Cheltenham 2025: Did we see a Festival winner on Trials Day?

It was another informative week on the road to Cheltenham 2025, not least with Trials Day at the weekend. Here's my review of all the action over those seven days.

Lavender Hill Mob, touted as potentially better than stablemate East India Dock by trainer James Owen earlier in the season, got off the mark at the third attempt at Warwick on Monday. Clearly, he's nowhere near the level of the Triumph Hurdle second favourite, but he could of interest in the Fred Winter. He's 16/1 for that.

Nicky Henderson and JP McManus' That's Nice got her career back on track following a poor effort at Cheltenham before Christmas, winning later on the card at Warwick in cosy fashion. Our traders have shortened her into 16/1 for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, but it sounds like she will bypass the Festival. One for the future, I'd say.

Skipping to Thursday, Henderson's much-discussed Palladium was workmanlike in victory at Huntingdon. The German Derby winner, who fetched a record €1.4m at the Arc sale in October, finished just two lengths in front of a 50/1 shot conceding nearly a stone and will need to improve plenty if he's to be competitive in a Triumph. He's reportedly bound for the Adonis at Kempton next month and connections will use that to decide if he takes his chance in March.

At Gowran Park on the same afternoon, Declan Queally's five-year-old Rocky's Diamond won the G2 Galmoy Hurdle. As far as I'm concerned, it was a weak renewal, but he's a young, improving horse who can't be discounted in a modest division. I couldn't put anyone off taking the 14/1 that's available.

Nick Rockett, a horse I'm quite fond of, landed a much-deserved big pot in the Thyestes just over half an hour later. If he travels to Prestbury Park next month, it'll be for the Ultima (16/1).

Quai De Bourbon, who won the following beginners' chase, is Cheltenham-bound according to trainer Willie Mullins. He's 22/1 for the Brown Advisory which would appeal in a world where the defunct Turners Novices' Chase still exists. However, it's hard to get enthused about him given the yard has two, possibly three ahead of him in the pecking order.

As intended, Trials Day at Cheltenham provided plenty of Festival clues. Constitution Hill not so much. He proved his well-being in a glorified racecourse gallop, surviving a rare mistake at the final flight, but otherwise what did we learn? Nothing, really. He remains odds-on at 4/7 for the Champion Hurdle.

I was really impressed by East India Dock in the G2 Triumph Trial. You can argue about what he's beat, but he's doing so by enormous margins and doing everything right along the way. It's going to be some clash between him, Lulamba and whatever emerges from the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend.

L'Homme Presse made hard work of it in the Cotswold Chase and 14/1 for the Gold Cup makes no appeal to me. Cleeve hero Gowel Road is admirable and has all the qualities of a Stayers' Hurdle horse, but I'm lukewarm on 14s - especially as he has the Pertemps as an option.

The somewhat shocking result of the meeting was Fergal O'Brien's Sixmilebridge beating Potters Charm in the concluding Grade 2 novice hurdle. The former is an improving type and has been cut into 16/1 for the Turners at the Festival, while the latter has drifted out to 12s. Neither appeal to me.

Another takeaway from the race was Bill Joyce finishing a distant third. That's a significant knock to the form of short-priced Turners fav The New Lion. Kopek Des Bordes sleeps soundly at Closutton...

Speaking of, Kawaboomga - runner-up to stablemate Kopek Des Bordes at Leopardstown on Boxing Day - won a hot maiden, run at a fair pace, to not only frank that form but also enhance his own Cheltenham claims. It sounds like he'll go down the Turners route.

Up in Doncaster, Yellow Car won the River Don, staking his claim for the Albert Bartlett (25/1) while franking the form of French raider Jet Blue (14/1) at the same time - and Jetara put her name back into the Cheltenham Festival picture with victory in the G2 Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle. Click here for more on her.

Finally, to Naas on Sunday, starting with Anzadam. Mullins' five-year-old won the G3 Limestone Lad by 11 lengths in a canter. We learned little, but he is clearly a talented sort and if he was mine, I'd roll the dice at the Champion Hurdle (8/1). It seems he's being kept for Aintree, though.

Dancing City won the Grade 3 novice chase over 3m1f, shortening into 9/2 for the Brown Advisory. He looks made for that race and I couldn't put anyone off - while runner-up Bioluminescence is very much of interest in the Mares' Chase.