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Jagwar on his way to victory at Cheltenham

Jagwar (near side): favourite for the novices' handicap chase

Key market movers for Cheltenham following Trials Day

By Tony McFadden

Horse Racing

Sun January 26, 2025 · 2M ago

We round up the main market movers in the Cheltenham Festival betting in the last week.

Turners Novices' Hurdle

Sixmilebridge (16/1 from 66/1)

The concluding Grade 2 novice hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday had looked like a good opportunity for the previously unbeaten Potters Charm to underline his Festival credentials but he was comfortably brushed aside by Sixmilebridge.

Potters Charm had won a Grade 1 at Aintree on his previous outing while Sixmilebridge had been operating in much calmer waters and had a maiden win at Leicester and a novice success at Huntingdon to nis name over hurdles. However, Sixmilebridge proved well up to the stiffer task and stayed on strongly to win by eight and a half lengths.

Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

Dancing City (5/1 from 7/1)

Dancing City proved prolific last season, winning Grade 1s at the Dublin Racing Festival, Aintree's Grand National meeting and the Punchestown Festival to establish himself as Timeform's highest-rated staying novice hurdler. He was also third in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Dancing City had made an assured start over fences when landing a beginners' chase at Punchestown last month and he took the next step forward by decisively following up in Grade 3 company at Naas (replay below).

He was trimmed for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, a race in which his trainer, Willie Mullins, holds a strong hand as he's also responsible for the 7/2 favourite Ballyburn.

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Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Aurora Vega (16/1 from 33/1)

Mullins had won seven of the 11 previous renewals of the Solerina Novices' Hurdle since the race was upgraded to Grade 3 status and he enhanced his fine record with Aurora Vega.

Aurora Vega, a daughter of six-time Cheltenham Festival winner Quevega, showed improved form to make it three wins from four starts over hurdles, though Mullins revealed the Grade 1 at Fairyhouse's Easter Festival could be her primary objective.

Novices' Handicap Chase

Jagwar (6/1 from 12/1)
Answer to Kayf (14/1 from 20/1)

The Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase has been a key pointer to the Cheltenham Festival and in the last decade Mister Whitaker, Simply The Betts and Stage Star all went on to do the Trials Day and Festival double.

The latest winner of the Timeform, Jagwar, now finds himself at the head of the betting for the novice handicap chase which is back on the Festival programme for the first time since 2020.

The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival also tends to provide a strong piece of form and Answer To Kayf was an excellent fourth in last year's edition. He stepped up on his two previous efforts over fences when back in handicap company at Naas on Sunday, running out a wide-margin winner.

Jagwar and Answer To Kayf were also cut for the Festival Plate and are a similar price to the novice handicap.

Stayers' Hurdle

Rocky's Diamond (20/1 from 50/1)

Rocky's Diamond had seemingly shown much-improved form when third in the Savills Hurdle at Leopardstown on only his fifth start over hurdles and he proved there was no fluke about that display with a performance of similar merit which was enough to win the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park on Thursday.

There's not a great deal of strength in depth to the stayers' division and, while he still has a way to go, the progressive Rocky's Diamond has a different profile to most of the contenders.

Triumph Hurdle

East India Dock (7/2 from 6/1)

East India Dock had been overtaken at the head of the Triumph Hurdle betting the previous weekend following Lulamba's stylish success at Ascot on his first start for Nicky Henderson.

However, East India Dock offered a reminder of his quality - and how he's the pick on form in the division - by registering his second wide-margin success at Cheltenham. That was the useful Flat handicapper's third win from as many starts over hurdles.

Mares' Chase

Bioluminescence (6/1 from 8/1)

Bioluminescence was ultimately unable to go with Dancing City up the run-in at Naas on Sunday but there was no shame in that up against a multiple Grade 1-winning novice hurdler who she was meeting on unfavourable terms.

She arguably enhanced her reputation in defeat and was trimmed as a consequence for the Mares' Chase which her connections won last season with Limerick Lace.

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