Racing

Cheltenham Day 3: Teahupoo team hope it will be successful ‘Take Two’ in Stayers Hurdle

Home By The Lee could be Stayers player in first-time blinkers

Jack Kennedy onboard Teahupoo wins the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse, Meath, last year. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Jack Kennedy onboard Teahupoo wins the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse, Meath, last year. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Brian O'Connor
Thu Mar 14 2024 - 06:00

American lives may famously have no second acts, but Teahupoo’s “Take Two” at Thursday’s Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle will be widely expected to end in triumph.

Gordon Elliott’s star started favourite for last year’s race only to come up short behind his 33-1 stable companion Sire Du Berlais.

If Davy Russell has since become almost as famous for his dancing as his riding, it’s fair to assume he’d quite fancy a quickstep back to the saddle for another go on Teahupoo in this race.

The partnership’s passage up the straight was unusually erratic a year ago as Teahupoo first switched left and then right, still looked a likely winner for much of it, only for Sire Du Berlais to ultimately spring a surprise in the final 100 metres.

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Meagre consolation for the Teahuppo camp at being promoted to second from third following interference at the final flight from Dashel Dasher vanished a month later when the latter’s connections successfully appealed their demotion, a decision Teahupoo’s owner Brian Acheson labelled “absolute rubbish”.

All of last year’s principals are back again, along with another pair of hardy annuals that contested the race in 2023, but none have put all their eggs into the one basket like the Teahupoo team.

Just one run this season resulted in another Hatton’s Grace victory at Fairyhouse in December, since when Teahupoo has been wrapped up in preparation for another crack at the Stayers crown.

That defeat of Impaire Et Passe doesn’t read as impressively now but having resisted any temptation to run in the Gowan mud in January, one thing Teahupoo won’t lack for this time is freshness.

Jack Kennedy does the steering while Mark Walsh will hope Springtime again conjures a rejuvenation in Sire Du Berlais. The veteran joins his fellow 12-year-old veteran, the 2019 winner Paisley Park, in the line-up.

Gavin Cromwell’s call to run his dual winner Flooring Porter here rather than the National Hunt Chase looks sound considering the outstanding Corbetts Cross performance on Tuesday, although the latter’s stable companion Noble Yeats is something of a dark horse.

The 2022 Grand National hero proved his hurdling credentials here in January and once again teams up with Harry Cobden.

Over the last decade, there have been six Stayers winners at double-digit odds, including Lisnagar Oscar at 50-1 in 2020. Just two favourites have emerged on top and a dozen-strong field suggests plenty fancy their chances of an upset.

Considering his quality is such he ended Honeysuckle’s unbeaten record, and he’s the only one of the field officially rated in the 160′s, a peak form Teahupoo could simply prove much superior to these.

A value alternative in first-time blinkers, though, might be Home By The Lee who has his own second crack at the race.

A shuddering blunder at the sixth ruined his chance a year ago, and he ultimately ran a remarkable race to be beaten less than four lengths. A pair of races this season have been lacklustre attempts at making the pace which Home By The Lee clearly didn’t relish.

Tempo shouldn’t be a problem now, and with a clear round of jumping, he could be one to serve it up to Teahupoo.

Brian O’Connor’s Cheltenham tips – Day 3

1.30: Facile Vega; 2.10: Cleatus Poolaw; 2.50: Capodanno; 3.30: Home By The Lee; 4.10: In Excelsis Deo; 4.50: Brighterdaysahead (Nap); 5.30: Where It All Began

Nap and Double: Brighterdaysahead & Cleatus Poolaw

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column