The Grade 3 O’Driscoll Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase has recently become an informative Cheltenham Gold Cup trial.

Two-time Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo took this race in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Still, the most famous running of this was in 2023 when Manilla Indo brought down the house when getting up in the shadows of the post to mark an emotional win for everyone at Knockeen, especially the de Bromhead family.

Will this year uneath another Gold Cup contender, or can the former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo claim his second O’Driscoll Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase?

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Grade 3 O’Driscoll Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase runner by runner betting guide

Now it’s time to take an in-depth look into runners of the Grade 3 O’Driscoll Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase and the best horse racing bookmakers to help you make a winning bet.

🏇 8 Monty’s Star

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Form: /3122
• Rating: 154
• Jockey: Rachael Blackmore
• Trainer: Henry de Bromhead
• Odds: 6/4

Trainer Henry the Bromhead has taken the last two runnings of this race and looks to add a third with last season’s two-time grade one placed Monty’s Star.

Even though Monty’s Star only managed to record one win from four runs last season, his defeat came at the hands of the National Hunt Chase winner Corbert Cross, Fact To File in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and Spillane’s Tower in the Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival.

His form is working out well, notably his run behind Fact To File, who has since won the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase and finished second behind three-mile chase superstar Galopin Des Champs on Saturday.

Coming into this season, Monty’s Star has been on the lips of many people as their outsiders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and could be about to show why today.

Based on his runs last season, there is every reason to believe Monty’s Star has so much more to come.

If you can take a step forward again this season, there is no reason he can’t close the gaps between Fact To File and Spillane’s Tower going forward and cement himself as a Gold Cup horse.

Henry de Bromhead has done really well with horses of a similar profile in the past, and there’s every reason to believe that Monty’s Star could be the next Knockeen star.

He is the one they all have to beat here today and the one that could chase home Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup this March.

✅ Has a very progressive profile
✅ Have yet to see the best of him

❌ Yet to win on his first run of the season

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐️⭐⭐️

🐎 Bet on Monty’s Star with talkSPORT BET 🐎

🏇 6 Classic Getaway

• Age: 9
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Form: 12P3P
• Rating: 152
• Jockey: Danny Mullins
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 3/1

Having been set off as a 2/5 favourite for this race last season when beaten by Jungle Boogie, Classic Getaway comes here with a lot to prove.

After that, he went on to be pulled up behind Heart Wood at the Dublin Racing Festival, sent off a 4/6 favourite at Down Royal, where he could only manage a third-place finish, and then finished off the season by being pulled up behind Arizona Cardinal in the Topham Handicap Chase at the Aintree Festival.

But what he has going for him here is his first-time-out record.

Before being turnover at short odd in this last season, he was an impressive winner of his seasonal return, making it his third win first time out.

The fact that this is his first run of the season gives you hope that he can at least match his run from last season, but he is up against a potential Gold Cup contender here and a former Gold Cup winner.

He will need to bring his A-game today.

✅ A good record when fresh

❌ Turned over at short odds twice last season
❌ Not one to overly trust

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐️

🐎 Bet on Classic Getaway with Sky Bet 🐎

🏇 3 Minella Indo

• Age: 12
• Weight: 11st 6lb
• Form: 1443-2
• Rating: 157
• Jockey: Mike O’Connor
• Trainer: Henry de Bromhead
• Odds: 11/2

The former Gold Cup hero and the 2023 winner of this race may find this trip a bit short now at the ripe old age of 12.

Minella Indo showed last season that there is plenty of fire left in his belly when running a huge race to take third in the Aintree Grand National, but today, he may have to pass the torch over to his stablemate.

In the past, he has been a horse that comes on a fair chunk for his first start of the season, and the fact that he ran so well behind French Dynamite in the Grade 3 BetVictor Chase at Punchestown would give you confidence that he could put up a bold showing here granted that there is plenty of pace on show.

We would all love to see him go close here today, but he may have to play a supporting role to Monty’s Star, but he could be part of a one-two for Henry de Bromhead.

✅ Former Gold Cup winner
✅ Former winner of this race
✅ Showed he still retains a big chunk of his ability this season

❌ This trip may be a bit short for him now
❌ Has to concede six pounds to all but two of his rival

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐️⭐

🐎 Bet on Minella Indo with Paddy Power 🐎

🏇 4 Appreciate It

• Age: 11
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Form: 5325-3
• Rating: 153
• Jockey: Simon Torrens
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 6/1

Appreciate It hasn’t tasted victory over fences since winning a novice chase at Naas in January 2023, and it’s hard to see that changing here today.

