Racing Round-up: Pain Au Chocolat enters Triumph Hurdle picture

Friday at the Cheltenham Festival may be known as Gold Cup day, but it’s the opening contest on the card that’s seen plenty of market movers with the Triumph Hurdle getting somewhat of a shake-up following the weekend’s action.

Although well-touted favourite Peace and Co remains a solid jolly, there were cuts and drifts aplenty in behind Nicky Henderson’s charge.

Stablemate Hargam now looks to be his closest rival, following a facile success at Musselburgh on Sunday, clipped in from 12/1 to 10/1, a top price at Ladbrokes.

Elsewhere Pain Au Chocolat entered calculations, winning a strangely run race at Sandown,marking him as a 16/1 shot for Triumph glory.

Bizarrely, the biggest drifter of the race hasn’t run for two weeks.

The likely reason for Golden Doyen’s shunted out from 16/1 to 33/1 is Bristol De Mai’s limp defeat on Saturday.

Philip Hobbs’ horse had finished 24l in arrears at Chepstow when the pair met, and with the latter going on to taste comprehensive defeat next time out, his Triumph chances could be shot.

But it wasn’t just that race that saw movement ahead of the Prestbury Park showpiece, with all the moves covered in the latest Ladbrokes Racing Podcast…

listen to ‘Racing Round-Up – 2 February’ on audioBoom

Round up of the market moves:

Triumph Hurdle:

Hargam 10/1 from 12/1

Pan Au Chocolat 16/1 from 33/1

Golden Doyen 33/1 from 16/1

RSA Chase:

Ned Stark 33/1 from 50/1

Champion Chase:

Hidden Cyclone 12/1 from 20/1

JLT Novices’ Chase:

Gitane Du Berlais 12/1 from 33/1