With the curtains drawing to a close for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival it gives us time to recap on some of the winners which we think will be competing for many years to come. The first race of the festival the Willie Mullins trained Kopek Des Bordes was sent off 4/6 to start punters off to a great start, the 5yo gelding was already a Grade 1 winner having won at the Dublin Racing Festival in February.
He was tried in a hood last week to try and help him settle as the occasion with the crowd can make horses get revved up. The gelding travelled strongly throughout but was novicey at his hurdles, Paul Townsend sent him to the front on the turn for home and albeit making a mistake at the final obstacle he finished his race strongly up the hill going on to win by 1 ¾ lengths from William Munny. The future looks to be over fences for the Mullins star with the long term target the Arkle but will the first and second have a rematch at the Punchestown Festival before the end of the National Hunt season. Kopeck Des Bordes is around the 4/1 mark and William Munny around 12/1 for the 2025 Arkle with most leading non UK casinos.
The other exciting Novice prospects ran on the Wednesday where the Turner Novice Hurdle over 2m 4f, the front three in the betting came first, second and third. It was the weakest one in the market that came out on top with The New Lion winning for trainer Dan Skelton, the 6yo made it six out of six. The 6yo gelding had won the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury by 4 ¾ lengths by the minimum of fuss but there had been question marks over that line of form. His jockey Harry Skelton rode with extreme confidence breezing through the field before switching sharply right approaching the last and then Skelton let out a bit of reign to lead final 110yds. The Novice was only recently acquired by owner JP McManus and he looks to be his owners Champion Hurdle candidate for next season.
The second, The Yellow Clay was extremely strong in the market, having been 8/1 a week before the race punters sent him off 5/2 second favourite. The Gordon Elliott trained 6yo gelding was also a Grade 1 winner having won over this distance at the Dublin Racing festival by 8 lengths, the fourth in that race Jasmin De Vaux went on to win the Albert Bartlet at Cheltenham so this shows the form was strong. He ran a fantastic race only and this big horse looks to have a fantastic future over the bigger obstacles next season.
The third was Final Demand trained by Willie Mullins, this 6yo gelding looked like an out and out chaser in the making. He came into this race with just the two races under his belt with one of them being a Grade 1 race at the Dublin Festival but there was no suggestion that the form of that race was very strong. The potential to be a superstar was definitely there but he was out paced by the front two here, he looks certain to return next season with the Brown Advisory being the obvious route over 2m 4f. It’s uncertain if we will see him again at Aintree or Punchestown but stamina is definitely his forte.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Punchestown Festival previews in a few weeks time.
Please remember to gamble responsibly.