He has shown good place form in the past but was well beaten on his return to action in the Hilly Way behind Energumene.

The step back up in trip will suit, but it’s hard to see him being the first to cross the finishing line here today. He may be able to fill a place.

✅ Has a good place record in graded races
✅ Step up back up in trip will suit

❌ No win since January 2023

Star rating: ⭐️⭐

🐎 Bet on Appreciate It with Midnite 🐎

🏇 1 Capodanno

• Age: 9
• Weight: 11st 8lb
• Form: 1408-P
• Rating: 157
• Jockey: Brian Hayes
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 14/1

You only have to go back to January last year to see Capadanno getting back to his best when winning the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham. That win gives him a serious chance here with The Real Whacker, Stay Away Fay, Ahoy Senor, and Royale Pagaille behind him that day.

He backed that up with a fine fourth in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but his season did fade out after that run.

His comeback at Haydock in the Betfair Chase was no better when pulled up on very testing ground, but you can always forgive a horse a bad run on bottomless ground at Haydock.

Undoubtedly, he will need to return to the form that saw him win at Cheltenham last season, but if he does, he is a big price to do so.

At the prices, he is worth an each way bet here.

✅ Grade 2 winner last season
✅ Has the ability to go close

❌ Has to concede up to eight pounds to his rivals

Star rating: ⭐️⭐⭐

🐎 Bet on Capodanno with Betfred 🐎

🏇 7 Minella Crooner

• Age: 9
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Form: 3PP1-P
• Rating: 149
• Jockey: Jordan Gainford
• Trainer: Gordon Elliott
• Odds: 14/1

In recent years, Minella Cronner has become a horse you can not trust, given that his form contains nearly as many letters as numbers.

He did manage to pull off a shock at the Punchestown Festival when winning a handicap chase at 25/1. Still, he then reminded us all why he is one not to be trusted when being pulled up once again on his seasonal return in a race where Minella Indo was second (found to be clinically abnormal post race).

He can’t be trusted on his recent form.

✅ Has the ability to run well

❌ Rarely put it all together

Star rating: ⭐️

🐎 Bet on Minella Crooner with bet365 🐎

🏇 2 Embassy Garden

• Age: 9
• Weight: 11st 6lb
• Form: /112P-
• Rating: 150
• Jockey: Michael O’Sullivan
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 18/1

Embassy Gardens is a horse with considerable ability over fences, as shown by his dominance in his first two chase starts last season.

He was then sent off as the 7/4 favourite for the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but could never get into the race, as the change to hold-up tactics did not suit him.

He runs well fresh, and if he can get back to form here, there is no reason why he can’t be fighting out the finish.

I can see him running a big race here if he is lined up with the pace. He has too much ability to be as big as he is in the betting right now.

✅ Showed considerable ability over fences last season

❌ Need to get back on track
❌ Has to concede six pounds to all but two of his rivals

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Embassy Garden with SBK 🐎

🏇 5 Bronn

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Form: 44PP-5
• Rating: 145
• Jockey: Shane Fitzgerald
• Trainer: Thomas Gibney
• Odds: 66/1

The switch from Gordon Elliott to Thomas Gibney has not had the desired effect on Bronn, who was beaten 50 lengths on his comeback at Clonmel.

If he is to have a chance here, he will need to leave that form and his form of last season well behind.

He is impossible to fancy on what he has shown over the past 12 months.

✅ His new trainer could still spark rivals

❌ Has shown no form in the past two seasons
❌ Well beaten in this last season

Star rating: ⭐️

🐎 Bet on Bronn with BetMGM 🐎

O’Driscoll Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase verdict

In a race that two Gold Cup winners have won in the past, one of them being the returning Minella Indo, we may be about to see another winner throw himself into the Gold Cup picture in MONTY’S STAR.

Having progressed steadily throughout last season, which saw him placed in two Grade 1s, Monty’s Star looks like the type of horse who will come into his own this season and should be taking this on his way to bigger and better things.

Minella Indo, Capadanno, and Embassy Garden are good each-way alternatives.

Current Betting: Monty’s Star 6/4, Classic Getaway 3/1, Minella Indo 11/2, Appreciate It 6/1, Capodanno 14/1, Minella Croober 14/1, Embassy Gardens 18/1, Bronn 66/1.

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