Key occasions
3.20 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle odds
Doctor Steinberg – 3/1
Thedeviluno – 6/1
The Passing Wife – 9/1
Moneygarrow – 14/1
Mondouiboy – 14/1
Spinningayarn – 16/1
Espresso Milan – 16/1
Kings Bucks – 16/1
Jalon Doudairies – 16/1
Kazansky – 18/1
Bar 18/1
Not lengthy to attend till the week’s huge occasion: the Gold Cup. Will it’s Harry’s best hour in racing?
Owner JP McManus is celebrating in the winners’ enclosure together with his grandkids, who’ve flown in from Switzerland. “Do you follow racing as much as JP?” Rishi Persad asks considered one of them. I imply, does anybody? “Is Dinoblue your favourite?” he asks one other. “I don’t know!” Look, that’s live TV.
Cheltenham 2.40 consequence
1 Dinoblue (Mark Walsh) 11-8 Fav
2 Only By Night (Keith Donoghue) 11-1
3 Panic Attack (Harry Skelton) 11-4
8 ran. NR: 6. Also: 13-2 Spindleberry 4th
Jockey Mark Walsh: “She never missed a beat, maybe jumped the last ditch a bit early but I didn’t want to disappoint her. She’s a fair mare now. She’s won on heavy ground but she loves good, fast ground. This was ideal for her.”
Dinoblue wins the Mares’ Chase
Dinoblue pulls clear with Panic Attack tiring. Only By Night tries to shut the hole, however there’s an excessive amount of to do. It’s one other Mullins win! Panic Attack holds on to 3rd, with Spindleberry in fourth.
Mares’ Chase: With 4 to go, Dinoblue will get in between the 2 leaders, with Only By Night now as much as fourth and Spindleberry nonetheless travelling properly. And Telephatique falls on the third final!
Mares’ Chase: Moving at a gradual tempo into the ultimate circuit, with all safely over the water soar. Panic Attack closes on Telepathique, with Spindleberry switching to the skin.
Mares’ Chase: Piper Park and All The Glory are behind the sphere, with Panic Attack barely too eager at first, however now transferring as much as second …
Mares’ Chase: Off and working, with Telepathique edging away from three different entrance runners: Dinoblue, July Flower and Panic Attack.
Mares’ Chase: Piper Park unseats Stan Sheppard on the way in which out, and the jockey has to choose up the reins and stroll his horse in the direction of the beginning. There are some fast medical checks earlier than they rejoin the pack.
The Mares’ Chase is developing. Runners and riders head out subsequent to a packed grandstand, numbers certainly boosted by the improved climate in the present day.
2.40 Market Movers
Market Movers from Midnite.
2.40 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase
Dinoblue – 11/8
Panic Attack – 3/1
Spindleberry – 5/1
July Flower – 6/1
Only By Knight – 9/1
Telepathique – 40/1
Piper Park – 80/1
All The Glory – 100/1
NR – Diva Luna
Cheltenham 2.00 consequence
1 Wilful (Jonjo O’Neill Jr.) 14-1
2 Sticktotheplan (S Bowen) 25-1
3 Joyeuse (N de Boinville) 12-1
4 Cracking Rhapsody (Craig Nichol) 50-1
23 ran. Also: 4-1 Fav Karbau Non Runner: 18
Jonjo O’Neill Jr: “I really fancied him, it’s great for the family and the yard. It’s so hard to win here, and when you haven’t got many bullets to fire, you have to take your chances. I’ve had quite a troubled year, and I’ve had a lot of support from my family,” he provides with a tear in the attention.
Wilful wins the County Handicap Hurdle
Wilful takes up the tempo down the within rail, and regardless of a late push from Sticktotheplan, won’t be caught! Jonjo O’Neill Jr delivers a victory for his coach dad, 40 years to the day after O’Neill Sr gained the Gold Cup on Dawn Run.
County Handicap Hurdle: Absurde is making floor on the skin together with Secret Squirrel, however Ooh Betty and Wilful proceed to paved the way approaching the final …
County Handicap Hurdle: Ndaawi and Cracking Rhapsody are properly positioned behind the leaders, whereas Secret Squirrel makes an error and Balko d’Ange falls.
