Cheltenham Festival handicap entries: Who stands out among the Irish runners?

Constitution Hill has been hogging all the headlines this week, but in amongst all the will-he, wont-he stories and the now usual spate of abandonments, there have been plenty of other things happening in the racing world this week. Not least, of course, the release of the handicap entries for the Cheltenham Festival.

Things will become much clearer next week after this year’s edition of BHA handicapper bingo - where the bespoke handicap marks allotted to the Irish horses are unveiled - but, for now, let’s look at some of the names that stood out.

The first handicap of the week has traditionally been an excuse for Irish punters to grab a hot beef roll and a pint of Guinness as one must go all the way back to Dun Doire in 2006 to find the last Irish-trained winner of the Ultima.

However, they will have to wait an extra forty minutes for their libations this year as the recent re-jigging of the running order sees the Fred Winter promoted to race three on Tuesday. The Irish have dominated the juvenile handicap hurdle in recent years and with just over half of the 65 entered coming from Ireland, there must be a strong chance that a ninth win in a row is in the offing.

Saratoga, a half-brother to the same connections 2022 winner Brazil, has caught plenty of eyes in his brief career over obstacles so it is no surprise to see him towards the head of the ante-post market. Munsif showed a similar level of ability to Saratoga on the Flat and is another who remains open to improvement over hurdles. Charles Byrnes’s charge would be very interesting if the ground dries out.

Selma de Vary is the most interesting of the Willie Mullins-trained trio but seems more likely to contest the Triumph, which is also an option for Gordon Elliott’s Mange Tout. Joseph O’Brien has won the last two renewals and the progressive Kizlyar looks his best chance of completing the hat-trick.

Blaze The Way, a winner at this track in December, has been given a mark of 146 which puts him above the ceiling for the National Hunt Chase so is likely to take his chance in the Ultima, as is The Short Go who will be hoping to better last year’s fifth-place finish.

All five of Joseph O’Brien's Cheltenham Festival winners have come in handicap hurdles but he has a couple of very interesting entries in the chases this year. Kim Roque shaped well for a long way in the Leopardstown Chase at the DRF and will warrant plenty of respect in either the Kim Muir or the Golden Miller, while Brave Fortune won’t be without a chance wherever he turns up (entered in the National Hunt Chase, Ultima and Kim Muir).

Backmeorsackme gained an overdue first success over obstacles at Leopardstown last time (replay below) and has run well around at this track in the past. Personally, I’d like to see him take his chance in the National Hunt Chase but he is also in the Ultima, whilst another with multiple entries is Iceberg Theory who looked one to follow when winning with a bit to spare on his most recent start at Cork in November.

Kopeck De Mee, the darling of many a Cheltenham preview evening around this time last year, will be bidding for redemption in either the (artist formerly known as Coral) Cup handicap hurdle or the County, races his trainer is likely to be mob-handed in. Murcia, who caught the eye at Leopardstown last time, is another from that yard who is likely to be short-list material in whatever race they choose to run her, especially if the ground dries out.

There are no big surprises in the Cross-country chase, but I wasn’t expecting to see Captain Guinness – a former Champion Chase winner who has never run in a handicap – among the entries for the Grand Annual. While that would be a great story, if Henry de Bromhead is to add to his tally in Festival handicap chases it is more likely to come courtesy of a less-exposed sort. Zurich, Waterford Whispers and Koktail Divin all fit that particular bill.

McLaurey has been on my radar for the Golden Miller for a while now but current odds of around 10/1 make no great appeal, but 16/1 about Yeah Man in the Pertemps Final could be tempting, depending on what sort of mark the British handicapper decides to award him.

With the Martin Pipe confined to horses rated 145 of less, it is difficult to know for certain what is going to get into the race at this stage. The Passing Wife, for example, is likely to be right on the bubble given he is currently rated 139 in Ireland, but a pair that should get in are Roc Dino and Sa Fureur. The former has chased home Mighty Park and El Cairos in his two starts since joining Willie Mullins whilst the latter, runner-up to Impaire Et Passe in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran last weekend, holds entries over both fences and hurdles but is significantly lower in the weights over the smaller obstacles.

Published at 15:05 GMT on 19/02/26

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