CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 2 - 2026

Turner’s Novice Hurdle – 1:20 Cheltenham

NO DRAMA THIS END 4/1 generally – 1 POINT WIN (advised 9th January) odds now 5/1

BALLYFAD 11 generally – 0.5 POINTS E/W (4 places, 1/5 odds)

We have 2 selections in this race.
 

We locked in with NO DRAMA THIS END on the 9th January and frankly, I’m surprised he’s as big as 5/1 if truth be told. I was a little worried the ground was drying a bit too much but we had heavy rain here last night for an hour or so—nothing drastic, but given the rain we have had this winter, that rain will put a nice layer on top.

NO DRAMA THIS END has been electric this season, starting with a win at Cheltenham, followed by a Grade 2 win at Sandown and then a Grade 1 win in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.

Some will say he was not impressive in the Challow Hurdle but that was his 3rd run in six weeks. Besides, Harry Cobden didn’t have to touch him once with the whip, he did it easily in the end with plenty left in the tank.

I love that this has been the plan for some time, and Paul Nicholls has kept him out of action since the end of December to freshen him up. That for me tells the story. He knows he can achieve even more improvement out of the horse and it allows horses, especially novices, to grow physically and mentally.

NO DRAMA THIS END does everything with ease: he jumps, travels, and gallops. No doubt it will take a good one to beat him and I have seen worse 5/1 shots around….

I want one more on my side in this race as the Irish are always very dangerous. In fact they have won this race 9 out of the last 10 years. BALLYFAD is the one who ticks all the boxes. They were humming and harring about whether to go to the Supreme Novice Hurdle or here and I think they made the right choice. BALLYFAD was just touched off by Talk The Talk at the Dublin Racing Festival but showed great tenacity after the last hurdle to keep going all the way to the line. It was a run that screamed Turners Novice Hurdle and I am glad they came here in the end.

He led from the front that day and I would like to see that again. Although he jumps slightly to the right, he will get away with that. He combines speed and stamina, which is the sort of horse which wins the Turners Novice Hurdle. He is genuine and has a great attitude and will be thereabouts. The 13/2 on offer looks too big.

Bet MGM Handicap Hurdle – 2:40 Cheltenham

FARREN GLORY 20/1 generally – 0.5 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

IBERICO LORD 10/1 generally – 0.5 POINTS E/W (6 places, 1/5 odds)

We have two selections in this race. I must admit I was gutted to see Double Powerful miss the cut by a few horses in this race. I had lined him up for weeks and we were set at a huge price but that is Horse Racing. It was a non-runner no bet so we get our money back. 

This race is a bit of a minefield if truth be told so we will keep stakes to the minimum and select two selections who I think offer decent value.

None more so than FARREN GLORY. I was surprised to see Jack Kennedy not riding The Yellow Clay; instead, they are using a claimer who has not had a winner in his last 24 rides. I can see why they are using a claimer as he is rated 155 but my first impression tells me, they think he carries too much weight and are already skeptical going into the race. If Jack Kennedy were on board, I might have backed The Yellow Clay as that would be a bold statement but instead he rides FARREN GLORY.  Has Jack Kennedy chosen FARREN GLORY? Who knows but this is a huge positive for our selection. Let’s not forget FARREN GLORY is a former Grade 1 winner and probably would have been a double Grade 1 winner had he not fallen in the Tolworth and would have beaten Jongo Baie that day.

They messed around with him over fences last season which did not work out but this season he returned in January over hurdles, after 350 days off the track in a Grade 3. It was a decent enough return and he then followed this up with an excellent 3rd to Storm Heart at Gowran Park, last month. They carried the same weight that day yet today he is 3lb better off at the weights for a 2 length beating.

Storm Heart is 6/1 yet our selection is a huge 20/1.

Now with two runs under his belt after a 350-day layoff, you have to think this 3rd run of the season will see him 110% fit. 

I think he is a huge price and with 6 places on offer, he is outstanding value.

IBERICO LORD bounced back last time out at Kempton, winning the Lanzarote Hurdle in very impressive fashion to beat Double Powerful. I obviously like those form lines with Double Powerful, so with him not in the race, how can I not back IBERICO LORD?

His form declined last year and at the start of this season but he was back to his best last time out and Nicky Henderson clearly has him in peak health. 

He has not run him since as he clearly thinks he has him back to his best and has just been ticking him along to keep him in top form for this race. He is a horse who stays but he also has speed—a lethal weapon in a race like this. When in top form, IBERICO LORD finishes his races so well and I can see him powering up the Cheltenham Hill.

He is rated 144 so he would need a career best but he is only an 8-year-old, so he likely still has it in him.

The faster they go, the better he will travel and I think he has an outstanding chance. He is used to these big field handicaps. He has form around Cheltenham on this old course, having won the Greatwood Hurdle in 2023 and with The Yellow Clay in the field, he carries only 11st 3lb. 

Good Luck