County Handicap Hurdle: They’re away first time, with Ooh Betty on the entrance of the pack. Jubilee Alpha and Wilful additionally weel positioned, with Tellherthename the present again marker.
Time for our second race of the day, the County Handicap Hurdle, with a packed subject of twenty-two runners.
That was a correct tussle down the house straight, and replays present Harry Skelton might have blocked off Paul Townend and Selma De Vary, including to the duo’s private battles this week. No additional motion because it stands, although. You can watch the complete race again right here:
2.00 William Hill County Handicap Hurdle
Karbau – 4/1
Sinnatra – 5/1
Secret Squirrel – 8/1
Joyeuse – 9/1
Wilful – 11/1
Murcia – 11/1
Sixandahalf – 12/1
Tellherthename – 14/1
Hello Neighbour – 14/1
Bowensonfire – 16/1
BAR 16/1
NR – Hamlets Night
Willie Mullins: “We thought the start would be a circus, and it was actually a very good start. I didn’t give Patrick any instructions, but he looked the best placed of all my runners. [Apolon De Charnie] had to win it for a second time … a lot of horses take fright at Cheltenham, but he didn’t.”
Cheltenham 1.20 consequence
1 Apolon De Charnie (Mr P W Mullins) 50-1
2 Maestro Conti (Harry Skelton) 5-1
3 Minella Study (Ryan Mania) 7-1
20 ran. Also: 7-2 Fav Proactif, 13-2 Selma De Vary 4th
Patrick Mullins: “He was unbelievable, not very huge however he simply caught my eye [in juveniles] … he’s run like a dream in the present day. I’m very happy with my father – I’ve by no means seen him doubt himself like this winter. He will get loads of recommendation … he often sticks to his weapons, and he’s often proper.
Apolon De Charnie wins the Triumph Hurdle!
Willie Mullins’ mount is led residence by son Patrick to win at 50-1, holding off heavyweight contenders Maestro Conti and Minella Study.
Triumph Hurdle: Minella Study and Maestro Conti take up the working, with Apolon De Charnie appears to be like to have the higher of them during the last …
Triumph Hurdle: Mon Creuset is cooking on the skin behind Tenter Le Tout, however Macho Man appears to be like set to be pulled up after a mistimed soar. Fantasy World nonetheless towing the sphere alongside …
Triumph Hurdle: A settled begin across the bend, cheered on by a capability crowd in the grandstands. Fantasy World leads a tightly-bunched subject early on …
To the day’s first race, the Triumph Hurdle. Just the 9 runners for Willie Mullins in this one; he gained it final yr with 100-1 shot Poniros.
1:20pm Market Movers, through Midnite:
Highland Crystal (7/1 into 4/1)
Maestro Conti (7/1 into 11/2)
North Shore (25/1 into 8/1)
Minella Study is a contender for Triumph Hurdle glory, having been skilled on one of many world’s finest seashores. Greg Wood paid a go to:
It’s not been his happiest week at Cheltenham, however Willie Mullins nonetheless leads the coach standings with 5 wins, six second locations and two third locations. Nicky Henderson has three wins, with Dan Skelton on two. And as Greg talked about, the Prestbury Cup is finely poised with Ireland main Britain 11-10.
Greg Wood
5.20 MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONALS JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP HURDLE, 2M 4F 56YD
Ok, 27 down and one to go, and whereas successful punters may do properly to stop whereas they’re forward – and the losers could be higher off sitting it out – the Martin Pipe is excess of only a getting-out race on the finish of the week. The roll-call of current winners, in reality, is extremely spectacular, not least after they go over fences, and the current roll of honour consists of: Galopin Des Champs, a future twin Gold Cup winner; Banbridge, the 2024 King George VI Chase winner; Iroko, a giant fancy for subsequent month’s Grand National; and Wodhooh, the winner of yesterday’s Mares’ Hurdle. More years than not, there’s a huge gamble on a JP McManus-owned runner, and this yr the money has duly arrived for the proprietor’s Kel Histoire, who was eighth throughout the road in the Grade One novice hurdle over two-and-a-half miles right here final yr and seems to have been primed very a lot with this race in thoughts. He is considered one of 5 Willie Mullins-trained runners, whereas Gordon Elliott, who has saddled 4 winners of this in the final 9 seasons, has 4, headed by Wendrock. Nicky Henderson’s East India Express can also be common, although, whereas Ben Pauling’s Fiercely Proud posted a good time when profitable in a aggressive handicap at Ascot in February and is a good each-way shot at round 16-1.
