Cheltenham Trials Day has been and gone, marking another important signpost behind en route to the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. Two races in particular gave us even more of an idea about the likely Stayers’ Hurdle market in March, as we preview the latest updates in the betting in our Road to the Stayers’ Hurdle guide.
Thursday, 23rd January – Galmoy Hurdle @ Gowran Park
We have to head back to Thursday for the initial Stayers’ Hurdle pointer. It arrived in the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park in which rapidly improving five-year-old Rocky’s Diamond defeated his vastly more experienced rivals: no other horse in the nine-runner field was aged under eight.
The contest was only his sixth over hurdles, but he has risen through the ranks at some pace. He won a handicap at Gowran in October off a mark of 123 before finishing a highly admirable third in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown after Christmas when still only rated 130. This win cements his upcoming status and he was slashed dramatically from 50/1 to a best of just 16/1, with Paddy Power and Betfair among the best on offer.
The majority of the field boast entries in the Stayers’ Hurdle, though ironically one who did not was runner-up Thedevilscoachman, so it will be interesting to see if connections see him as worth supplementing. Just behind the JP McManus horse were Franciscan Rock and Sandor Clegane, the former a conditions winner at Clonmel the time before, in which he beat the latter. Both are unchanged at a high of 66/1 given the step up in class required for Cheltenham.
Behind them in fifth and sixth, Asterion Forlonge and Maxxum were unable to advance their claims; Willie Mullins’ grey was a slight drifter from 50/1 to 66s, with Maxxum remaining a 100/1 chance. Henry De Bromhead’s Hiddenvalley Lake was the disappointment of the race in seventh, but bookies have been sympathetic to his cause under a penalty and with his stable out of form as he drifted only slightly from 20/1 pre-race to 25s.
Back over hurdles, Buddy One, fourth in the 2024 Stayers’ Hurdle, failed to fire again after disappointing in novice chases. 50/1 has been replaced by 66s for him.
Saturday, 25th January – Cleeve Hurdle @ Cheltenham
Second place syndrome had been tough to break for Gowel Road, but despite being up in class the last twice, he ended his string of runner-ups with a battling victory in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle. Always in the driving seat, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ charge was able to fend off last year’s Pertemps Final winner Monmiral by a little over two lengths.
That form in itself is well below the required level for a Stayers’ Hurdle success though, with both of the last two runnings falling a long way behind the standard it had kept for the past decade. With Crambo and Strong Leader both disappointing, the British challenge in this division looks extremely thin.
Nevertheless, having been available at a general 25/1 beforehand, Gowel Road is now a 16/1 shot with Paddy Power and Betfair for the Stayers’ Hurdle. His stamina and front-running style, as well as his aptitude for Cheltenham, could make him an each-way player who hangs tough for a long way.
Monmiral was conceding the winner 4lb and was duly shortened to 40/1 from 50s by the Betfair/Paddy Power duo. As a Cheltenham course and distance winner in handicap company, he is another who will appreciate as thorough a test of staying power as possible.
Third-placed Botox Has ran his best race at Cheltenham for some time and was under greater penalties than the first two. While a big outsider, he too has been snipped narrowly by the bookmakers from 100/1 to 66/1. However, it was a different story for Grade 1 winners Strong Leader (4th) and Crambo (5th), the former disappointing for a second race in a row after finishing last in the Long Walk Hurdle, the latter failing to fire at Cheltenham again.
Strong Leader is now a 33/1 shot (from 16s) for Stayers’ Hurdle glory. He may have more talent than the majority of British-trained hurdlers in this division, but he looks fallible too often. Crambo took an identical walk from 16/1 to 33/1 for the Thursday showpiece too.
Elsewhere
Ante-post favourite Teahupoo clings on to odds against prices despite plans to remain in his box until the Stayers’ Hurdle itself. He will come into the race off the back of his defeat by Lossiemouth, but as a confirmed stayer with significant class, he is now only 5/4 from 11/8.
Lucky Place was another big winner from the weekend. Nicky Henderson’s charge had defeated Gowel Road in the Relkeel Hurdle at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day, conceding the Cleeve Hurdle hero 6lb. He is now no better than 10/1 to claim a Stayers’ Hurdle for the Brits having been 14/1 ahead of the weekend.
At Doncaster on Saturday, two mares with Stayers’ Hurdle entries, Jetara and Kateira, fought out a dramatic conclusion to the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle with the former marginally coming out on top. Despite the verdict, Jessica Harrington’s charge was unmoved at 66/1 with Kateira sliding to 33/1 from 20s pre-race.
Stayers’ Hurdle Ante-Post Movers
Teahupoo ↑ 5/4 from 11/8
Lucky Place ↑ 10/1 from 14/1
Rocky’s Diamond ↑ 16/1 from 50/1
Gowel Road ↑ 16/1 from 25/1
Monmiral ↑ 40/1 from 50/1
Botox Has ↑ 66/1 from 100/1
Crambo ↓ 33/1 from 16/1
Strong Leader ↓ 33/1 from 16/1
Kateira ↓ 33/1 from 20/1
Hiddenvalley Lake ↓ 25/1 from 20/1
Asterion Forlonge ↓ 66/1 from 50/1
Buddy One ↓ 66/1 from 50/1
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