Road to Cheltenham 2026 Episode 2: Impose Toi for the Stayers’?

The gang is back! After Frankie Foster's visit to the States for the Breeders' Cup, he's back in situ at Betfred TV alongside Matt Hulmes and Joel Ross for Episode 2 of the Road to Cheltenham 2026.

Corner shop chats with the greatest football manager there's ever been and visits to Gold Cup-winning yards alongside the usual top-class analysis? It's got the lot.

Once Bahrain-bound Frankie reset his Wi-Fi, the lads got straight into it on Episode 2 of the Road to Cheltenham.

The disappointing return of Kalif Du Berlais, billed in a stable tour before the season as potentially one of the best two-milers Paul Nicholls has ever trained, in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on Friday was the first point of discussion.

Joel promised to quiz his neighbour and part owner of the five-year-old son of Masked Marvel, the great Sir Alex Ferguson who Ross often bumps into at the local shop buying a copy of the Racing Post, about what exactly went wrong in time for next week's episode. I look forward to it!

Frankie shared tales of his visit to Gavin Cromwell's yard in County Meath. He said the Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer's "eyes lit up" when asked about stable star Inothewayurthinkin.

Was he fancied in the build-up to the Gold Cup? That's the question Foster asked the 51-year-old and he received a simple, instantaneous answer: "Oh yeah."

The chat seamlessly moves onto Inothewayurthinkin's owner, the legendary JP McManus, who it's deduced has some serious firepower, once again, ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. That he does.

Could he also have a Stayers' Hurdle contender on his hands after the weekend? The panel discuss the emphatic victory of Nicky Henderson's Impose Toi in a Pertemps Qualifier at Aintree on Saturday and whether he's one for the Final or the Grade 1.

Looking at the action over in Ireland, next. What went wrong with Spillane's Tower and should you keep the faith? Only By Night - Champion Chase or the Mares' Chase?

I was pleased to hear Frankie give mention to Port Authority, a 17-length maiden hurdle winner for Gordon Elliott at Naas on Sunday. I did the same in my weekly review and echo everything he said. That performance is flying under the radar.

And what about the news of Lulamba, the Triumph Hurdle runner-up, going chasing for Nicky Henderson? He's set to make his debut over the bigger obstacles at Exeter on Monday. One for the diaries.

This and much more, covered in Episode 2 of the Road to Cheltenham.

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