Selection: Fiercely Proud
Greg Wood
4.40 CHALLENGE CUP OPEN HUNTER CHASE, 3M 2F 70YD
The senior jockeys are completed with the festival as soon as the Gold Cup is in the e-book, however the remaining two occasions are huge targets for amateurs and conditionals and the hunter chase – the phrase “fox” was eliminated some time in the past – is first up. There are, as ever, some unfamiliar names among the many record of runners, riders and trainers, however few punters will care if they’ve hit the goal in the Gold Cup and this race has featured among the many hottest of the entire yr for betting functions in current seasons as backers re-invest their winnings. Panda Boy, a 10-year-old who was a giant fancy for the Grand National, no much less, as just lately as April 2024, will probably be a preferred decide, together with the JP McManus-owned Its On The Line, skilled by the pin-sharp Emmet Mullins and ridden by the clear decide of the beginner jockey ranks, Derek O’Connor. Con’s Roc and Wonderwall are two extra Irish-trained runners with an apparent probability, whereas the most effective of the Brits might properly be Barton Snow, from the native yard of the wonderful and under-rated John O’Shea, who saddled Go Ballistic to complete second at 66-1 in the 1999 Gold Cup.
Selection: Panda Boy.
Time flies – the day’s first race is about 25 minutes away. Here are the newest odds, through Oddschecker.
1.20 JCB Triumph Hurdle
Highland Crystal – 4/1
Selma De Vary – 5/1
Proactif – 5/1
Maestro Conti – 6/1
Minella Study – 6/1
Macho Man – 14/1
Minella Academy – 18/1
North Shore – 20/1
Apolon De Charnie – 22/1
Mon Creuset – 25/1
Bar 25/1
Greg Wood
4.00 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP CHASE, GRADE ONE, 3M 2F 70YD
And so to the massive one, and a race that would provide among the finest sporting tales of the yr if The Jukebox Man carries Harry Redknapp’s colors to glory. The kind is all there and it’s time for punters to decide on between the potential of horses like The Jukebox Man, Jango Baie and Gaelic Warrior as they step as much as three-and-a-quarter miles, the confirmed stamina Haiti Couleurs, already profitable in the National Hunt Chase right here in March 2025 and the Welsh Grand National in December, and a returning champion in Inothewayurthinkin, a formidable winner 12 months in the past however approach beneath that kind in the present marketing campaign. Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning, the winner of the two-and-a-half mile novice chase right here in 2024 when it was nonetheless a Grade One, is also in the combo if he can ditch his behavior of creating errors at an important stage.
Key kind:
G1 King George VI Chase, Kempton, 26 Dec 25 (The Jukebox Man, Jango Baie, Gaelic Warrior)
Welsh Grand National Handicap Chase, Chepstow, 27 Dec 25
G2 Cotswold Chase, Cheltenham, 24 Jan 26 (Grey Dawning, L’Homme Presse)
G1 Irish Gold Cup, Leopardstown, 2 Feb 26 (Gaelic Warrior)
Timeform Top-Rated: Gaelic Warrior.
Selection: The Jukebox Man.
Greg Wood
3.20 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICE HURDLE, GRADE ONE, 2M 7F 213YD
A race the place the most effective staying chasers of two or three years’ time typically poke their heads above the parapet – The Jukebox Man, as an example, was touched off two years in the past after leaping the final 4 lengths up – and there’ll certainly be a Grade One-winning chaser or two someplace in in the present day’s bumper 22-runner subject. It just isn’t at all times the apparent kind horses that come to the fore, nevertheless, and Minella Indo, the 2021 Gold Cup winner, was a 50-1 shot when he took this race two years earlier, whereas there have additionally been two 33-1 winners and two at 18-1 since 2018. The Irish problem appears to be like extraordinarily sturdy for this yr’s renewal, with Willie Mullins’s Doctor Steinberg positive to set off favorite to observe up his eight-length win in a Grade One at Leopardstown final time, and Thedeviluno, who was despatched over to Doncaster to win the River Don Novice Hurdle in February, additionally distinguished in the betting to present Paul Nolan a fifth festival winner. That pair takes out a good chunk of the e-book, however The Passing Wife, from the Gavin Cromwell steady, was much-improved for a step up in journey final time, whereas Espresso Milan, who began out in bumpers for Fergal O’Brien earlier than switching to Willie Mullins in spring 2025, additionally benefited from a stamina take a look at at Thurles in January.
