Quevega aiming for Cheltenham win number four

When marking down the banker bets for the Cheltenham Festival in March 2012 one of the first names on every list will be Quevega in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle. Willie Mullins will have his sights firmly set on a fourth consecutive win in the race that the mare has made her own.

Quevega is one of those rare racehorses that is at her peak for one race each season. In fact, she has only raced seven times in the last three seasons and three of those have been at the festival. She was very well fancied for her first appearance at Cheltenham in 2009, eventually being sent off the 2-1 favourite under long-time partner Ruby Walsh. As soon as Walsh unleashed her 2 from home, she drew right away to win by 14 lengths. She showed just how much class she has when subsequently finishing third at Punchestown behind Solwhit and Champion Hurdler Punjabi.

An unsuccessful trip to France was put firmly behind them when she reappeared for the 2010 Mares’ Hurdle at the festival and was again kicked clear by Walsh 2 out and won decisively. A comfortable win in the Punchestown World Series Hurdle was her only appearance between that and her third consecutive festival victory in 2011. Such was her supremacy last season that she was sent off odds-on favourite and cantered into the lead before drawing clear for a 10-length victory.

Remarkably, that sets up the prospect of both Quevega and Big Buck’s going for their fourth consecutive festival win next March. A clash between the two would certainly be something to savour but it looks most unlikely that their paths will cross. Big Buck’s is untouchable over 3 miles and Quevega is head and shoulders above the rest in the mares division over 2 and a half miles. As Mullins said after her latest Cheltenham victory, this race is tailor-made for her so why go anywhere else?

Quevega followed up with a second win in the Punchestown World Series Hurdle and plans for a tilt at the French Champion Hurdle were aborted when the horse failed to satisfy Mullins in her work. It seems certain that we won’t see her on the racecourse between now and the festival but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern. The best price available in the ante-post market is only 6-4 and few would argue with that assessment of her chances.