The Dublin Racing Festival went ahead over the weekend, with plenty of drama attached as Saturday was cancelled, with day one moving to Monday.
That left us with perhaps one of the best ever Mondays of racing, with four Grade One contests, plenty of Cheltenham clues, and some upsets along the way.
There was movement in the Cheltenham Gold Cup market, so much so that we have a new favourite for the race, and that horse is Fact To File.
It’s a wide-open market, considering we are just five weeks away from the big day. He’s a best price 4/1 favourite, but some companies are offering as low as 3/1 on him to win the race.
Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man come next, two British runners, at 5/1 and 6/1 respectively. Then it’s Gaelic Warrior, an uncertain stayer, but the horse that was second on Monday, he’s a 7/1 shot. Previous dual winner in 2023 and 2024, Galopin Des Champs, is as big as 10/1 with some firms after finishing third on Monday.
Owned by JP McManus, who had a fantastic two days at Leopardstown, we are in a rare situation at the moment, because Fact To File isn’t even entered in the Gold Cup as we stand right now, despite being the favourite.
Fact To File Lands Irish Gold Cup
I thought Fact To File was brilliant in the Irish Gold Cup, a deserving success, and he led home a 1-2-3 for trainer Willie Mullins.
Of those three runners, he was the least fancied. Both Gaelic Warrior (2nd) and Galopin Des Champs (3rd) were more fancied in the market and by plenty of punters.
He would land the race by five lengths, and that wasn’t flattering. He fully deserved it, turning into the home straight going well, and staying stronger than anything else in the field.
While there’s an extra one and a half furlongs to manage at Cheltenham, he definitely wasn’t stopping, showcasing his staying ability for the gruelling test in March, if that’s where he goes.
Before the race, I couldn’t wait for it and thought it was a high-quality renewal of the Irish Gold Cup. It seems as though the leading contenders all ran their race. There were no excuses. The fact is that Fact To File was simply that good.
Needs Supplementing for Gold Cup
The elephant in the room is, of course, the entries for the Gold Cup. Fact To File will need to be supplemented for the race.
To be honest, I’m surprised he wasn’t entered in the Gold Cup all along, being a horse that can get further than the Ryanair trip, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t.
This won’t stop him from running, though, if connections want him to. Last year, Inothewayurthinkin won the Gold Cup, and at this stage, he also wasn’t entered. The next time to enter horses is at the six-day entry stage, which is when Inothewayurthinkin was entered.
His owner did that and paid the money to get him into the race, and that was, of course, JP McManus, the man who also owns Fact To File. I’m sure he’ll have no problems doing that again.
Ryanair Repeat Bid Off the Cards?
Winner of the Ryanair Chase in 2025, Fact To File was brilliant that day, but a repeat bid looks to be off, now that the Gold Cup has come into the picture.
He’s a horse that stays the Ryanair trip strongly, and in winning the Irish Gold Cup, has shown that he can go further. We won’t know whether he’ll get the Gold Cup trip at Cheltenham until he goes for it, but signs point to him doing so.
There are two types of horse, the true out and out stayers, and the classier horses, who can get home, but have more style about the way they race. Fact To File definitely falls into the latter category.
Finally, don’t forget to look at what else JP McManus has for the Cheltenham Festival. Jonbon looks to be heading to the Ryanair Chase, and after falling on Monday, Inothewayurthinkin looks less likely to go to the Gold Cup to try and defend his crown.
Even with the fact that he needs to be supplemented for the Gold Cup, and doesn’t for the Ryanair, I’d still say it’s highly likely we’ll see Fact to File in the Gold Cup. And so he should be there, as arguably the most exciting runner of the field.