A delay to the last after 'holegate'

Cheltenham Festival Trials Day: A view from the sofa

By Graham Cunningham

Horse Racing

Sun January 25, 2026 · 1h ago

Graham Cunningham gets his popcorn and sits down in front of the tele for the afternoon with ITV and Racing TV's coverage under the microscope.

Sinking feeling as Sea trials end in sadness

The New Lion on his way to Unibet Hurdle victory

Full disclosure, I’ve watched precious little racing on terrestrial telly since the C4 team I was part of got the flick at the end of 2016.

Nothing against the current crew – which includes valued pals and colleagues – but stalking former partners is generally best avoided and RTV tends to be my go-to channel.

But you can’t scribble a ‘View from the Sofa’ for Britain’s biggest Festival dress rehearsal without boarding the good ship ITV.

And you can’t watch a vibrant young star like SIR GINO hobble out of a big race without resorting to a playbook of worthy responses that just never seem remotely adequate.

A sombre Richard Hoiles says: “A race that promised so much is likely to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.”

A subdued Harry Skelton shakes his head atop The New Lion and says “sport can be cruel now,” while brother Dan looks shaken while adding “we just didn’t need that.”

The phrases carry a very familiar ring because I’ve used most of them in similar circumstances down the years.

Ruby’s contention that “athletes get injured in every sport the world over” isn’t going to cut any ice with a wider sporting audience but maybe things aren’t so bleak as they seem.

News that Sir Gino has walked onto the horse ambulance creates a welcome shaft of light and, for the moment, it’s best to hope for the best and separate fact from opinion.

THE NEW LION has punched his Champion Hurdle ticket by quickening better, though not much better, than Nemean Lion and Brentford Hope in a slowly run Unibet Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson confirms he can still treat twin imposters just the same by giving the public a full, misty-eyed explanation of his rising star’s predicament.

And as the runners leave the paddock for the Cleeve Hurdle, thoughts return to the start of an afternoon that promised so much and delivered on several very different, dramatic levels.

Chappers boxing clever

It’s 12.45 in the Cheltenham paddock and some big guns are on deck as Cap’n Ed and crew set sail into choppy waters.

Captain Ed Chamberlin has his hand on the tiller as Commander Walsh asserts that “Sir Gino could be the best NH horse in training.”

Loyal Seven Barrows Lieutenant Fitz concurs, shrugging off a microphone issue to deliver a well-rehearsed Traitors line before giving a strong word for 15/2 River Don winner Thedeviluno.

And then, as a gusty wind sends notes flying, here comes ‘YouTube Personality Calfreezy.’

No, I don’t know much about this lanky, jacketless youth either, but ITV’s brief is to cast the promotional net as wide as possible.

But forget the moustachioed Mr Freezy, who seems to have 4.5m YouTube followers, largely for guzzling various types of grub without even signing off with a BOSH!

CHAPPERS IS HERE, chumming it up with the Jagwar team - and for some reason, the naval vessel I’m suddenly thinking of isn’t HMS ITV but the Unsinkable Boxer.

Jagwar comes up short for Jonjo jnr

The ship’s gathering steam now.

JAGWAR trades at 1.1 in running before ending up on the wrong end of a sustained duel with Donnacha that has a couple of notable dad and lad undercurrents.

Winning rider James Davies looks uncannily like his Grand National winning old man Hywel as he chats with Officer Cadet Leonna on the way back to the winner’s enclosure.

However, it’s hard not to spare a thought for Jonjo junior, not so much for missing out on a big Saturday pot by a head but more for the suspicion that his giant ally Jagwar might have a certain H Cobden at the controls come the Festival.

Ruby’s £20 Challenge bet cops as Feet Of A Dancer wins at Donny and, with Cheltenham conditions less demanding than feared, Cap’n Ed throws to Chappers and a break with the news that “GREY DAWNING runs in the Cotswold Chase.”

Tower stands tall as Dawning takes a kicking

Spillane's Tower on his way to Cotswold Chase success

He does so with Paul Nicholls chiming in from afar to describe him as “an absolute certainty” and with Dan Skelton telling Chip Chap to “take advantage, not offence” when quizzed about unease in the market.

But he does so with Ruby saying he would prefer to take 11/4 about SPILLANE’S TOWER than 10/11 about the jolly and after taking a hefty kick from Jimmy Mangan’s gelding just before the start.

A deflated Dan doesn’t make a thing of it – and nor do the ITV team – and I suspect Grey Dawning’s defeat owes much more to the fact that he is ridden for speed in a slowly run race and asked to run down two rivals who are accelerating hard ahead of him.

But defeat it is and, for all that Grey Dawning is almost certainly better than this, his Gold Cup hopes are clearly bruised.

The rejuvenated Spillane’s Tower has plainly polished his prospects – and woolly hats off to the magnificent Mangan – but he’s been driven right out to beat the eleven-year-old L’Homme Presse by three parts of a length while receiving 6lb.

And it would come as a surprise if we don’t see a more convincing Gold Cup marker laid down in Leopardstown next week.

You can seduce some of the people….

Ma Shantou powers clear in the Cleeve

MA SHANTOU has come a long way since finishing seventh in last year’s Albert Bartlett and, for all that he receives 6lb from Impose Toi in the Cleeve, his runaway success fans hopes that Emma Lavelle has found the heir to Paisley Park’s staying crown.

Jon Pullin’s pointed stick is much in evidence as a deep hole is discovered in the home straight before the intended nightcap.

A farcical deputation situation is covered with typical detail and understanding by Lydia, Stewart and the rest of the RTV team and a few random thoughts occur as the finale concludes with an indecipherable photo finish that resembles two black cats in a coalhole.

Ruby remains streets ahead of most analysts, with all of Roy Keane’s edge yet less of his jaded cynicism.

Yes, his old school attitude to injury and worse doesn’t dovetail with modern sensibilities but he seldom misses a trick and it was fascinating to hear him break down “one of the greatest minds in sport” after Jack Kennedy excelled on Favori De Champdou in the Cross Country Chase.

Chapman irritates immensely on occasion, but he works in tight windows far better than most and, barring some understandable awkwardness in the wake of the Sir Gino incident, this came across as a solid show staged under trying circumstances.

Back on RTV, Pullin studiously avoids saying ‘we are looking into it’ in relation to Holegate and Lydia delivers a typically punchy payoff by saying “this has been a fantastic day’s racing, and it didn’t deserve to end like this.”

And maybe it didn’t deserve to start like this, either.

The phone beeps with a message from an old pal.

‘My bro is fuming as ITV racing gave away the Traitors result with no spoiler alert,’ he laments.

I’m afraid that’s showbiz, mate.

Or to put it another way, you can seduce some of the people some of the time...

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