17:20
Cheltenham
Odds correct as of 12:52pm 26th Feb
JP McManus is always busy at this time of year and he has made another eye-catching purchase. The horse in question won a bumper at Gowran by 28 lengths for previous connections and you can see why he has snapped her up. Willie Mullins is taking over the training duties and 16/1 is the best price currently available for the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.
Here we take a look at the horse’s profile and consider her chances if lining up at Cheltenham next month. Check out our free tips page for daily content and our ante-post Cheltenham Festival picks are live now.
Aqua Force made only one start for previous connections and produced a mightily impressive performance to win at Gowran. She took up the running with around five furlongs to go and pulled clear impressively in the final couple to score by a massive margin of 28 lengths, despite going off at 20/1.
The way in which she immediately put the race to bed when quickening in the final two furlongs was very eye-catching. This daughter of Workforce showed a great turn of foot and she clearly possesses a huge engine, two things that would serve her well if Cheltenham is indeed on the agenda.
Willie Mullins now trains five of the first eight in the market for the Champion Bumper and Game of Inches currently leads the way. Bambino Fever is probably the most comparable of the bunch, having won a Grade 2 bumper for mares at the Dublin Racing Festival. On the evidence of Aqua Force’s win however, you’d have to prefer McManus’ new purchase, provided it wasn’t a fluke.
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