7 Scottish-trained horses to watch out for at the Cheltenham Festival this week

Preparations are almost complete. Anticipation is building ahead of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival which begins today.

More than 280,000 racegoers descended on Prestbury Park last year to see the best National Hunt horses competing for top honours. Many punters will be backing short-priced favourites, while others may prefer to find longshots across the 28 races spread over four days from Tuesday-Friday.

A gripping spectacle, Glaswegians will have their eyes firmly locked on their television screens this week as they prepare to cheer home their fancied runners. Here, we take a look at the seven Scottish-based representatives who will line-up at the Festival this week:

Day 1 - Tuesday

CORACH RAMBLER - 3m1f Ultima Handicap Chase (7/1 favourite)

Trainer - Lucinda Russell (Milnahort, Kinross)

Jockey - Derek Fox

The nine-year-old won this race in thrilling fashion last year, running on strongly up the steep Cheltenham hill having settled in behind in the early stages. He came from out of the clouds 12 months ago and this race has been his main target again this season before a possible crack at Grand National at Aintree. The one downfall is that he does have 6Ib more to carry but should make another bold bid to defend his crown.

Comment - Peter Scudamore, assistant to trainer Lucinda Russell was bullish about their chance of securing another cherished prize. He told the Racing Post: “I think he’s in better form than he was last season. His run in the Coral Gold Cup (at Newbury) was a cracking effort, he’s been to Cheltenham twice and won twice but he’ll need a career best performance. The recent rain will be in his favour as stamina is one of his strongest attributes. The National is his principal target but I could see him running well here before.”

Day 2 - Wednesday

BENSON - 2m5f Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (18/1)

Trainer - Sandy Thomson (Greenlaw, Scottish Borders)

Jockey - Ryan Mania

Having pounced late to deliver a telling blow in the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso on March 4, this quirky eight-year-old set up a tile at an extra £100,000 bonus if able to quickly follow up at Cheltenham. A clear-cut winner at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day, the Lambden-based raider was arguaby worth more than the official winning margin of two lengths at his local track.

Comment - Part-owner and Dundee United director, Jimmy Fyffe is thrilled at the prospect of having a runner at the Festival and reckons they could sneak some each-way prize money. He told GlasgowWorld: “We’re quite hopeful. The soft ground and the extra distance will be ideal for him. We’re just hoping that we get a strongly-run race. He likes coming through horses, so he should relish this big field. You’ve got to do a lot of work as a jockey in this race, so if Ryan can get a decent passage through then fingers crossed he can finish fast up that hill. He came out of his win at Kelso absolutely bouncing and it’s brilliant to be going to the Festival with a solid chance.”

ELVIS MAIL - 2m5f Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (100/1)

Trainer - Nick Alexander (Kinneston, Fife)

Jockey - Bruce Lynn

A talented horse on his day, the nine-year-old Grey gelding ran a few below-par races last season but his handler confirmed he campaigned him poorly. Finished third on his last two starts in the Skybet Chase at Doncaster and the Timeform Handicap Chase at Kelso, Elvis Mail reverts back to hurdles here and would need to put his best foot forward to feature prominently in the finish.

Comment - Trainer, Nick Alexander reckons jockey Bruce Lynn’s additional 3Ib claim could come in handy after scraping in at the bottom of the weights. He wrote in his Blog: “He is very much an outsider but there are good reasons to hope that he might be very well handicapped over hurdles - hence our decision to run him.”

Day 3 - Thursday

WAKOOL - 3m Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (33/1)

Trainer - Nick Alexander (Kinneston, Fife)

Jockey - Conor O’Farrell

A thoroughly likeable and consistent horse who never seems to run a bad race. The seven-year-old grey ran out an emphatic winner of the Grade 2 Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock last month, despite racing lazily at times. Conor O’Farrell has struck up a great partnership with this horse, winning four times from nine mounts. The hustle and bustle of this race suits some horses a lot more than others. Unlikely to win but would certainly represent good each-way value at a big price.

Comment - Speaking after his victory at Haydock on February 18, trainer Nick Alexander said: “He is tremendous horse and he has just kept progressing from his juvenile hurdles. He’s in the form of his life having won a Grade 2 last time and just could be improving. It looked like this race had come too soon for him after his run at Musselburgh until they turned for home and he suddenly came on the bridle. He would qualify for the Pertemps and because it is so close to Cheltenham it is quite often not the deepest Grade 2.”

BRANDY McQUEEN - 3m Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (100/1)

Trainer - Harriet Graham & Gary Rutherford (Jedburgh, Scottish Borders)

Jockey - Edward Austin

This improving six-year-old should sneak in at the bottom of the weights for his Jedburgh-based connections, who became the first joint-licence holders in Scotland at the start of 2022. Finished out of the top three placings for the first time in six races at Haydock last time, finishing a well-beaten seventh in a Pertemps Series Qualifier. He wasn’t fluent over his hurdles on that occasion and weakened quickly turning into the home straight. A case can be made that the race came just 13 days after his Musselburgh success but could find this a bit too hot for him.

Comment - Trainer Harriet Graham, who will set off from her Borders yard at 6.30am on Wednesday, told GlasgowWorld: “It’s been a strange week because we weren’t sure if this horse was going to get into the race. We thought we might have to be a reserve but thankfully he’s sneaked in and will have a nice low weight. We never thought we would be going for a race like this with him as he’s only rated 121 but he’s a big price and is running against some horses he’s beaten before. Expectations are fairly moderate but he’s a lovely type and will make a nice chaser in time. He can be quite tricky, he kicks and bites, but we love him at home because he’s got so much character. The owners are really excited that we’ve got in because we probably thought we’d be running him at Hexham this week, not Cheltenham! We’ll enjoy the day, we’re allowed to dream and anything can happen in a handicap.”

INIS OIRR - 3m Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (125/1)

Trainer - Lucinda Russell (Milnahort, Kinross)

Jockey - Derek Fox

Currently the rank outsider of the field, the lightly-raced six-year-old would spring a massive shock if he was to end up in the prize money. An impressive winner of the Scottish Stayers’ Novices Hurdle at Musselburgh on his penultimate start earlier this year, he disaappointed at Haydock last time, finishing last of six runners and beaten by around 30 lengths. A massive step forward is required here.

Comment - Speaking after his victory at Musselburgh on February 4, trainer, Lucinda Russell said: “He’s a nice, gutsy horse and is defintely a proper stayer. We’ve been making the running with him but we dropped him in this time and he seemed to enjoy it. He’s entered in the Albert Bartlett so we might just go there. We’ll see what happens between now and then. I can’t wait to go chasing with him because he jumps so well.”

Day 4 - Friday

AHOY SENOR - Gold Cup

Trainer - Lucinda Russell (Milnahort, Kinross)

Jockey - Derek Fox

A dual Grade 1 winner, the eight-year-old recorded a career-best effort when landing the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham back in January. He beat Sounds Russian, Noble Yeats and Protektorat on that occasion, with all four horses set to re-appear at Prestbury Park on Friday. Despite being a double-figure price, Ahoy Senor should give you a good run for your money, providing he puts in a clear round of jumping.

Comment - Trainer, Lucinda Russell reckons their representative is peaking at the right time ahead of the Boodles-back Festival highlight. She told The Mirror last week: “It is a very open Gold Cup this year. Every horse has questions to answer, even Galopin Des Champs (favourite) over the distance. Ahoy Senor was storming off the gallops there this morning (last Tuesday). Everything is going well with him. He has to improve but we know all the ability is there.”