Apples Jade - The 2019 Cheltenham Banker

The Cheltenham festival is now fast approaching as we move into 2019, as all the big names continue to put their credentials forward ahead of the marquee event of the national hunt season.

One horse that has returned in the form of her life this season, is Apple’s Jade, and the seven year old now looks banker material if heading down the expected Mares hurdle route. The online betting makes her a general 5/4 favourite for the race, and if she brings the same form she has shown for each start this season then she is going to take some beating.

For a horse that seems to have been around forever, it is surprising she is still just seven years of age, and she will be looking for her second Cheltenham festival success. The first coming back in 2017 when she outbattled the Willie Mullins pair of Vroum Vroum Mag and Limini up the famous Cheltenham hill to land the Mares hurdle by just over a length. This battling trait has long been in her arsenal, and is a key reason why she continues to pick up so many races.

Considering that for much of her career she has been so consistent, last season was very surprising as she was below form for much of the year. This included a defeat in the Mares hurdle at odds of 1/2. She was then beaten over five lengths by the winner of that race, Benie Des Dieux, at Punchestown, before being given a much needed 197-day break. Despite clearly not being right for the season, she still continued to run with credit, which shows the incredible heart the horse has.

Apples Jade returned this season to contest the Grade two Lismullen hurdle that included the 2014 Champion hurdle winner Jezki in opposition. Under her now regular jockey Jack Kennedy, she made all, only having to be pushed out to win very impressively by 11 lengths. This resulted in an RPR of 157 as she returned to her best.

Following this she was sent to contest the Grade one Hatton’s Grace hurdle at Fairyhouse and was sent off a shade of odds on. She took up the running from half way to power away from the field and win by 20 lengths, from the Punchestown 2018 Champion Hurdle winner Supasundae. This remarkable performance meant she became just the third horse to win the race three times, and was another example of the incredible form the horse has returned in this season.

Next up was a tilt at the Christmas hurdle at Leopardstown. The race looked to be about the duel with Faugheen, which ultimately failed to materialise following the unfortunate fall of the Mullins horse two hurdles from home. Apples Jade did look to have his measure at the time considering she was travelling best and over 3 lengths in front. She again stayed on powerfully to win the race by 26 lengths from the running on Early Doors. This meant she has now secured back to back victories in the Christmas hurdle and has ran to an RPR of 163 in both of her recent starts.

Apples Jade has now won by an aggregate of 57 lengths in her three starts this season, that has boosted her career record to 13 victories from her 19 starts, and she has yet to finish outside of the top three in her entire career. She is a very special mare and the odds of around 5/4 for the Mares hurdle at the festival still seems very generous. She is going to take the world of beating and has to go in to the festival as a banker alongside Altior.