We round up some of the gambles of the week at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and consider future prospects for some of the well-backed winners and losers.
Glory enhances reputation in defeat
Day one was littered with intriguing gambles, the money pouring in for Sober Glory ahead of the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Anyone involved in the plunge (9/2 from 14/1) can count themselves unlucky, a mistake at the final flight surely costing him more than the length and a half he was ultimately beaten by Old Park Star.
To be able to regather himself, while being bumped about by Mydaddypaddy on his outside, after losing so much momentum at what was clearly the most crucial part of the race was testament to this horse’s ability, and he looks destined for big things.
Connections remain at a loss as to why he failed to fire at Sandown earlier in the season, but he’d won his six other starts with the minimum of fuss and should be very hard to beat if turning out again at Aintree, even if Old Park Star is in attendance.
As for next season, he’ll hopefully be kept hurdling and inject some more life to the Champion Hurdle scene.
As eventual Fred Winter winner Saratoga went one way in the market, momentum gathered behind the two other JP McManus-owned horses in the race, the filly Manlaga and stablemate Mustang Du Breuil.
The latter had caught the eye when placed in his third qualifying run in against the older novices in last month’s Dovecote at Kempton and, having been 14/1 in the build-up to the race, his price was crushed right down and he went off the 7/2 favourite.
Racing in the second wave of horses in around eighth for the most part, Mustang Du Breuil jumped well barring a slight error at the fourth and he was in the clear out wide and still tanking on the downhill run to three-out.
He was asked to quicken after the next and got into fourth or fifth turning in, but his effort flattened out up the hill and Bowen wasn’t hard on him after the last. Perhaps he’ll be a bit fresher going to Aintree with a month between the meetings this year and he’s another not to be giving up on.
JP McManus enjoyed a birthday double on the day thanks to Saratoga and Johnnywho in the Ultima, but that’s no crumb of comfort for those who kept the faith with his Jagwar in the three-mile handicap.
And plenty of punters clearly did, the talented seven-year-old going off 3/1 favourite in the hands of Mark Walsh on his first attempt at the trip.
I’d backed him antepost for the Ryanair Chase prior to the Trials Day run, in which he didn’t impress everyone with his finishing effort when appearing content enough to run alongside Donnacha without going past.
I’m not sure the same can be said here but rather it was Jagwar’s clumsy jumping that let him down, something training team Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero have openly spoken about in the past. The in-running comment includes ‘not fluent 3rd, towards rear when mistake 8th, headway 13th, chased leaders after 3 out, not fluent next…’ which just about tells the story.
There’s a train of thought that suggests he could actually be more effective in a smaller-field Graded race (‘Would he have won the Ryanair Chase?’ – Ben Linfoot tackles that question among others here), but I suspect they’ll now roll the dice in the Grand National, where he’ll be able to brush through the top of the fences and arguably not lose as much ground at the obstacles.
He’s bred to stay all day long and still looks ahead of his mark which will no doubt be nudged up again for future assignments beyond Merseyside next month.
The other gamble of the Ultima was the Jane Williams-trained Knight Of Allen, 11/1 from 25/1 with Paddy Power but pulled-up after Ciaran Gethings lots his irons after a shuddering error. Look out for him trying to atone (on the Mildmay Course) at Aintree too.
The first Skelton handicap plunge of the week was never really in doubt and Harry Skelton suggested as much in his post-race interview when dissecting the Plate.
Madara had been beaten from the same mark (140) in his three previous starts, but he looked unlucky when a length second to Gemirande in the 2024 December Gold Cup and it was a long-term plan to get him in peak condition for this year’s Festival having spent the second half of last season on the sidelines.
An inquiry was held into the riding of the horse on his Wetherby comeback over two miles on December 27 (jockey Charlie Todd’s explanation was ‘noted’ by the Stewards), and it’s fair to suggest he didn’t have the kitchen sink thrown at him once Issam had got away when stepped back up in trip at Kempton last month.
Still only seven, he’ll rightly get hit hard by the handicapper now but it might be an error to assume that’s job done now for Madara, especially when you consider the remarkable achievements of his 10-year-old stable companion Panic Attack (same owners) this term.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Kurasso Blue went off 7/2 for the National Hunt Novices' Chase having been 20/1 but blundered his chances away before being pulled-up by Jack Kennedy.
Stay loyal to the Company?
From a bunch of gambles landed on day one to relatively thin gruel – barring Jingko Blue who won the BetMGM Cup at 9/2 (from 12/1) – for favourite-backers on Wednesday.
No Drama This End set the trend in the Grade 1s after trailing home in a fairly chaotic Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle. He was backed almost to the exclusion of most others, allowing the Willie Mullins-trained and Paul Townend-ridden winner King Rasko Grey to go off at 11/1.
Conditions may not have been ideal for Paul Nicholls’ Challow Hurdle winner, but the 5/2 favourite looked in bother following the far-from-satisfactory start, meeting trouble at every turn, and he was eventually pulled-up by Harry Cobden.
