Our form expert has four selections for the second day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
The Verdict: Wednesday March 12
1pt win Dancing City in 2.00 Cheltenham at 11/2 (William Hill, Unibet)
1pt e.w. Jipcot in 2.40 Cheltenham at 20/1 (Coral, 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt win The Goffer in 3.20 Cheltenham at 20/1 (General)
1pt win JPR One in 4.40 Cheltenham at 10/1 (General)
Tizzard can be number One
Cheltenham Festival week started in average fashion for JP McManus with his Majborough only third in the Arkle on day one but he landed the Fred Winter with Puturhandstogether and he can continue his winning spree on day two.
Dan Skelton’s The New Lion faces a tough task in the opening Turners Novices’ Hurdle against Final Demand and The Yellow Clay, but the unbeaten six-year-old has gears and that could be the defining factor against two horses who might be future three-milers.
Later on JP’s Jonbon will bid to collect his first Cheltenham Festival trophy after defeats in the Supreme Novices’ and Arkle on his previous goes when he will attempt to justify favouritism in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase.
This race has been a graveyard for favourites in recent years but if he can continue to behave himself in the preliminaries then on this season’s form he really should have the beating of the Irish challenge.
I’ll leave those two Grade Ones alone, but Jonbon form is on show in the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase and I’m hoping class can prevail with top-weight JPR ONE.
Joe Tizzard’s horse has looked better than ever this season following wind surgery and a strongly-run two miles back in handicap company on decent ground could be just the ticket for him.
He has raced keenly on occasions in the small-field graded races he has been contesting, but he's a strong traveller who really should be suited by the blood and thunder of a Grand Annual.
Giving weight to a bunch of plot horses might well be a tough task, but he looks right on the verge of being able to mix it at the top level and a mark of 156 gives him a chance.
I think his claims are enhanced on the livelier conditions, his opening win of the season in the Haldon Gold Cup, when giving 2lb to the now 166-rated Djelo, coming on good ground at Exeter. Venetia Williams’ horse went off 7/4 and goes well fresh, so it looks form to take seriously even if Djelo does need further.
Then came the run behind Jonbon in the Tingle Creek, an excellent 10-length third at Sandown on soft ground a very good effort from JPR One with his Grand Annual task in mind, while he ran like he just needed his Game Spirit outing after two months off.
Colin Tizzard used the same Newbury race as a prep for his Grand Annual winner Oiseau De Nuit back in 2011 and if JPR One comes on for that run as expected he could lay down a bold challenge under Brendan Powell.
The Verdict: Back JPR ONE in the 4.40 Cheltenham
City slicker in the Brown Advisory
Willie Mullins’ Ballyburn will be all the rage in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and he does have the best form in the race both over hurdles and fences, so you can see why.
However, while he’s a former pointer who is bred for a trip, he has never been this far under Rules and he has been keen over fences over shorter on a couple of occasions already this season.
I think there’s a chance he doesn’t race efficiently up another three furlongs and I can’t help but think his stablemate DANCING CITY is a bigger threat than 11/2 odds imply.
He was a three-time Grade One-winning hurdler over staying trips himself, his five-and-a-half-length Aintree verdict over The Jukebox Man ageing particularly well, and he’s taken to fences like a natural.
I loved how he jumped at Naas last time when he defeated Bioluminescence and while he might’ve ideally wanted a wetter week he handled good to yielding ground well enough when winning at Punchestown last spring.
His strong suit is his stamina and Danny Mullins will likely kick on early in a bid to utilise that asset to the maximum, which should make for compelling viewing.
The Verdict: Back DANCING CITY in the 2.00 Cheltenham
Jonjo's Jipcot up for the Cup
The Coral Cup could be the perfect race for Jonjo & AJ O’Neill’s JIPCOT and he’s worth an each-way bet at 20/1.
With 26 lining up and a handful of front runners in the contest we know what we’re getting here in terms of pace and that’s why the O’Neill’s have plumped for this race over the Pertemps which he is qualified for.
The six-year-old has the gears for this trip as he showed when winning over the extended 2m4f at Newbury in December where he bolted up from some good handicappers including subsequent winner Mr Bramley.
He has run well twice in defeat over three miles subsequently, travelling well on both occasions, but a hell-for-leather gallop over 2m5f promises to suit him better.
Kielan Woods, twice a winner of the Grand Annual, gets on well with him and granted a bit of luck in-running given his hold-up style he could give them all a race from his light weight.
The Verdict: Back JIPCOT in the 2.40 Cheltenham
Cross word for Gordon’s Goffer
Finally, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is a more appealing contest now it’s a handicap again and that tweak alone gives the rest a chance, in theory, against Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown.
He’s up 8lb following his win over this track at the December meeting, where he cruised between horses under Keith Donoghue to win with plenty in hand.
Still, an official rating of 157 asks a new question of him and Gordon Elliott’s second string THE GOFFER gets a 12lb pull at the weights for being beaten 16 lengths that day in what looked a bit of a sighter.
It wouldn’t be the first time Elliott, who has won this race five times, has used one of the earlier season Cross Country races at Cheltenham as a prep ahead of the big one at the Festival and while he was well beaten, he was never put in the race and ran on quite nicely for seventh.
A spin over the Punchestown banks in heavy ground in February finalised his preparations and he’s a horse that goes well on better conditions, as his wins at Thurles and Leopardstown over fences suggest.
He’s a bit of a Festival regular having run at the last three and at the last two he has been fourth in the Ultima off 149 when sent off 7/1 and fifth in the same race off 147 when sent off 9/2.
This might well be a slightly different discipline, but he’s still only eight and he must have a chance off what is effectively a mark of 139 at this trip on better ground with Sean Bowen taking over in the saddle.
The Verdict: Back THE GOFFER in the 3.20 Cheltenham
Preview posted at 1530 GMT on 11/03/25
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