Road to Cheltenham 2026: Owen rules over last week’s Jumps action

First of all, some significant news from off the track. Cheltenham Festival winner Caldwell Potter has been ruled out for the season by trainer Paul Nicholls and David Pipe's Windbeneathmywings, one of the favourites for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, will miss at least the first half of it due to a setback.

On the racecourse, Blizzard Of Oz beat Stayers' Hurdle fourth Rocky's Diamond in a Listed chase over just shy of three miles at Wexford on Monday. Willie Mullins' winner is bound for the Coral Gold Cup next and could even be one for another big handicap in the spring, while I wouldn't completely give up on the latter for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. He's only five and up against an older horse with significantly more experience

Twenty four hours later, Philip Hobbs & Johnson White's exciting Starzand made the perfect start over hurdles at Ffos Las. Time will tell how good the form of that race is, but he was mightily-impressive in a point-to-point and a bumper last season and this was a nice start over obstacles.

Likewise, I can see Gentleman Toboot winning plenty of races here in Britain for David Pipe. The five-year-old never looked in danger, not even for a moment, on his hurdling debut at Newton Abbott on Wednesday and is very much one to watch over the months ahead.

As this is a Cheltenham column, I must add that I don't see either making a splash - at least not at the highest level - at the Festival come March.

There's a few to discuss from Stratford on Thursday, starting with A Path To Ronda who ran out a ready winner of a 2m6f maiden hurdle. The five-year-old daughter of Getaway, who was fourth in a Listed bumper at Sandown back in March, could be of interest for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle for Jamie Snowden, who won it in 2023.

Olly Murphy's Wandering Ego was given a sensational ride from man-of-the-moment Sean Bowen to bolt up by 14 lengths in a Class 3 novice later on the card and is another to follow on these shores this season. Maybe he could develop into a spring handicapper, too.

If any of the Stratford winners are to make a splash at HQ in March, it's Dan Skelton's Be Aware. Last year's Greatwood Hurdle runner-up was sent off favourite for the Coral Cup just eight months ago and he looked good over the bigger obstacles on Thursday. He's probably one for a handicap, but I could easily see him turning up to Prestbury Park in the spring.

The Gordon Elliott Festival, otherwise known as the Festival of Racing, at Down Royal produced, as it so often does, some early pointers for the rest of the National Hunt season.

I was gutted to see Theflyingking, written into my Cheltenham 2026 antepost book at 50/1 for the Albert Bartlett, come down at the last in the 2m6f maiden hurdle on Friday that Elliott has targeted with some of his better prospects over the years.

He was going to win easily before coming down, bringing stablemate Kazansky, who looks a nice type in his own right, in the process, and I suspect graded targets would've been on his agenda. Instead, he's now going to have to go for another maiden before something like the Lawlor's Of Naas, perhaps, at the start of the new year.

I've lost no faith in the quirky grey, and I know connections haven't either. Keep an eye on what the winner Some Song, who was 17 lengths behind when Theflyingking departed, does for the form next time out.

Henry de Bromhead's red-hot streak continued as Full Of Life won the Grade 3 Mares Novices Hurdle an hour later. This was a bit of a shock as far as I'm concerned, and a bit of an indictment on the likes of Carrigmoornaspruce, Korinthia, Camaletta Vega and Blue Waters in opposition. I wouldn't be rushing to get any of them on side for Cheltenham.

Casheldale Lad justified odds of 1/4f to win a poor renewal of the bottlegreen Hurdle and my instinct is he will be difficult to place this season. Not good enough for Grade 1s, but could a bit too high for handicaps?

Romeo Coolio, on the other hand, is absolutely on my Festival radar - and he should be on yours too. Gordon Elliott's six-year-old placed in the Champion Bumper and Supreme at the last two meetings, but it might be the case that he's been waiting for fences as he looked an absolute natural over them (all five of them) on Friday.

Bigger tests await but I couldn't put anyone off taking 8/1 for the Arkle or 20/1 about the Brown Advisory. The latter is particularly appealing, given he's already been put in his place by leading two-milers Kopek Des Bordes and Salvator Mundi. Maybe connections will opt for something different this season.

I thought £205k point-to-pointer Skerry Hill was a good winner of the bumper, without blowing me away. He has plenty to work on, and perhaps he won't be sharp enough for a Champion Bumper this year, but is a name to remember.

At Uttoxeter on Friday, highly-rated hurdler Lump Sum bolted up on chase debut and Ammes, previously thought of as James Owen's next Triumph Hurdle hopeful, was beaten at 2/5f. Forget him, I'd say.

La Conquiere, runner-up in the Grade 2 mares' bumper at Aintree's Grand National meeting, got up late in a same-sex maiden in Staffordshire, beating a good yardstick in Dream Shadow for Fergal O'Brien. She should improve plenty and is another potential Mares' Novices' Hurdle type for Mr. Snowden.

Onto the weekend, starting with the action at Ascot. No Questions Asked, Alexei and Henry's Friend were all winners to note going forward. The former two in particular could be highly-progressive this season and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them on the Cheltenham agenda.

Champion Hurdler Golden Ace suffered a shock defeat over at Wetherby, to her only other rival Kateira. Clearly, something was amiss, but it's a terrible start to her title defence. She's drifted to a huge price.

Strong Leader was brave in the West Yorkshire Hurdle and he ought to be competitive in all of those three-mile contests in the UK this season. However, he'll probably be kept away from Cheltenham again.

I'm intrigued by Djelo, winner of the Charlie Hall, as he's only seven but seems to have been around forever. Venetia Williams' gelding is highly-capable on his day and he could have more to offer still. The Ryanair or Gold Cup are the likely targets for him.

It was another good day for Gordon Elliott in Northern Ireland on Saturday, starting as he meant to go on by landing the 3-Y-O Hurdle with the well-regarded Mange Tout. A 15-length winner in France, she's been popular for the Triumph Hurdle even at this very early stage, but her performance was a bit workmanlike for me. I'm sure there's more to come, but I'd like to see it first.

Kalypso'chance was beaten at 1/5f in the 2m1f maiden hurdle, but he was found to be clinically abnormal, so ignore that run. He'll be better judged next time.

What more is there to say about Envoi Allen, whose form at Down Royal now reads 1111211? He's won 10 Grade 1s across his seven-year (and counting) career. Three at the Cheltenham Festival. The horse of a lifetime.

The 11-year-old was brilliant once again in the Champion Chase, making it three in a row, and at this point I wouldn't be totally shocked if he has another big prize in him. He wouldn't be on my mind for Cheltenham, though. Not at his age.

Finally, on Sunday, it was Mister Pessimistic who caught my eye at Cork alongside Echoing Silence - both for the high-flying De Bromhead. They're ones to watch this season, as is Ben Pauling's The Jukebox Kid who did it nicely on fencing debut at Carlisle.

Speaking of Pauling, I was very disappointed by Handstands in the Colin Parker. For a horse with open Grade 1 aspirations, he really ought to be beating Resplendent Grey, an out-and-out stayer, over 2m3f.

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