The Skeltons’ Bossman Jack, out of a sister to Denman, was the hokey-cokey horse in the Turners market having been backed initially before going off 18/1. He had too much to do from his early position out the back but, in fairness, had moved well into contention before a last-flight mistake did for him.
There will be other days for him, likewise Declan Queally's I'll Sort That (15/2 from 25/1) who was embroiled in the well-documented problems just before the off.
This year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase attracted a large field and while disappointing favourite Romeo Coolio was very solid at the head of the betting (9/4 from 5/1), Final Demand (7/2) was arguably the story of the market.
As big as 6/1 overnight, he proved popular in the first-time tongue-tie and ran accordingly, just unable to reel in Kitzbuhel (clearly not without support himself at 10/1 from 25s in places) following a much better display of jumping than was the case at the DRF.
Final Demand won his G1 novice hurdle by 16 lengths on yielding ground at Punchestown last May and maybe the decent conditions also helped spark a revival as there was definitely more of a spring in his step. He remains a genuine Gold Cup prospect but Kitzbuhel is clearly made of stern stuff to make all in a Brown Advisory and there’s a chance he’s just improved past his more talked-about stablemate.
Subsequent Grade 1 winners Romeo Coolio and No Drama This End have been beaten in the past two Champion Bumpers and this year’s renewal (replay below) could easily produce the goods again.
Keep Him Company was the one for money, sent off 4/1 joint-favourite alongside Love Sign d’Aunou having been 8s overnight, but he wasn’t seen to best effect due to the speed test that ensued.
Keep Him Company is out of a Dom Alco mare who also produced three-mile winning mare Hana Collonges and while he’d won on good to yielding ground at Leopardstown, more ease underfoot will suit better in time.
He was just hanging slightly under Jack Kennedy on the downhill run, before being squeezed for room on the bend, and he wasn’t asked any serious questions once his chance evaporated in the matter of a few strides.
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Wicked switch of the West
Thursday was a strange old day, Willie Mullins and JP McManus scratching their chins having walked the course before withdrawing Fact To File, punters left to scratch their heads following wins at 40/1 and 33/1 for White Noise and Home By The Lee in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle respectively.
There was respite, for Gordon Elliott at least, as Wodhooh justified odds-on favouritism with a battling success from Jade De Grugy (2/1 from 100/30) in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, while Heart Wood downed the popular Jonbon in the Ryanair Chase, but best-backed horse of the day was undoubtedly Supremely West, who came up with the goods for Skelton fans in the Pertemps Final.
The stable’s second winner of the week containing an official inquiry in the formbook from earlier in the season, he was given a strange ride around the inside of the track here during the November meeting (the outside appeared the place to be for the most part), not long after his Pertemps qualification third behind Ma Shantou at the Showcase in October.
He’d come down 3lb in the weights following another couple of unplaced efforts, including over an inadequate trip at Aintree on Boxing Day, and the well-hatched plan paid off in spades as he won cosily from a bunch of longshots in the three-miler.
“Him and Madara we thought had a bit in hand,” Skelton reflected as the gloom set in on day three, while a sharper mind than mine was already wondering what mark Supremely West might have come next year’s Pertemps Final.
Jack Richards sixth Slade Steel (5/1 joint-favourite from 11/1) and staying-on Kim Muir fourth Kim Roque (9/2 from 9/1) were two other Thursday gambles which didn't pan out quite as well, with all six handicap chases at the Festival barring the Cross Country won by British-based horses.
The home team also won out in the handicap hurdles, only the Fred Winter and Martin Pipe going the way of the raiders.
Kar will motor through the mud
There was a decent battle on for favouritism ahead of Friday's JCB Triumph Hurdle, with Proactif eventually edging in from Highland Crystal. They both raced freely within the leading group but Proactif was just bumped along for a stride after the fifth flight and he then got tapped for toe before getting squeezed for room by stablemates Forty Fifty and (eventual winner) Apolon De Charnie.
Proactif had beaten the quietly-ridden Apolon De Charnie when the pair of them debuted over hurdles at Auteuil last September and he'd obviously looked the part when winning on his first start in Ireland at Fairyhouse in January. It would be no surprise to see Proactif prove himself to be a quality operator back on easier conditions.
Another Mullins favourite in the County Hurdle, with Paul Townend happy to take up his first handicap ride of the week on Karbau, but he was a touch one-paced in sixth after travelling with menace for much of the race. This didn't quite fall into his lap like County Hurdles are prone to do but he ran a very nice race and, once again, the ground looked lively enough for the Mullins first-string.
He smacks of a Graded horse in the making after just eight career starts, six over hurdles.
East India Express was all the rage for the concluding Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (replay below), halving in price and going off the 4/1 favourite, but Freddie Gordon endured a torrid time of things on Nicky Henderson's horse and got caught up in traffic.
Not quite to the same extent as Jump Allen, however, Anna McGuinness having to come from a near impossible position and dodge weakening rivals, fallers and the lot en route to a considerably eyecatching third. Compensation awaits this progressive seven-year-old.
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