2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15 – DS
2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15
I was gutted to hear that I Am Maximus was taken out of the Gold Cup. Another blow landed this morning with news that Irish Panther would be going to the Champion Chase. Such are the pitfalls of ante-post betting. F%&k the loss! I am now going to put up four horses for a 2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15, which I also recommend backing in singles.
Tuesday: Ultima Handicap Chase – Leave Of Absence e/w @ 20/1
The first selection for our e/w Lucky 15 is the Anthony Honeyball trained Leave Of Absence. A C&D novice chase winner on good ground in October, this son of Walk In The Park is 20/1 due to the fact he ran poorly in a Grade 2 at Newbury on his latest start.
However, the ground was heavy that day and when he was pulled up three runs ago in a Listed chase here back in November, it was soft. The weather forecast suggests we’ll be racing on good to soft or quicker on Tuesday and that should elicit a much better performance from Leave Of Absence.
This lightly raced 9yo has posted career form figures of 212 on good to soft ground and form figures of 1121 on good ground, including that C&D win here in October. His last run on good to soft, on his penultimate start at Ascot in December, he was denied by a head by Deep Cave off a mark of 145 and he is just 1lb higher here, so we know he is capable of hitting the frame off his current rating.
At odds of 20/1, surely Leave Of Absence is worth backing e/w.
2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15 Tip: Leave Of Absence e/w @ 20/1 (6 places)
Tuesday: Festival Plate – Midnight It Is e/w @ 25/1
Gavin Cromwell trains this 10yo son of Midnight Legend and on what he has done this season, there’s no way you could fancy him.
However, Gavin Cromwell was in the midst of a very quiet period when this horse ran in November and January and in any case, surely he’s been trained (and campaigned) with this race in mind.
In last year’s Grand Annual, which was won by the Irish raider Jazzy Matty, Midnight It Is stayed on really strongly up the hill for third, running off a mark of 134. In the end, he was beaten just 3l for the win and 1.5l for second and if the race was even just a furlong further, he’d have gone very close to winning.
That was this lad’s first ever run at Cheltenham and he ran what was probably the best race of his life by at least nine or ten pounds, in my opinion. The way he finished off suggested this trip would suit even better and the drying ground is in his favour too. Off just 1lb higher than he was last year, odds of 25/1 are too tempting to turn down.
2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15 Tip: Midnight It Is e/w @ 25/1 (5 places)
Thursday: Kim Muir – Weveallbeencaught e/w @ 20/1
At the start of the season I highlighted Weveallbeencaught as a horse to follow this year. Formerly trained by the Tizzards, he ran a cracker on his second start for Eric McNamara in the Munster National where he was a 1.25l staying on second behind his stablemate French Dynamite.
I was expecting this son of Getaway to run a big race on his next start in the valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown in December when he was sent off at just 9/1. However, I’m not sure he enjoyed being ridden close to the early pace and he faded late on and finished well beaten.
Freshened Up
McNamara has freshened his charge up and he returns to have another crack at this Festival. He was a respectable sixth in the 2023 Albert Bartlett, in 2024 he floundered on heavy ground in the Ultima and then last year, he ran an excellent race to finish a 13l fourth of 23 in this race on good to soft.
Only for a bad jump at the last he probably would have finished a fair bit closer to the winner Daily Present, to whom he was conceding 6lb. This time, he’ll be 5lbs better off with that rival so I’m hoping that if he puts in a smooth round of jumping, he’ll be able to get closer to Paul Nolan’s charge.
His form figures at Cheltenham when there has been good in the ground description read 3132P4, hopefully he can add another win or place to that record on Thursday.
2026 Cheltenham Handicaps E/W Lucky 15 Tip: Weveallbeencaught e/w @ 20/1
Friday: Martin Pipe Hurdle – Ballykinlar e/w @ 50/1
Last, but not least, I’m going to remain loyal to another horse I fancied to have a good season. Ballykinlar came to my attention last year when he hacked up in a Kilbeggan handicap hurdle off 98. I really liked how he jumped and travelled and he followed that victory up with a novice hurdle win and a handicap win off 115, both at Sligo on good ground.
Ballykinlar then returned to Kilbeggan for a handicap hurdle and while the 2m trip was too sharp, he stayed on very nicely for a 5.75l fourth behind Zillow. Stepped back up to 2m4f for his next start in a Listowel novice, he stayed on well again for a 2.25l fourth behind Kainsbourg and that horse went on to finish a good second in the Persian War at Chepstow (when ridden by James Bowen).
Listed Form
On his final start for Donnacha Duggan, Ballykinlar stepped up in grade into Listed company at Limerick and despite the ground probably being too soft for him, he again ran with real credit to finish a 3.75l second, staying on nicely.
He is now trained by Mickey Bowen and I wonder was he bought on James Bowen’s recommendation after he rode Kainsbourg in the Persian War. I think this son of Irish Wells has the potential to rate higher than his current mark of 132, if he has the right conditions, and hopefully, he’ll get those here on Friday. If Bowen has him fit and ready to go on his first run since October, Ballykinlar is well capable of outrunning his odds of 50/1.
