Cheltenham Festival 2025: Skelton Star Steals The Spotlight
The clocks have gone back and the first Cheltenham meeting of the season has been and gone, with racing fans now well and truly in jumps mode as we gear up for winter.
It was great to see racing back at HQ and the Showcase Meeting is always a key event on the equine calendar. While Chepstow marks the start of the jumps season, there’s nothing quite like the return to Prestbury Park.
Here, I look back at the best of the action over the past seven days – and there were a number of impressive performances that caught my attention as we take another step forwards on the Road to Cheltenham...
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ASIAN STAR had some excellent bumper form last season, finishing behind the likes of Anno Power and Gale Mahler, and she looks a useful type for the Dan Skelton yard. She is a half-sister to Supreme Novices Hurdle fourth Asian Master and she looked to have plenty in hand at Southwell last Wednesday.
We saw JOHNNYWHO make a superb start to life over fences at Carlisle on Thursday, toying with his rivals while winning on the bridle. It was an incredible performance for a chase debutant, with precise jumping throughout and he put the race to bed with the minimum of fuss.
SHECOULDBEANYTHING has been much improved since going chasing and she is now 3-4 over fences. Her main market rival Space Tourist jumped out to her left but I’m not sure she’d have won anyway if truth be told. It’ll be interesting to see how Gordon Elliott’s mare will fare in better company this winter.
LA MARQUISE did everything wrong yet still managed to win at Ludlow on Thursday and that is the sign of a good horse. Her jumping was clumsy at best and she raced lazily at times but there’s no doubting her engine and will to win, as she held off £100,000 buy Kalium to make a winning start over hurdles.
WYENOT won the first Cheltenham race of the 2024/25 season and gave a nice form boost to last year’s Mares Novice Hurdle winner Golden Ace while doing so. The Henry Daly-trained mare is a consistent type and benefited from front-running tactics under a confident ride from Alice Stevens.
He made hard work of it but PATH D’OROUX got off the mark over fences at the 11th time of asking, beating the rallying Jazzy Matty who was arguably hard done by after doing the donkey work for most of the race. He was placed in several lucrative handicaps last year and he could be lined up for another big pot.
CALICO came out on top against Matata in a thrilling battle up the Cheltenham hill and Dan Skelton has marked the Desert Orchid as his next target. Good ground is key to him and I’m not sure how much he has in hand – it all depends on what the handicapper does after Friday’s success.
Fourth in last season’s Grade 2 bumper at Aintree, VALGRAND made it three from three over hurdles with a breathtaking performance in the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle. It was a monstrous run and one that leads the way in the two mile novice hurdle division – though it is very early in the season.
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Willy Twiston-Davies was buzzing after POTTERS CHARM’s victory in the 2m4f novice hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday, claiming that the yard hadn’t had a horse quite like this for a while. He beat a £115,000 Gordon Elliott horse easily enough and it’ll be interesting to see how he progresses as the season goes on.
Noel Meade suggested that MESSERSCHMITT will be aimed at the Graded juvenile race at Fairyhouse at the end of November and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the Willie Mullins contingent. Rated 82 on the flat, he is talented and certainly relished going right-handed so sticking that way round makes sense.
I was very impressed with SPORTING GLORY and I’d like to see connections aim high at the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novices Hurdle with him. He has a fair reputation and is bred to be a nice type so I’d hope he can make into a Graded horse this season. Bigger targets lie ahead and I’m excited to see how he fares.
There were whispers of a shot at the Grade 1 Drinmore Novices Chase for 2m2f novice chase winner SPORTINTHEPARK but I expect to see him remain in calmer waters for now. He’s been much improved since going over fences and Noel Meade will have a plan for him I’m sure.
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Back to Cheltenham and LISNAMULT LAD won the opener on Saturday but it was the Christian Williams-trained Weveallbeencaught who caught my eye. Over a trip that is arguably much too short, the runner up jumped like a buck but was off the bridle a fair way from home and he’ll be one to back in a nice, staying handicap on soft ground.
INTENSE APPROACH, second in the Persian War Novices Hurdle at Chepstow earlier this month, won the 3m novice hurdle – a race that John McConnell previously targeted with Bardenstown Lad in 2021 and Streets of Doyen in 2020. Both horses placed in an Albert Bartlett and I’d imagine this lad will follow the same path.
Henry de Bromhead had a 1-2 in the big 3m1f handicap chase, with SENIOR CHIEF getting the better of The Short Go. The second lost little in defeat and could be one for a Festival handicap while the winner is likely to be aimed at the Aintree Grand National.
THE WALLPARK will be aimed at the 2025 Pertemps Final after winning Saturday’s race at Cheltenham and all eyes are now on the handicapper to see his mark following that success. He certainly had no issue getting the trip and he’s won four in a row, making him a live contender if lining up fit and well in March.
I was really impressed at the manner of HYLAND’s victory in the 3m novice chase as he put 15 lengths between himself and his rivals in the closing stages. He seemed to love the Cheltenham hill and it’ll be interesting to see the hike in the weights as his current mark of 141 appears lenient.
FLEUR IN THE PARK opened up a huge price on his bumper form and he was quickly found in the market – and the market was right as he got off the mark at the first time of asking at Wexford on Sunday. Bigger things lie ahead for him and it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on against the big boys.
The Enabler was a 1/9f loser recently and AURORA VEGA suffered the same fate but at 1/10f. She was found to be clinically abnormal after the race and fingers crossed she’ll be back on the racecourse soon.
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I was a big fan of SEARCH FOR GLORY for a Festival handicap last season but it didn’t go to plan on that front. However, he was impressive on chase debut at Galway and I’d say he could make into a nice novice chaser this term. He won’t need to improve too much on his hurdles form to challenge in Graded races.
PATTER MERCHANT ran out a nice winner of the 2m5f maiden hurdle but I thought there was plenty of promise in the run of I Am Lorenzo – both horses may go on to win plenty of races this campaign. The winner relished the stamina test and I’d imagine he could be one to step up to three miles as the season goes on.
The Old Roan Chase went the way of MINELLA DRAMA after he was allowed to dictate from the front and you’ve got to give credit to jockey Brian Hughes. Ahoy Senor caught the eye, staying on late and that looked a decent pipe opener ahead of a shot at the Grade 1 Betfair Chase next month.
KAPABILITY won the mares bumper at Aintree but it was Siog Geal who really caught the attention of racing fans. Jonathan Burke was late to act and the winner had already bolted off, though his mare continued to close and you’d fancy her to reverse the form if the two met again.
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Star Performance Of The Week
It has to be VALGRAND. I’d say the vast majority of us expected Gale Mahler to make it seven wins in a row but the winner was on another level altogether and he’s going to receive a serious hike in the weights from the handicapper.
Rated 118 before the race, he was giving the 135-rated mare 2lbs and beat her by 17 lengths and her proximity to fourth placed Brave Knight suggests that she ran close to form. It was a serious performance and he could be Cheltenham Festival-bound in the spring.
This Week’s Tracker Horse To Follow
WEVEALLBEENCAUGHT is the one that I’m taking away from the weekend, with a view to a bigger target down the line. I thought he ran an absolute cracker and I’m expecting him to go off very well fancied in a big staying handicap later in the season.
Something like the Welsh Grand National or quite possibly the Eider Handicap Chase could be on his radar – I have no doubt he’d be more than capable of coping with those extreme trips.