Story looks a Stellar selection for the Brown Advisory
IT’S NOT often that the winner of a Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle arrives at Prestbury Park the following year a 16/1 shot, especially with a Grade Two win under his belt since, but that is the case with STELLAR STORY, who looks an attractive price for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
The victor in a dramatic finish to the 2024 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, Gordon Elliott’s eight-year-old stayed on dourly up the hill to collar The Jukebox Man on the line and land the spoils.
The form of that race has worked out well, and The Jukebox Man was a leading hope for the British in this race after an impressive win in the Kauto Star, before unfortunately being ruled out for the season.
The third home that day, Dancing City, also looks to have translated the ability that saw him win three Grade One races over hurdles to the bigger obstacles.
The key to Stellar Story that day was the soft ground, which drew out his reserves of stamina and we saw that to best effect again when he won the Florida Pearl on chase debut.
He did disappoint over Christmas at Leopardstown, but the ground was too quick for him that day and he bounced right back to form in more suitable conditions last Sunday, when just touched off by Better Days Ahead who was in receipt of five pounds.
The aforementioned Dancing City and Better Days Ahead are a good deal shorter in the market for the Brown Advisory, and Stellar Story looks overpriced as a result.
It’s unlikely that he’ll have the pace for the race if the ground was to come up good, but soft ground would surely see him go off a good deal shorter than the 16/1 currently available, and he rates a solid each-way ante-post selection.
POINTERS ANTE-POST
Stellar Story e/w 16/1 Brown Advisory, Cheltenham Festival