NAP of the Day: Step Ahead can strike at Cheltenham

New Year's Day is another belter for racing fans with nine meetings across Britain and Ireland on a hectic day to start 2026.

Our New Year's Day NAP runs at Cheltenham and can make it second time lucky over flights for Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls after a pleasing start at Warwick behind a promising rival with graded-race experience.

12:15 Cheltenham

Fast Racing Results

12:15 Cheltenham – Step Ahead @ 9/4

The opening race of the afternoon at Cheltenham could be a straight scrap between STEP AHEAD for Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls and Just Golden for Dan Skelton.

The latter was second at Uttoxeter (2m4f, good) in October before finishing third at Newcastle (2m6f, good to soft) in late November.

The slight drop in trip isn't ideal based on that run, though the searching nature of this track helps.

Preference though is for Step Ahead, who joined this yard after two bumper runs and was debuting over hurdles when second at Warwick (2m5f, good to soft) after a year off when second-best behind Moneygarrow in December.

That run also came behind a Skelton inmate, but Moneygarrow had twice run well in Grade 2 novices' company at Chepstow and Cheltenham and was fully entitled to win on the strength of that form.

He'd undergone a wind op and pulled readily clear late on but Step Ahead in turn was more than six lengths clear of everything else.

Just Golden's Newcastle form has been boosted since by a pair of beaten rivals winning at Carlisle and Doncaster but Step Ahead should have gleaned plenty from that first run over timber.

The Walk In The Park gelding is a likely improver from that comeback/hurdles debut and this trip looks about optimal based on his first-up effort.

Kiwi Rush and Neon Dream are others with potential in this sphere – the latter on debut for Alan King – but the big two on paper could dominate the New Year's Day opener at Cheltenham and Step Ahead can live up to his name under Ciaran Gethings.

NAP Of The Day with Betfred Insights.