Key kind:
G1 Novice Hurdle, Leopardstown, 2 Feb 26 (Doctor Steinberg)
G2 River Don Novice Hurdle, Doncaster, 24 Jan 26 (Thedeviluno)
Timeform Top-Rated: Doctor Steinberg.
Selection: Thedeviluno.
Greg Wood
2.00 COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE, 2M 179YD
The festival’s two-mile handicap hurdle ought to, in concept at the very least, be an opportunity for some smaller or mid-sized stables to have a crack at a festival winner, but it surely is likely one of the extra exceptional stats on the assembly that Peter Fahey’s Belfast Banter, in 2021, is the one County winner since 2014 that was not skilled by both Dan Skelton or Willie Mullins. Mullins has saddled seven of these winners – and 9 in the race general – whereas Skelton has despatched out 4, together with Superb Story, in 2016, who was the yard’s first festival winner. Mullins and Skelton three and two runners respectively in the present day, together with the highest two in the market, Karbau and Sinnatra, with Paul Townend and Harry Skelton booked to journey. Mullins sends Absurde, final seen working right into a creditable eighth place in the Melbourne Cup in November, as backup in a race he gained two years in the past, whereas Secret Squirrel, who has loads of first rate kind in prime handicaps with out ever getting a lot luck, is one other to think about fastidiously and has been common in the betting this morning.
Selection: Secret Squirrel
2.40 MARES’ CHASE, GRADE TWO, 2M 4F
This race has been monopolised by Irish-trained runners since its arrival on the festival schedule in 2021, with Willie Mullins taking three runnings and Colm Murphy and Gavin Cromwell nabbing one apiece. The residence staff have a really credible contender this yr, nevertheless, in Dan Skelton’s mare Panic Attack, who accomplished a uncommon double in two huge handicap chases, at Cheltenham and Newbury, in the early months of the season and stays unbeaten this season after a simple win in a Listed occasion in January. She is just second-favourite for this race, although, as Mullins’s Dinoblue, the winner 12 months in the past, is searching for a repeat success, whereas her stable-companion, Spindleberry, will probably be a live contender too if she is again to the shape that noticed her rack up a five-timer earlier than being pulled up in the Irish Gold Cup final time. Ben Pauling’s Diva Luna is one other British-trained runner with an opportunity, whereas Henry de Bromhead’s July Flower was a Grade Two winner right here in November and ran third behind the helpful Romeo Coolio when final seen in December.
Selection: Panic Attack.
Greg Wood
1.20 TRIUMPH HURDLE, GRADE ONE, 4YO, 2M 179YD
The conventional opening race on Gold Cup day has attracted a 20-runner subject for the primary time since 2012, and that’s thanks primarily to a sterling effort by Willie Mullins, who was pressured to rule out the ante-post favorite, Narciso Has, a few weeks in the past however nonetheless saddles no fewer than 9 runners as he makes an attempt to land the juvenile hurdling championship for the fifth yr in a row. The staff leaders, in accordance with the betting market at the very least, are Selma De Vary – a filly who completed runner-up behind Narciso Has in a Grade One on the Dublin Racing Festival – and Proactif, a big-money recruit to the JP McManus string who took a minor race at Fairyhouse on his steady debut in mid-January.
The favorite, although, is presently Gordon Elliott’s filly, Highland Crystal, unbeaten in three together with a slim defeat of Saratoga, Tuesday’s Fred Winter winner, in February. Irish stables have gained the final seven runnings of this contest, however the Brits are placing up a a lot better present all spherical at this yr’s festival and Minella Study, a snug winner over course and distance in December, goes to publish with a live probability to present his younger coach, Adam Nicol, a dream debut on the assembly. He beat the Fred Winter runner-up final trip and his monitor expertise is a giant plus, a remark that additionally applies to Dan Skelton’s Maestro Conti after his win right here on Trials day.
