FERDY MURPHY is hoping Irish Independent Arkle outsider Bedlam Boy is as good as last year’s runner-up Kalahari King.
Murphy went close to landing the two-mile contest at the Cheltenham Festival with Kalahari King and he is hopeful Bedlam Boy – a 40-1 chance with William Hill – can do something similar in March.
The nine-year-old scored two wins so far at Carlisle and Ayr and the trainer believes he can go well at Cheltenham in March.
Murphy said: “He’s very, very well. It looks a really hot Arkle this year and the likes of Sizing Europe are much higher rated than him but we were in the same boat with Kalahari King last year.
“He was kind of forgotten until six weeks before the Festival and this fellow is on a par with him. He jumps fantastic, his two runs this year have been really, really good. He hasn’t beaten a lot but has never come off the bridle.
“The way he has applied himself to his races has been very professional. Usually before an Arkle you’d be looking for four runs minimum but if we got another run into him before Cheltenham I’d be happy. I think he’d run a good race.”
Another heading for Cheltenham is Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Imperial Commander, who will go for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup without another run.
The nine-year-old is a 16-1 chance with most firms for the Gold Cup but is also a best-priced 8-1 for the Ryanair Chase, which he won last year. Imperial Commander lost out narrowly to Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, but was a distant fifth behind the Gold Cup hero in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The Letheby & Christopher Chase at Cheltenham on January 30 was thought to be a possible target but Twiston-Davies said: “He will go straight to the Festival where I think he will just have an entry for the Gold Cup, this is his year for it.”
He added: “He’s fine. He lost the race at the second fence at Kempton and that’s it but he ran on well to finish fifth. It was just unfortunate, he’s normally a very good jumper.”
Meanwhile Starluck is in line to run in next month’s Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton ahead of the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals.
The five-year-old was only beaten a short head to Go Native in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day and owner Andrew Wates is eyeing Punchestown, but the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham remains an option.
Trainer Alan Fleming said: “We haven’t made a decision yet about Cheltenham but we would look to do so in the next few weeks.
“I think he will probably run before Cheltenham and we are looking at the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton for him next month.
“Obviously we will have to see what happens with the weather before then, it’s a hard situation, but the Kingwell is the plan all being well.”
Starluck is a best-priced 16-1 with Coral for Champion Hurdle glory.
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