Like many of the Cheltenham markets at present, the RSA looks to lack depth once you look beyond the short-priced favourite. Monkfish certainly deserves his place at the head of the market and I wouldn’t be in a rush to lay him at 2/1.
Latest Exhibition (10/1) chased home Monkfish last time out but that is now the 2nd time he’s been beaten by that rival in Grade 1 company. Paul Nolan was quite downbeat following that defeat, noting that “it would be a fair battle to try and beat Monkfish again”. With that in mind, he could well go for the National Hunt Chase while he’ll also be entered in the Marsh.
Shan Blue (16/1) looks more likely to head to the Marsh; if that’s where he goes, he’ll surely meet Envoi Allen there (16/1). The fact that both of these horses are joint-third favourite for the RSA speaks volumes about the lack of depth at the head of the market.
With that in mind, EKLAT DE RIRE (33/1 – Hills, Betfair, Unibet) stands out as an intriguing contender.
Purchased for £110,000 after winning his sole point-to-point in November 2019, he ran twice in maiden hurdles towards the back end of last season, finishing 2nd and 1st. The form isn’t anything to shout about, as you’d expect of late season maiden hurdles, but he won like a horse with plenty in the tank on his second start for Henry De Bromhead.
His trainer was quite complementary about him during the break. He said that he’s a “lovely horse” and that he “looks a real staying type…. and he’s one to look forward to”.
He’s a great stamp of a horse so it was no surprise to see him switched to fences so early. He made his chase debut at Punchestown in December over 3m1f. He jumped boldly and enthusiastically from the front against some more experienced rivals, eventually running out a fairly comfortable winner, staying on strongly to win by over 3 lengths.
The 2nd, School Boy Hours, had race fitness on his side and he also had plenty of chase experience having already run 5 times over the larger obstacles. He’s officially rated 135 and he was only beaten 2 lengths by Latest Exhibition earlier in the season. Henry De Bromhead’s runners typically come on for the run and given it was just his 3rd start under rules, you’d be optimistic about Eklat De Rire’s chances of improving.
While he looks a thorough stayer, I was intrigued by Henry’s post-race comments; he noted that 3 miles is his trip and, if anything, he could even drop him back in trip. Given he’s currently shorter for the National Hunt Chase than he is for the RSA, those remarks perhaps have gone unheralded. It’s also worth noting that the trainer has never had a runner in the National Hunt Chase which bodes well for his chances of turning up in the RSA.
Eklat De Rire did hold Grade 1 entries over Christmas, with his trainer commenting that the Kauto Star was a possibility given that his owner is based in England. Ultimately, he decided that it came too soon for him but it’s promising to know that his sights are being aimed high.
With Christmas behind us, he could well go to the Grade 3 at Naas at the end of January, won last season by Carefully Selected.
Another good performance would surely see his price for the RSA slashed given the current state of the market. Henry De Bromhead has had Monalee and Minella Indo finish 2nd in the 2018 and 2020 renewals of the RSA and while Eklat De Rire lacks experience, his trainer has proven that he can ready an inexperienced horse for the big day.
Selection: Eklat De Rire 33/1 E/W
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