the recent stable vibes have become increasingly positive and it looks likely that Flooring Porter will line up to defend his crown.

It has been a far from convincing season for the son of Yeats, though, who has followed a similar route to previous years.

A fourth place finish at Navan was an excusable opening effort in the Lismullen Hurdle, but there was market confidence behind him when soundly beaten by Home By The Lee at Christmas.

Yet Flooring Porter always seemed to reserve his best for Cheltenham and he was never asked serious questions by Danny Mullins in winning this race for the past two years.

There doesn't look to be other obvious front-runners in this race, so Mullins might again get the opportunity to dictate things from the front and start another party in the winners' enclosure.

Stumptown - Kim Muir Handicap Chase - 3/1

A talking horse since a comfortable success at Sandown last time out, the value in Stumptown's price has diminished somewhat.

But there is the potential that this six-year-old could be improving all the time and still well ahead of his mark.

Jumping had been the main issue for this horse, but since running on better ground a weakness has seemingly turned into a strength.

The Kim Muir Handicap Chase looks the target and the ceiling on this horse's potential over fences hasn't been found yet.

Jeremy's Flame - Paddy Power Mares' Chase - 5/1

Jeremys Flame ridden by Keith Donoghue (©INPHO/Bryan Keane)

The market for this race seems to centre around the assumption that the mare novice chasers are of a higher ability than last year's crop.

And while the likes of Impervious and Allegorie De Vassy have impressed over fences, they have more to prove than a more seasoned chaser like Jeremy's Flame.

Now a nine-year-old this mare hasn't always been the most straightforward horse to train, but the penny seems to have dropped this season, with the mare winning three of her last four races.

The most impressive performance was a six and a half lengths victory over Zambella at Huntingdon last time out. This is strong form considering that Zambella was beaten only four lengths in the Mares Chase at last year's Cheltenham Festival.

With the market principals having questions to answer, Jeremy's Flame looks a solid option and should go very close.

Perceval Legallois - Pertemps Handicap Hurdle - 7/1

Derek O'Connor on Perceval Legallois (©INPHO/Caroline Norri)

Cromwell has proven that he knows how to get a horse ready for Cheltenham and you get the feeling that this race has been planned for Perceval Legallois for some time.

The JP McManus-owned horse has really come into his own since tackling three miles over hurdles and the manner of his authoritative victory at the Dublin Racing Festival suggested that there could be more to come from this gelding.

Still only a six-year-old, like so many of Cromwell's runners, he seems to be improving with every run and the handicapper may not have got a proper hold on him.

If the market speaks in his favour, Perceval Legallois could be the key to a difficult puzzle to solve.

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