Matt Brocklebank shines a light on some of the less-talked-about horses from smaller yards in his final Handicap Hints column ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.
It can’t be easy being a trainer this time of year. Nor any time of year for that matter, but Cheltenham brings its own extra layers of tension, I would imagine. And seeing the lorryloads of top-class horses rolling into Prestbury Park plastered with the names of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry De Bromhead is intimidating enough for the casual observer during Festival week - imagine being in direct competition with these outfits.
Dan Skelton is clearly odds-on to get over the line in this year’s trainers’ title in Britain and he’s got the financial backing, facilities and incredible team of advisors, riders and staff around him in order to give it a right good rattle at Cheltenham next week as well.
Skelton has got a runner in the four major championship races thanks to The New Lion, L’Eau Du Sud, Kabral Du Mathan and Grey Dawning (I’m still not sure I agree with the Ryanair taking the prime 16:00 slot away from the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on the Thursday), while he’s also responsible for heavily-supported favourites in the Festival Plate (Madara), BetMGM Cup (Kateira), Grand Annual (Be Aware), Pertemps Final (Supremely West) and Martin Pipe (A Pai De Nom).
He's got a Sky Bet Supreme contender, a couple in the Albert Bartlett, even more than that in the Champion Bumper as things stand, plus arguably the neatest jumper in the Mares’ Chase in the shape of reimagined 10-year-old Panic Attack.
And you can back Dan Skelton at 16/1 to be leading trainer at the 2026 Festival, such is the might of the team at the disposal of Mullins, who is as short as 1/7 to clear off with the gong for the 12th time in his career.
Elliott is around 6/1 and Nicky Henderson double that at 12s, so is there no romance left at jumping's ‘Olympic games’ these days? I’d wager Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore, Rebecca Curtis, Cian Collins, Oliver Greenall and Paul Nolan would beg to differ, and full credit to each one of them for registering a winner at the 2025 meeting.
The one thing they had in common…? They all won handicaps. Which has obviously lead me to trying to unearth the next Jazzy Matty, Daily Present or Myretown.
My first cab off the rank in terms of someone who could punch well above their weight next week is Faye Bramley, who has just two-dozen horses in training according to the BHA website and has sent out nine winners from 58 runners (16% strike-rate) since taking out her licence last spring. A promising start.
Bramley has the ex-Mullins Stattler entered for the Hunters’ Chase, with considerably younger stable star Winston Junior well in the mix for either the Fred Winter or the Triumph Hurdle. But Walking On Air might be the one to spring a surprise after featuring among the 24 six-day acceptors for Tuesday's National Hunt Chase.
He arrived at his current yard from Nicky Henderson, via a largely forgettable season with Gary Brown, and gave a first indication that he’s coming back to form when third in first-time cheekpieces at Doncaster on January 24 (vet reported he lost a shoe in the run). Rated 127, he’s competing off a mark 11lb lower than when fifth in the 2023 Pertemps Final for Henderson and shouldn’t be overlooked here at 16/1 and bigger.
Walking On Air isn’t the only ex-Henderson runner who appears to be ghosting into the big meeting on a fairly tempting mark.
County Meath trainer Ian Donoghue, elder brother of jockey Keith and another trainer with around 25 horses currently, apparently had pretensions of guiding Break My Soul towards a shot at the Arkle after her smart chasing debut win at Gowran in November, so the fact she’s getting into the Grand Annual with 10-9 on her back off a BHA mark of 136 has to be quite appealing.
And it’s not like the wheels have come off since Gowran, either. Being well held by Kala Conti and Romeo Coolio in Graded races at Cork and Leopardstown shouldn’t be held against the mare, and I thought she shaped well when second to a resurgent Pure Steel at Punchestown last month. That one goes for the Grade 1 novice over the intermediate trip at Fairyhouse by all accounts, so Break My Soul may have done well to get within 12 lengths, especially if it was primarily a tee-up job into the spring Festivals.
Her Irish hurdles mark is currently 140 which strongly suggests she’s one who may have slipped through the British handicappers' net.
Honourable mentions to Chris Gordon with Electric Mason in the Pertemps Final, Olly Murphy who has Booster Bob in the Plate and Wade Out in the NH Chase, plus Fergal O’Brien with his Grade 1 winner (!) Sixmilebridge gunning for glory in the Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase. It’s a matter of time before all three of those trainers register a maiden Cheltenham Festival winner, although it does feel like I’ve been writing that sentence for quite a while now.
But final word to Gary Hanmer, with 23 officially in training at his Cheshire yard and just the one bullet to fire at Cheltenham next week – Minella Rescue who is far from a no-hoper on drying ground in the Martin Pipe.
No matter how many winners the powerhouse yards have racked up by the 28th and final race of next week’s Festival, and regardless of the rather silly ‘scoreline’ between Britain and Ireland, a win for someone like Hanmer would definitely be good for the soul. And good news for the health of the Festival in general.
Published at 16:20 GMT on 04/03/26
Handicap Hints series
- Kateira dropped to Langer Dan's famous mark (26/03/26)
- Yeah Mark mark bound to spark debate (18/02/26)
- Kempton prize in Skelton sights (12/02/26)
- Who qualified for Festival handicaps at the DRF? (04/02/26)
- Quebecois, Bold Endeavour & Only By Night worth noting (28/01/26)
- Let It Rain for Milldam (21/01/26)
- Grand plans not necessarily for the better (14/01/26)
- Imperial Saint well-treated horse (07/01/26)
- In d’Or, Fiercely Proud & O’Connell (10/12/25)
- Regent's Stroll a long-term project (03/12/25)
- Keep tabs on Navajo Indy (26/11/25)
- Not all Bad for Pauling (19/11/25)
- Johnny be good fit for Becher (12/11/25)
- De Bromhead improver in Paddy Power 05/11/25)
- Introducing the column (22/10/25)
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
