As the Cheltenham Festival reaches its thrilling climax after four fantastic days of action, anticipation still mounts for the penultimate race of the prestigious event — the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase.
In this highly regarded Grade 2 contest, some of the finest mares in jump racing will vie for glory, showcasing their speed, agility, and unwavering determination on the hallowed turf of Prestbury Park.
With the spotlight firmly fixed on this exhilarating showdown, we delve into the contenders, dissecting their form, pedigree, and prospects of etching their names into the annals of Cheltenham history.
Dinoblue – 4/5
Top trainer Willie Mullins has won this contest twice in the three years since it was inaugurated in 2021, and he appears to have a good chance of continuing his dominance this time.
Dinoblue, odds-on in the racing betting, is the Closutton handler’s top contender after what has been a very promising start to the campaign.
Boasting a record five wins in nine outings over fences, the seven-year-old kicked off the season with a Grade 3 win at Naas and followed that up with an impressive Grade 1 success in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown in December.
Dinoblue finished second to stablemate El Fabiolo when last seen in the Dublin Chase in February, but that is a very respectable result and she should take all the beating at Cheltenham.
Allegorie De Vassy – 7/2
Hot on her stablemate’s tail is Allegorie De Vassy, doubling Mullins’ hand in the Mares’ Chase and making it almost inevitable that he will add a third victory in this race to his ever-growing list of Cheltenham victories.
The Rich Ricci-owned horse was the favourite for this race with those who bet on Cheltenham racing last year but was second behind Impervious and ended the season with further defeats at Fairyhouse and Punchestown.
Allegorie De Vassy returned to winning ways in Listed company at Clonmel, and while she was well beaten by Riviere D’etel at Fairyhouse in January, reversed that form to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained horse at Naas in February.
Inconsistency appears to be an issue with the seven-year-old, but if she turns up, Allegorie De Vassy could give Dinoblue a good run for her money.
Limerick Lace – 4/1
Leading the charge against Mullins’ front runners is Limerick Lace, trained by Gavin Cromwell and owned by JP McManus — who also owns Dinoblue.
The seven-year-old has been incredibly consistent over fences, placing in all but one of her nine outings over the larger obstacles with four wins, three seconds, and one third.
Limerick Lace has been very impressive this season, winning by 16 lengths on her reappearance at Clonmel in October before finishing a respectable second to Coko Beach in a Grade 3 at Navan.
She was back in the winner’s enclosure on her first trip across the Irish Sea to Doncaster for the Silver Vase Mares’ Chase in December, winning the Listed contest by a commanding 10 lengths.
While she doesn’t have graded wins on her record, Limerick Lace could still be a formidable contender in the Mares’ Chase.
Brides Hill, another horse trained by Cromwell, is next in line at 7/1 while the Nicky Henderson-trained Fantastic Lady is the United Kingdom’s best hope at 14/1.
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