Cheltenham Festival news: Ballyadam at his best, Ginny’s Destiny and No Ordinary Joe worth a shout
Ratings experts Timeform have highlighted three handicappers that have recorded standout figures at Cheltenham’s unique course, with last year’s Coral Cup runner-up Ballyadam topping the list.
Ginny’s Destiny and No Ordinary Joe, who both also finished second at the Festival last year, are two others not to be underestimated at Prestbury Park.
Ballyadam – Coral Cup
Ballyadam hasn’t won at Cheltenham, but on Timeform’s figures he has run some of his best races at the track.
He finished runner-up to Appreciate It in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2021, was fifth in the County Hurdle in 2022 and 2023, and produced a career-best effort when runner-up to Langer Dan in the Coral Cup 12 months ago.
Ballyadam cruised into contention on that occasion, shaping like a well-handicapped horse, but he had to make up quite a bit of ground on the winner and was never able to reel him in once he had flown.
Langer Dan hasn’t done much for that form since, but he’s another who appears to come alive in the spring, and Ballyadam easily got the job done on his seasonal return at Punchestown over the Christmas period.
Given he goes well when fresh, he has likely been saved for another crack at the Coral Cup and, though he’ll be 4lb higher this year, he certainly isn’t a horse to underestimate representing the Henry de Bromhead yard that has found its feet recently and knows how to prepare one for the Festival.
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Ginny’s Destiny – Plate Handicap Chase
It hasn’t been a good season for Ginny’s Destiny so far as he was pulled up on his return when starting favourite for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at the November meeting, and he also underperformed in the Peterborough Chase and on Trials Day last time.
He clearly has questions to answer, though it may be too soon to write him off fully given how progressive he was last season when he won three times at Cheltenham, notably beating Grey Dawning (albeit a little fortuitously and in receipt of weight) in a novice before following up in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Trials meeting.
Ginny’s Destiny also ran a cracker when runner-up to Grey Dawning in the Golden Miller Novices' Chase at the Festival 12 months ago, producing a career-best effort and in turn proving himself the second best novice chaser in Britain at the time.
He also finished runner-up in another Grade 1 at Aintree’s Grand National meeting and the level of form he showed last season makes him look dangerously handicapped from a mark of 149, just 2lb higher than his last win in a handicap, and reports are that Paul Nicholls has got him fully fit (apparently needs lots of work).
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No Ordinary Joe – Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle
No Ordinary Joe is another who has yet to win at Cheltenham, but, according to Timeform, two of his best efforts have come at the track. He was a good third in the 2021 Greatwood Hurdle and produced a slightly better performance when beaten one and a half lengths by Iroko in the 2023 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
He was only seventh in the same race last season but it’s worth remembering that Nicky Henderson’s horses were under a cloud at the Cheltenham Festival last year (he had to withdraw several). No Ordinary Joe looks potentially well treated off a BHA mark of 138 this year, 1 lb lower than when runner-up to Iroko, and he very much caught the eye under up-and-coming conditional rider Callum Pritchard at Wincanton last month.
That run should have put an edge on him and he will be very interesting next week around a track that clearly suits, while the prospect of faster ground than 12 months ago will also stand him in good stead.
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