Cheltenham Festival 2025: East India Dock And Others Impress @RoadCheltenham

Cheltenham Festival Trials Day has been and gone and we’re now just six days out from the 2025 meeting. The antepost markets are taking shape for the Graded races and all eyes will be on the Dublin Racing Festival for more Cheltenham clues this weekend.

Did we see a Cheltenham Festival winner over the past seven days? It’s time to take a look back at the best of the jumps action as we move one step closer to those four days at Prestbury Park.

We start at Warwick and LAVENDER HILL MOB – once touted as quite possibly the best of James Owen’s juveniles this season – got off the mark over hurdles at the third time of asking. He has an official rating of 121 and would be of interest in the Fred Winter if his connections were to go down that route at the Festival.

THAT’S NICE might not be a Cheltenham horse but she looks a smart type and I cannot wait to see her over a fence in the future. She’s a strong travelling type and she is a tough one to get a grip on as she does most of her work on the bridle. Will she find anything when asked for maximum effort? Only time will tell.

I’m a huge fan of LEADER IN THE PARK and I’d say this horse has a fair bit in hand – he was always likely to improve for a fence and he’s taken to chasing like a duck to water. It sounds like Ben Pauling is going to aim him at the new novices’ handicap chase in March and he could be a live outsider in that race.

Fast forward to Thursday and Willie Mullins had a day to remember on Thyestes Chase day at Gowran Park. But we start with the Galmoy Hurdle and ROCKY’S DIAMOND could be progressing into a real Stayers Hurdle type. He’s improving with every run and he may be a dark horse in what looks like a weak division.

NICK ROCKETT has always threatened to win a big race and he bolted up in the feature race to give his owners an emotional success. Paul Townend rides Gowran Park better than anyone and he delivered his mount at the perfect time to prevail – it sounds like all roads lead to Aintree now for him and he’ll go there with a chance.

Mullins was back in the winner’s enclosure a short while after as the Closutton handler bagged a 1-2-3 in the Beginners Chase. QUAI DE BOURBON was the victor but I thought CHAPEAU DE SOLEIL and BLIZZARD OF OZ both ran big races and I expect all three to win plenty of races going forward.

Declan Queally had the winner of the bumper in CARRIGMOORNA BEECH and she falls into the ‘could be anything’ bracket. I know the Gordon Elliott team liked Reckless on his home work but he was comprehensively stuffed – the winner looked full of running at the finish and she’s one to keep onside for sure.

I wonder if LA PINSONNIERE is being lined up for a nice handicap in the spring – I was keen on her chances of developing into a decent novice this season but she was kept off the track until December after a busy enough French campaign. She’s had a couple of runs for Nicky Henderson now and I wonder if the Coral Cup may be on the agenda.

Meanwhile, PALLADIUM got the job done in the end but the €1.4 million purchase was workmanlike at best. He won but you’d hardly be blown away at the manner of his success and he’ll need to come on leaps and bounds in the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle if he is to take up his Triumph Hurdle engagement.

MELON has won two of his three races over hurdles and he’s an obvious contender for the Fred Winter, all being well. He has a rating of 119 and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t at least receive an entry for the juvenile handicap at the Festival. I’m not saying he’s going to go and win that race by any means but that’s certainly an option for him.

It was disappointing to see DIVA LUNA go down to CASTLE CARROCK at Sandown Park on Friday and it would be some shock to see her turn up in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle now let alone win it. It’s back to the drawing board with her and I wouldn’t be entirely shocked if Ben Pauling pulls up stumps for the season.

I’m not entirely sure where MEETMEBYTHESEA will run next but he is a horse I want to keep onside for the foreseeable future. He is clearly a supreme talent and I’d imagine he will be kept to calmer waters this season before taking in some of the bigger races next year. He’s a horse with a big engine and I can’t wait to see him over a fence.

JETARA pulled out a big performance on her first try over three miles to win the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares Hurdle at Doncaster and she’s a real dark horse in the Stayers Hurdle division for me. She’s a huge price at 66/1 for the race and if we knew she was going to line up here, I’d be tempted to back her as an each way play.

I mentioned JAGWAR as a potential Cheltenham Festival handicap plot a few months ago and he looks tailor-made for Prestbury Park. He had no bother with the course’s undulations and he will be a warm order for whichever race he lines up in. The novices’ handicap chase looks the race for him at this stage.

Lulamba isn’t going to have it all his own way in the Triumph Hurdle and EAST INDIA DOCK is a proper contender for James Owen. I was very taken by the manner of his success at Cheltenham on Saturday, he jumps well, he has a turn of foot and nothing seems to phase him. He will go there with a live chance.

STAGE STAR nearly pulled off the upset in the Cotswold Chase but L’HOMME PRESSE stayed on stoutly to prevail. Both horses emerged from the race with credit and there was a real dingdong battle in the closing stages. The former heads to Aintree for the Grade 1 Aintree Bowl while the latter will line up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

We didn’t learn all that much other than the fact that CONSTITUTION HILL is fit and well as he won the Grade 2 International Hurdle on the bridle. There was a heart in the mouth moment at the final hurdle but he got over safely to win from three lengths without being asked. All roads hopefully lead to the Champion Hurdle in March.

I thought GOWEL ROAD was impressive without being spectacular, though he is well worth a place in the Stayers Hurdle in March. MONMIRAL and BOTOX HAS are some way short of Grade 1 level but the winner did what he had to do and he’ll have his fans for the feature race of the Thursday at the Festival.

SIXMILEBRIDGE was excellent in the 2m4 Grade 2 Classic Novices’ Hurdle but he was given a fair hike in the weights. POTTERS CHARM was the disappointment of the race and he was dropped 1lb to a mark of 145 – opening up the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle should connections wish to go down that route.

Over in Ireland, AURORA VEGA was excellent when winning the Grade 3 Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle and I was thrilled for connections after a tough year since losing Facile Vega in the summer. Willie Mullins was lukewarm on the idea of Cheltenham for her and she may return to Fairyhouse in April for the Grade 1 Mares Novice Hurdle.

KAWABOOMGA paid a nice compliment to KOPEK DES BORDES ahead of the Dublin Racing Festival as he won what looked like a hot maiden hurdle on Saturday. He made light work of William Munny and Koktail Divin and connections suggested that he may step up in trip to 2m5f at Cheltenham.

There was some fantastic racing at Naas on Sunday and ANSWER TO KAYF got things off to an exciting start, bolting up to win the 2m4f novice handicap chase. He is now much higher in the weights though and that may scupper any plans of a trip over the water for a Festival handicap.

CHARLUS won but I wasn’t blown away by him and he’ll need to improve considerably to feature at the business end of a Triumph Hurdle. Meanwhile, ANZADAM did what he had to do and looked good when doing so but connections hinted that he may be kept back for the Grade 1 2m4f Aintree Hurdle rather than Cheltenham.

I thought DANCING CITY was excellent in the Grade 3 Novice Chase and he’ll be a live contender for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival. He jumped like a buck and cemented his status as a leading figure in that division – the softer the better for his chances. BIOLUMINESCENCE ran a huge race in second too and she’s my pick for the Mares' Chase at this stage.