Cheltenham 2025: Keep this Kim Muir possible in mind

Last week began with two big stories from across the Irish Sea and concluded with the first Cheltenham meeting of the season - The Showcase Meeting.

As the build-up to Cheltenham 2025 ramps up, I've looked back at the past seven days with an eye firmly on the Festival in March.

Arguably the biggest developments to come from last week as far as the Cheltenham Festival's concerned was news on a couple of Gordon Elliott's stable stars.

It was confirmed that Brighterdaysahead, initially understood to be going chasing, will remain over hurdles with the Mares' Hurdle her ultimate aim for the season.

Also, Irish Point - who was prominent in the betting for the Arkle, Brown Advisory, Champion Hurdle and the Stayers' Hurdle - was ruled out for the season through injury.

It wasn't until Thursday that we saw anything make a splash on the track. Jamie Snowden's exciting filly La Marquise made a winning start over hurdles in a novice event at Ludlow, doing pretty much everything wrong but still managing to get the job done.

It was a promising performance from a highly-regarded four-year-old with ambitions of lining up in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle come March. I doubt she's up to that standard, but she's of great interest next time out as there should be a serious amount of improvement to come. Get her in your trackers.

Over at Carlisle, Jonjo O'Neill's Johnnywho made a stylish start over fences. The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old travelled powerfully through the race and was well on top at the line, beating two decent yardsticks with plenty to spare.

He'll need to keep progressing, but he could be one for the Brown Advisory.

At Cheltenham on Friday, Henry Daly's Wyenot won the opening handicap off a mark of 123. The thing to take away from that is the form of Mares' Novices' Hurdle heroine Golden Ace.

She was over eight lengths clear of the former in a Listed race at Prestbury Park in April and while Jeremy Scott's mare's job in the Mares' Hurdle in five months' time has been made tougher by the emergence of Brighterdaysahead, I continue to think she's being underestimated in that market at 10/1.

Dan Skelton's Valgrand stole the show later in the day, powering 17 - yes, seventeen - lengths clear of the 135-rated Gale Mahler to win the Grade 2 novices' hurdle over 2m½f and enter the Supreme reckoning.

I agree with Skelton's post-race comments in that you'd want to see him do it again before getting carried away. I don't think the runner-up performed anywhere near to her mark and this was otherwise a poor race.

My advice is to hold fire on that front, for as much as 40s may be tempting.

The Wallpark won the Pertemps Qualifier for Gordon Elliott, becoming the first guaranteed runner since the introduction of the new rules. He looks a very live one for the Final.

Another winner to note on Saturday was Nicky Henderson's Hyland, who bolted up in the three-mile novice chase. That race fell apart a bit so he's another I'd like to see do it again, but he was very impressive.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway from the week was a Kim Muir possible. Yes, you read that right, a Kim Muir shout in October.

Henry de Bromhead's Senior Chief won the 3m1f handicap chase at Cheltenham on Saturday but it was stablemate The Short Go, who finished just over a length behind, that caught my eye.

He came from a long way off the pace to pass the majority of the field and wasn't stopping at the end of what I thought was a very good race.

De Bromhead won it last year with Whacker Clan, who went on to finish third in this year's Kim Muir, off a mark of 125, just a pound lower than The Short Go competed off, and this could be another heading down that route.

There's a long way to go between now and then, but keep him in mind.

Find more Cheltenham Tips here at Betfred Insights