RACING:ITS IMPACT on Cheltenham might end up being negligible but Bostons Angel could get the better of a fascinating "style versus substance" battle with Quel Esprit in tomorrow's Hennessy Gold Cup.
After a week in which many of the principals for Leopardstown’s €160,000 feature dropped like nine-pins, it’s almost appropriate that Quel Esprit dominates the betting. The eye-catching grey has a chequered history over fences, winning half of his six starts but exiting in the others. The last of those mishaps was when he was brought down, but his position at the head of the market owes more to his obvious potential than actual form in the book.
That price also has much to do with how this is a race Willie Mullins has farmed more than any other during his illustrious career. A remarkable seven wins to date means the champion trainer has cracked the Hennessy code with a vengeance.
Bostons Angel, in contrast, is a horse that so far hasn’t captured the public imagination despite a trio of Grade One victories last season that culminated in an RSA win at Cheltenham. The middle leg of that hat-trick came on this day last year in the Moriarty.
Two runs this term have resulted in a premature exit at Down Royal and a lacklustre effort at Sandown after which Jessica Harrington proposed sticking blinkers on what is a notably tough individual. Instead she has opted for first-time cheek-pieces in which Bostons Angel has impressed during schooling. If they bring him back to peak form – and the recent form of the Harrington yard in general is encouraging – then what Bostons Angel has actually achieved to date is in a different league to Quel Esprit.
“I’m happy the ground is what it is and it’s all systems go,” Harrington said yesterday. “It might not be the greatest Hennessy, but we won’t complain and we’re looking forward to running. He’s only had the two runs this season and let’s hope he can bounce back.”
The top-rated here is China Rock and any more drying of the ground will aid him, while Magnanimity’s best form ties in with much that Bostons Angel and Quel Esprit have done.
Quel Esprit, however, is much the shortest of all these in ante-post betting for the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 25 to 1. A rout tomorrow could see those odds slashed and a spectacular round of jumping might just see the grey deliver. However he is very short odds for such a big might and Bostons Angel could be the safer option.
