There is no bigger week of the year for jump racing fans than the Cheltenham Festival. Thousands make the trip across Europe for the annual meeting in Gloucestershire, England, while many more tune in to the broadcast of the four days in March. This year’s renewal has some fascinating clashes to look forward to, and arguably none more so than the Cross Country Chase.
This 3m6f contest takes place on day two of the meeting and 17 runners have been entered for the unique race.
Minella Indo The Eye-catching Entry
It’s not often you see a former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in the Cross Country Chase field, but Minella Indo will be bidding to complete a rare double this year. He has Cheltenham Festival odds of +225 for the marathon race.
Henry De Bromhead is +5000 in the Cheltenham top trainer odds for the meeting this year, and he will feel one of his best chances of a winner across the week will come through his 11-year-old chaser.
BREAKING: Minella Indo wins the Gold Cup at the #CheltenhamFestival
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 19, 2021
Minella Indo was outstanding when winning the Blue Riband event in the sport in 2021. He then went very close to defending his crown 12 months later but had to settle for second place behind his stablemate A Plus Tard.
The Irish horse was successful on his seasonal reappearance in a Grade Three contest at Punchestown back in October. It is going to be fascinating to see how he handles the Cross Country Course at the Festival this year.
Delta Work Bidding to Complete a Hat-Trick
Only one horse in history has won the Cross Country Chase three times and that is Tiger Roll. With victory this year, Delta Work would not only match that, but he would be the first to prevail in three consecutive years.
😮 DELTA WORK denies TIGER ROLL another Festival win and lands the @Glenfarclas Cross Country narrowly!
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) March 16, 2022
What a brave effort in second. pic.twitter.com/ypcsns3EF1
Irish trainer Gordon Elliott has been successful on five occasions in the race and success this year would see him break the record for the most victories. He will saddle three horses, as Galvin and Conflated are both set to line up.
Delta Work is a nine-time winner over fences. At his peak, he was rated at 171 in the official ratings. A third Cheltenham Festival victory in the same race will ensure he joins an elite club of horses to manage that feat.
Former Grand National Hero Noble Yeats Has Festival Options
Emmet Mullins has entered Noble Yeats in both the Cross Country Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The former Grand National winner has featured twice over hurdles so far this season, with victory coming in the Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham last time.
The nine-year-old is likely to return to Aintree in April where he will be bidding to regain his crown in the world’s most famous steeplechase. He was fourth in the contest last year in what was another excellent run.
The Cross Country Chase may be seen as the perfect preparation for the Grand National. He has shown the race suits him perfectly and it should sharpen up his jumping ahead of his trip to Liverpool.
This year’s Cross Country Chase is being regarded as the best renewal in the race’s history. It is likely to take a big performance to win it this year.
