Al Boum Photo goes for third consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cup

There has been a certain level of familiarity to the start of a new year in Irish jump racing in recent seasons.

Al Boum Photo, the French-bred gelding trained by Willie Mullins, is sent to Tramore Racecourse where he easily wins the Grade 3 New Year’s Day Chase at 2 11/16 miles. In 2019 and 2020, Al Boum Photo used that race as a prep for a victory in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup in England.

Friday, the pattern could occur for a third time when Al Boum Photo starts favored in the $651,843 Cheltenham Gold Cup at about 3 1/4 miles. Last year, Al Boum Photo won the New Year’s Day Chase by six lengths and won the Gold Cup by a neck. This year, Al Boum Photo won the New Year’s Day Chase by 19 lengths, the widest margin of victory in his 17-race career, which includes nine wins.

A 9-year-old Al Boum Photo can became the first three-time winner of the Gold Cup since Best Mate from 2002-04. The hat trick has been accomplished by only two other horses since World War II – Cottage Rake (1948-1950) and Arkle (1964-1966).

Al Boum Photo was the 10-3 favorite in the 2020 Gold Cup and will be about 5-2 this year, judging from future-book prices Wednesday.

The race has drawn a field of 12, same size as last year, which is notable since several leading races at this week’s Cheltenham festival have had diminished fields compared to recent runnings. There are no fans, or owners, present at Cheltenham this week because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Friday’s seven-race program begins at 9:20 a.m. Eastern. Wagering is available at DRFBets.com.

Champ, trained in England by Nicky Henderson, and A Plus Tard, trained in Ireland by Henry De Bromhead, appear to have the best chances to beat Al Boum Photo.

Champ won the RSA Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last March with a rally that defied logic. Trailing by more than eight lengths with a little more than a furlong to go, Champ closed brilliantly to take the lead in the final strides and win the race at 3 1/16 miles by a length.

Champ has had one start this season, finishing second by two lengths in a Grade 2 chase at 2 1/16 miles on Feb. 21 at Newbury, a distance shorter than his best trip.

A Plus Tard won the Grade 1 Savills Chase at three miles on Dec. 28 at Leopardstown, a key prep for the Gold Cup.

◗ There are two other Grade 1 races on Friday’s program – the $130,387 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/16 miles and the $136,255 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdles at about three miles.

The Triumph Hurdle, annually of the top betting races in England, drew only eight runners and is led by Zanahiyr of Ireland and Tritonic of England.

The Albert Bartlett drew a more robust field of 17 and is an open betting race led by Stattler, trained by Mullins, and Torygraph, a winner of his last two starts.

Zanahiyr and Torygraph are trained by Denise Foster, who took over trainer Gordon Elliott’s massive Irish stable after Elliott was suspended six months in early March when a 2019 photo emerged on social media of him sitting on a deceased horse in a paddock.

Some of Elliott’s horses were sent to other trainers for the Cheltenham festival. Foster had a winner with a former Elliott-trained horse on Tuesday – Black Tears in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle.