Cheltenham 2025: New year, new Festival clues

It's time to get back on the road to Cheltenham 2025 with a review of last week's action - of course with an eye on those four days at jump racing's HQ in March.

At Taunton on Monday, Paul Nicholls' Jubilee Alpha ran out an easy winner of a Listed contest over an extended two miles. The six-year-old progressed plenty from her hurdling debut and is now 10/1 second favourite for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle. She sets the standard at the moment.

New Year's Eve began with Shannon Royale getting off the mark over fences at Punchestown, beating the useful High Class Hero by a couple of lengths. He didn't jump well at all and was one of the first off the bridle, yet he kept finding and was well on top at the line.

I'm sure Gordon Elliott will have a Cheltenham Festival handicap in mind for him, but the big takeaway as far as I'm concerned was the boost it gave to the form of Brown Advisory hopeful Dancing City. I was a little critical of his chasing debut - perhaps I shouldn't have been.

Later on the card at Punchestown, Willie Mullins unleashed Saint Lucie - sporting those famous pink and green silks of Rich and Susannah Ricci - in a juvenile maiden hurdle he's used as a starting point for Vauban (2022 Triumph Hurdle winner) and Storm Heart (fifth in 2024) in recent years.

The daughter of Great Pretender went off 8/11f and duly bolted up by 11 lengths under a motionless Paul Townend. She probably didn't beat much, but she could hardly have won any easier and Mullins spoke extremely highly of her after the fact. I like her a lot.

Cheltenham's New Year's Day meeting produced three obvious contenders for the Festival, starting with Kalif Du Berlais who made light work of a mark of 141 to win a three-runner event by nine-and-a-half widening lengths. Paul Nicholls has the new novices' handicap over 2m4f in mind for the five-year-old, so I'll be very keen to see what happens to his mark in the coming days.

Diva Luna got off the mark over hurdles in the next race just over half an hour later, putting an underwhelming debut behind her. On paper, she boosted her claims for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle earning a revised quote of 14/1, but I'm less than convinced. She'll be better back over two miles and perhaps she's working backwards from March, but she hasn't looked the superstar Ben Pauling thinks she is yet.

What about Lucky Place's chance in the Stayers' Hurdle after his Relkeel victory? Ultimately he's beaten Gowel Road by less than a length, but he is going the right way and could have more to offer once stepping up to three miles. He's a contender.

*You can check out all of Betfred's Cheltenham Festival Odds over on our main hub page over on betfred.com

Across the Irish Sea, there were a few I thought staked their claim for Cheltenham 2025 on NYD.

Sounds Victorious looked an Albert Bartlett prospect in making hard work of a 2m4f maiden at Fairyhouse having been beaten on debut at odds-on back in November. He wouldn't be my idea of the winner at this stage, but I can see him lining up and the bigger the test, the better his chance.

Allegorie De Vassy must be the hardest horse in training to weigh up. She looks a world-beater one day but then disappoints the next. It was very much the former when she beat Mares' Chase winner Limerick Lace by 25 lengths, in a canter, in a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse. Of course she has a live chance at the Festival, but can she be trusted?

It was great to see Champ Kiely return to action half an hour later with a highly-impressive chasing debut over slightly further than 2m5f. The Grade 1-winning novice hurdler was on the sidelines for 614 days beforehand and while he's getting no younger at nine years old, this looks decent form and he must be of interest for the rest of the campaign.

There was little of note on Thursday and no jumps racing at all on Friday and Saturday, so we skip to Sunday at Naas to round off the week.

Fun Fun Fun bolted up in the opener - a mares' beginners' chase - giving stablemate Karia Des Blaises, who was third in a good Grade 2 at Cork on debut, six pounds and a beating under a motionless Patrick Mullins. I thought this was one of the performances of the last seven days and I'm surprised she's as big as 14/1 for the Mares' Chase. That appeals plenty.

I don't care much for 8/1 about Ile Atlantique, however, despite his straightforward success in the Grade 2 novice chase later on the card. He's a horse I have a lot of time for and fences seem to have made a man of him, but this race fell into his lap so we're yet to see how he really acts under real pressure - and on top of all that, the five-year-olds Sir Gino and Majborough will be very, very hard to beat.

Finally, The Yellow Clay extended his unbeaten record over hurdles to four by winning the G1 Lawlor's Of Naas by eight lengths. I don't think it was a great renewal - Jasmin De Vaux can't jump and both Butch Cassidy and Shuffle The Deck were big drifters - but he looks a nice horse nonetheless.

Gordon Elliott has suggested the six-year-old son of Yeats will go straight to Cheltenham, with the Turners his likely target. I think that's a mistake. He'd have an outstanding chance in the Albert Bartlett, but I couldn't have him in mind for the middle-distance race. Time will tell, I suppose.