2022 Martin Pipe Tips - Two Irish novices to back in Festival's final race

I’ve taken a look through the latest Martin Pipe betting and listed some key recurring trends, before picking out the last of my Cheltenham Festival tips.

The British handicapper’s decision to drop Langer Dan by three pounds following his comeback run at Taunton, where he was barely breathed on by Harry Skelton as they coasted home last of six, hasn’t gone unnoticed. On the back of a sparkling Imperial Cup win, Langer Dan was rather unlucky to bump into Galopin Des Champs as he finished a creditable second in this race 12 months ago and Dan Skelton’s six-year-old is favourite to go one better this time around.

Langer Dan will run off a mark just two pounds higher than 12 months ago. The case to side with last year’s runner-up is strong. Yet, there’s always a chance that another future star like Galopin Des Champs has been pointed at the race by Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott. 

Ireland’s top two trainers have won five of the last eight renewals between them, while also saddling plenty of placed horses. Willie Mullins has such strength in depth in his novice hurdle ranks this season, he’s sure to have one or two classy novices earmarked for boys’ race, and Gordon Elliott always targets the race named in honour of his old mentor.

I’ll start with Willie Mullins, who holds a host of entries. Chief amongst them is State Man, who’s also an 11/2 shot for the County Hurdle. We’re still none the wiser as to which race State Man will turn up in, but if Mullins’ five-year-old was to run here, he would almost certainly go off as the favourite.

I, however, prefer the chances of stablemate DEPLOY THE GETAWAY - a £200k purchase for Cheveley Park Stud in February 2018 following a sparkling point-to-point triumph.

Deploy The Getaway has been a little head-strong on all of his runs over hurdles thus far. Indigo Breeze took advantage of a final flight mistake from the leader to beat Deploy The Getaway on his hurdles debut. Mullins’ charge then hung right and faded late on when he could only finish third at Navan in December. 

Paul Townend’s mount broke his duck under rules in January, motoring to an impressive victory from the front at Down Royal. Deploy The Getaway then swatted Au Fleuron and Largy Debut away rounding the bend in the Listed Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. Slip Of The Tongue caught up with the leader as he was steadied into the final flight. The two came into contact on landing and it was Slip Of The Tongue who regathered his momentum quicker to claim a valuable prize.

That was still a solid effort from Deploy The Getaway, who has improved with each of his starts over hurdles. I like backing front-runners around Cheltenham and Willie Mullins will have the pick of the best Irish conditional jockeys who aren’t associated with Gigginstown or JP McManus.

Gordon Elliott will throw five or six of his best novice hurdlers into the Martin Pipe. My ante-post selection was Chemical Energy, who’s run up to a good level over hurdles this season. However, Gordon Elliot revealed during a recent stable tour that Chemical Energy didn’t handle the journey to Gloucestershire well last season and ran no sort of race in the Champion Bumper. Elliott is worried that the same thing might happen again, which has cooled my enthusiasm somewhat.

Elliott also said it was possible that Hollow Games could drop into the Martin Pipe, instead of taking his chance in the Albert Bartlett. The Moran’s have Au Fleuron and Folcano entered up here. Hollow Games is their only entrant in the Grade One held earlier on day four of the Cheltenham Festival. I think it’s more likely that we’ll see Hollow Games turn up in the Albert Bartlett, but if he did bring that Grade One-placed form into handicap company, he would be one of my selections.

He may not have the same sexy profile as some of his stablemates, but I’ve found it hard to knock anything THE GOFFER has done this season. Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old made a lasting impression when winning on his second hurdles start, where he travelled all over a talented rival in Highland Charge before showing a good change of gear to put the race to bed.

The Goffer then didn’t enjoy heavy ground as Daly Tiger won at Limerick and didn’t see out three miles behind Geri Colombe at Thurles. Last time out in the Grade Three Michael Purcell Novices’ Hurdle, Elliott’s charge was back to his best, comfortably seeing off some decent rivals to win by just over a length.

Blow By Blow won the Michael Purcell before winning this race in 2018. The previous year, Champagne Classic won the Martin Pipe on the back of a third-place finish in that Grade Three at Thurles. 

Elliott has already confirmed that The Goffer will run in the Martin Pipe. Leading conditional, Jordan Gainford rode him to victory in the Michael Purcell and could take the ride again. Jody McGarvey has also won on The Goffer this season, so he could be called up to the plate at the Cheltenham Festival should Gainford ride one of the market leaders.