Key kind:
Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, Cheltenham, 13 Dec 25 (Minella Study, One Horse Town)
G2 Juvenile Hurdle, Leopardstown, 26 Dec 25 (North Shore)
Juvenile Hurdle, Fairyhouse, 14 Jan 26, 2m (Proactif)
G2 Triumph Hurdle Trial Juvenile Hurdle Trial, Cheltenham, 24 Jan 26 (Maestro Conti, One Horse Town)
G1 Juvenile Hurdle, Leopardstown, 2 Feb 26, (Selma De Vary)
Timeform Top-Rated: Minella Study.
Selection: Minella Study.
Here’s Greg Wood on the Gold Cup and way more because the festival attracts to a detailed:
Some early market movers for you:
Another non-runner because of the floor, confirmed by the Jockey Club: Hamlet’s Night is out of the William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (2.00). The going for in the present day is good to smooth, smooth in locations on the chase course, and smooth, good to smooth in locations on the hurdle course.
The Jockey Club assertion additionally features a rainfall replace: “There has been 240mm of rain since 1 January. There was 12mm in total yesterday (2mm during the afternoon and then 10mm overnight). The course was last watered on Wednesday night.”
Spillane’s Tower out of the Gold Cup
News: regardless of the 10mm rain in a single day and the official going being good to smooth, smooth in locations, the coach Jimmy Mangan has determined there’s not sufficient juice in the bottom for his horse Spillane’s Tower to run. Yesterday one other Irish handler Willie Mullins pulled Fact To File out of the massive race as he thought of the bottom at Cheltenham hadn’t received sufficient ease in it.
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Cheltenham on the ultimate day of the 2026 festival assembly, on what may very well be some of the memorable days right here for a lot of a yr if Harry Redknapp’s unbeaten chaser, The Jukebox Man, might give his common and high-profile proprietor the win in the chasing’s championship race: the Gold Cup.
The Jukebox Man is considered one of three horses that had been concerned in a blanket end to the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day – Jango Baie and Gaelic Warrior are the others – which might be presently vying for favouritism for the day’s function race. After loads of rain in a single day, in the meantime, assist can also be starting to develop behind Haiti Couleurs, the Welsh Grand National winner, whose stamina is assured.
Jon Pullin, the clerk of the course, reported this morning that the going at Cheltenham is now good-to-soft, smooth in locations on the chase monitor, after 10mm of rain in a single day, and it’s smooth, good-to-soft in locations on the hurdles course.
Pullin was additionally a visitor on ITV Racing’s The Opening Show programme this morning, responding to criticism of the bottom on Thursday by Willie Mullins, essentially the most profitable coach in festival historical past. Mullins urged that the monitor had not put on sufficient water earlier in the week after scratching Fact To File, the favorite and defending champion, from Thursday’s Ryanair Chase.
“It was disappointing for everyone that Fact To File didn’t run, Pullin said. “As far as the ground was concerned, it was good, good-to-soft in places, and we did 4mm of irrigation on Wednesday night into Thursday. It was safe ground as we wanted and we always knew we were going to get the rain we got last night.”
A subplot on in the present day’s card, in the meantime, is that the Prestbury Cup remains to be in the steadiness, for the primary time in a decade, with Ireland on 11 wins and the house staff having notched 10.
The Irish have blitzed by the Friday card a number of occasions in the previous, nevertheless, and Paddy Power nonetheless make the guests a 1-6 probability to finish the week in entrance, whereas a 14-14 tie is a 5-1 shot and the hosts are 9-1.
The motion on what’s now the second-biggest betting day of the yr behind the Grand National will probably be off and working at 1.20pm GMT with the Triumph Hurdle, the place Adam Nicol’s Minella Study, trained on the beach in the north-east of England, will look to get the British bandwagon rolling. And, as ever, each snippet of stories value realizing, plus outcomes, gambles and extra, will probably be right here on the weblog because the day unfolds.
