The 2025 Cheltenham Festival may only have ended last week, but early value is there to be had for 2026. Matty Sutcliffe has picked out four bets for an each-way lucky 15 that have a chance of landing in 12 months time.
Arkle – Lucky Place 50/1
Nicky Henderson’s Arkle hopes were dashed when Sir Gino picked up a rare infection, prior to being revived by a wildcard in the form of Jango Baie. He was one of those who would naturally have gone to the Turners had it not changed to a handicap this season with 2m4f the very least he needs, but his stamina came to the fore when collaring the eld in the dying strides and it’s not impossible to envisage a similar scenario for LUCKY PLACE next season.
The son of Pastorius “started the year meaning to go novice chasing and he was all schooled up and ready to go” according to Nicky Henderson, but success in the G2 Howden Ascot hurdle deterred them from fences, and instead attempting to go down the Stayers’ route. A subsequent victory in the G2 Relkeel saw him go o 11/2 for the Stayers’ Hurdle, but despite jumping two ou still in contention, he had no more to offer for Nico De Boinville who looked after him late on, shaping very much like a non-stayer over three miles.
It will be back to the drawing board for Lucky Place, and the likely option is to resort to plan A which would be to go novice chasing next season. He’s highly unlikely to go to the Brown’s, and with a mark of 153, he would be unlikely to contest the novice handicap chase, similarly to Jango Baie who was also rated 153 prior to his Arkle success.
With that in mind, I can see him lining up in the Arkle next season even if he may not be the sharpest of two milers, but neither was his stablemate and as ever with strongly run two mile contests at the festival, his stamina will naturally come into play.
His form with the Champion Hurdle winner Golden Ace (twice beaten her, once 3/4L in behind) reads when in the context, and his overall form remarks him very much as a high classy type. He’s related to three French chase winners and jumps soundly on the whole. Given Nicky Henderson has won the Arkle twice with seven year olds of late, albeit they were of the highest calibre, Lucky Place is no forlorn hope to line up on the Tuesday next season and at 50/1 he’s a enticing candidate to emulate stablemate Jango Baie.
Champion Hurdle – Burdett Road 100/1
Horse Racing is a funny old game. Had someone told me at the start of this week that Constitution Hill and State Man, two former Champion Hurdle winners, would fall in the race and the tricast would be filled by Golden Ace, BURDETT ROAD and Winter Fog, I’d have asked them for the next joke. This is a sport where anything can happen, and as we’ve seen throughout last week, jumping is certainly the name of the game.
I actually thought they got the tactics wrong on Burdett Road for winning purposes. I was somewhat blown away with him making all in the Greatwood Hurdle, as he jumped fluently out in front in a competitive event where the other ‘prominent’ racers finished eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fell two out. I also thought his front running Fighting Fifth third was better than the bare result, jumping two out in tandem with Constitution Hill and he would’ve been much closer to Lossiemouth had he not trailed his back legs on landing at the last. Having settled well in front once more, he didn’t look out of place against two exceptional horses, so it was a surprise to see him ridden slightly more passively albeit still out in front at Wincanton, where he took a keen hold early on. He was potentially hindered by walking through two out, and his keen early exertions potentially hindered his winning chances.
It still wasn’t a poor performance giving 8lbs to Golden Ace, and while the RPR’s tell a different story next time out, I didn’t think he enjoyed being held up rank last in the Champion Hurdle where he made a mess of the first two and was always on the back foot. He recovered well to travel strongly off the main body of the eld, and stayed on well enough for second for all his winning chances were gone. He was evidently ridden for a place, but had he lined up more prominently early I wonder whether he’d have kept galloping and the distance have been closer to the eventual winner.
I’m not suggesting that he has the ability to win next year’s Champion Hurdle on what we’ve seen thus far, but we should remember he’s only a five-year-old and given only Espoir D’Allen (2019) and Katchit (2008) have won the Champion Hurdle as five-year olds-this century. We shouldn’t discredit his effort but instead reflect on it as a sign of one still obtaining bags of potential. While the race fell apart, with any natural progression as a hurdler next season he’s entitled to improve on this year’s Champion Hurdle effort, and in an era where there’s few high class two milers going to make the race next season let alone finish in it, I don’t think 100/1 is a bad price at this stage for him to fill the frame especially if returning to more prominent tactics.
Ryanair – Jonbon 14/1
It wasn’t to be for JONBON in the Champion Chase this season, adding further fuel to the fire of the argument he simply doesn’t act around Cheltenham. If there ever was a race to suggest that isn’t the case, however, it was in the latter stages of the race where such an idea was debunked. He was on the back foot from the beginning after the false start, struggling to regain a prominent position despite jumping well, but he dropped to the rear when nodding badly on landing, causing Nico De Boinville to take his foot off the gas and it was immediately game over. I thought it was then a remarkable effort to see him plug on for second having looked like pulling up before the turn. I’ve long thought he shapes like a step up in trip would suit, and the 2m4 1/2F trip of the Ryanair could see him gain that long awaited Festival success.
Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – Derryhassen Paddy 25/1
If any of the first three home from the Albert Bartlett are going to improve for a fence, it’s the imposing son of Arctic Cosmos – DERRYHASSEN PADDY – who stayed on strongly up the hill having disputing the lead with Wingmen for the majority of the way with that one finishing a 31-length tenth. The other two in behind for the most part finished ninth and pulled up, suggesting we can upgrade Derryhassen Paddy’s effort from the front.
Craig Nichol told Racing TV after his Winter Millions success that “when he goes chasing next season, he’ll be a better horse again…I can’t wait to ride him over a fence, he’s almost too big and hurdles get in his way”. You can see why, given how he towered over the Albert Bartlett eld, but there’s little wrong with his jumping and that should stand him in good stead going chasing. He’s almost too obvious in a sense to be a Corach Rambler/Myretown-esque plot for the Ultima, and in turn he can follow in the footsteps of Lecky Watson, Stellar Story, Monty’s Star, Monkfish, Minella Indo, Santini, Monalee and Blaklion who have won or placed in the Browns having previously contested the Albert Bartlett.
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