The Cheltenham Festival came and went with a handful of horses making a name for themselves claiming victory. At the same time, a host of horses failed to live up to their hype and were certainly written off by punters after the four-day horse race meeting. Despite their failures, there are some horses that shouldn’t be ignored. Punters should keep a tab on these horses hereon our list as they could bounce back at next year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Galvin – second in the Northern Trust Novices’ Handicap
Gordon Elliott’s Galvin was so close to winning the Novices’ Handicap at Cheltenham but fell just short of the top prize. Imperial Aura edged Galvin out of first place, but the second-place finisher showed promise. Galvin’s start wasn’t the best and it is what cost the horse in the end. Elliott is a master horse trainer and should be able to improve Galvin in the next 12 months for a run at a championship for Cheltenham 2021. Galvin hasn’t won a horse race since February 2019 and is now six races without a victory. Despite not claiming a win in over a year, Galvin has been close and it is only a matter of time until Elliott’s protege wins again.
Bachasson – sixth in the Coral Cup
Bachasson showed potential in the Coral Cup and could finally hit his stride in the coming year. The nine-year-old hasn’t been raced hard over the years and is still fresh to run late in his career. Trained by Willie Mullins, Bachasson is a strong traveller through the pack. He started slowly in the Coral Cup but moved through the rest of the competition as the race wore on. Bachasson’s last three races have now seen him finish fourth, third, and sixth. Mullins’ charge doesn’t get many run outs as those races came in a 14-month timeframe.
One True King – 10th in the Champion Bumper
The Champion Bumper is considered a strong test for inexperienced race horses. One of those inexperienced horses in 2020 was One True King. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse was extremely green in the race but showed positive signs that further races could iron out the issues. The five-year-old has won two of eight starts with just one of those victories coming under Twiston-Davis’ training. The famed horse trainer only took over duties in January 2020 which wasn’t enough time to turn One True King into a Cheltenham Festival winner, but perhaps next year.
Paisley Park – Seventh in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
Paisley Park was tipped as one of the horses to watch out for ahead of the Cheltenham Festival after winning the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019. This year’s race was a disappointment for the eight-year-old, but it shouldn’t put off punters from believing the horse will bounce back from the finish. Paisley Park had won seven straight races before failing at Cheltenham this year. Punters can be forgiven thinking Paisley Park has peaked. Yet, the future still looks bright for the Emma Lavelle trained horse.
