2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Preview – DS
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Preview
Dave Stevos’ 2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday tips are below.
1.20 – Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
Another easy race. Not. Twenty 4yos will go to post for this Grade 1 and as Poniros showed last year, anything can happen. A tweaking of the rules means that there’s no unraced potential surprise packages this year but even so, it is still a minefield.
Wille Mullins runs nine in total and Townend is on the Rich Ricci owned Selma De Vary. She chased home Narciso Has on her last start at Leopardstown but whether she’ll act on the quicker ground here is an unknown. She’s 4/1 and her JP McManus owned stablemate Proactif is edging favouritism at 10/3. He won well on yielding ground at Fairyhouse, beating Macho Man by just under 3l.
The home challenge is spearheaded by the unbeaten three-time winners Minella Study and Maestro Conti. They’ve both won over C&D, they are both around 7/1 and it is hard to put a line through either of them.
Mullins’ Outsider
However, the one I’m going to take a chance on is another one of the Mullins’ battalion, Kai Lung. He won his maiden at Naas in January and he had Tuesday’s Fred Winter winner Saratoga 2.75l behind him in third. The 20l fifth home, Moulin Labbe, hosed up in a maiden hurdle next time out so the form stands up to scrutiny.
This horse has winning form on the Flat in France on soft ground and that Naas win came on heavy, but he has run well on the a/w before so that offers hope he’ll act on this sounder surface and the fact he is by Galiway is another reason to think he’ll like the ground. If the forecast rain does come, he won’t mind that either.
Interestingly, Sean O’Keefe rode for the Slaneyville Syndicate when Lecky Watson won here last year, hopefully lightning strikes twice. At odds of 33/1, a small e/w interest on Kai Lung is advised.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Kai Lung e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
2.00 – County Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
Willie Mullins often unleashes a star in this 2m handicap hurdle. State Man won it in 2022 off 141, Absurde won off 138 in 2024 and this year’s Arkle winner Kargese scored in 2025 off 141. All three were ridden by Paul Townend so it is no surprise to see his mount Karbau at the head of the market and interestingly, it’s the only handicap ride he has at this year’s festival.
He does come into the race with a much higher rating than the aforementioned Mullins’ winners though and Murcia could be better treated off 141 but she’s only 6/1 and that is of zero use to us.
The one I’ve come down on at a working man’s price is the 50/1 poke, Hamlet’s Night. A 5yo by Invincible Spirit, he produced a couple of pieces of form in the Autumn that suggest he might be well handicapped off a mark of 132.
Smart Form
Back in October he was beaten a neck in a 4yo hurdle here by the then 143 rated Give It To Me Oj off level weights. On his next start in the Grade 2 Elite Hurdle, he was again beaten a neck by the 149 rated Rubaud, from whom he was getting 6lb.
James Owen let him off for over 100 days after that good effort and he reappeared with a win on the Flat off 76 at Kempton. Ten days later, he made his handicap hurdle debut at Kelso and ran a stinker but horses can often need their first runs in handicaps to gain experience and it also may have come too soon, so I’m willing to forgive that tame effort.
All his best recent form is on good ground but he ran to a decent level on the Flat on soft when trained in France so if it does rain, he should be okay. James Bowen is riding out of his skin, which is another plus, so at odds of 50/1 back Hamlet’s Night e/w.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Hamlet’s Night e/w @ 50/1 (6 places)
2.40 – Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
This looks like a race that will be dominated by those at the top of the market. Dinoblue hosed up in this last year and is just 6/4 to repeat the dose. The most interesting one to me is Only By Night, who nearly won the Arkle for us last year at huge odds. This longer trip is a query but that form is strong and if she stays, she could be a big danger to all. She’s just 15/2 though so I am happy to leave her run and just watch. No bet.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: No Bet
3.20 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
This has been a race that we’ve had some decent places in over the years. Last year we were on Yellow Car who was fourth at 33s, in 2024 we were on The Jukebox Man who was beaten a short head at 22s, hopefully we can find another lively outsider this year.
Declan Queally runs Tackletommywoowoo here and he was my original fancy until the rain came on Thursday. I’m sure Nico De Boinville would have viewed him as a fitting winner of the potato race but unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll happen on soft ground.
One horse that won’t mind what the weather does is Ubatuba. By Soldier Of Fortune, this 6yo is trained by Olly Murphy and the point-to-point winner won his first two starts over hurdles, both at Leicester, on soft and heavy ground.
Murphy stepped him up to 3m and into Grade 2 company at Haydock four weeks ago and after getting a shade outpaced, he finished strongly for second, finishing 4l behind Dalston Lad who had managed to slip the field. That fine run came on good to soft ground, so it doesn’t really matter whether it rains or not.
His dam didn’t do much as a racehorse but she’s a half-sister to Gidleigh Park, a classy operator who won a Grade 2 at this track, and also to Bossman Jack, who ran well in the Turners earlier this week. I think that last run proved Ubatuba’s stamina for 3m and hopefully, he can stay on late to pick up some place money at odds of 28/1.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Ubatuba e/w @ 28/1 (4 places)
4.00 – Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
The big one. Our ante-post fancy Affordale Fury was off his feed earlier this week and was taken out. Typical. That leaves a field of 11 for the week’s blue riband race and the King George first (The Jukebox Man), third (Gaelic Warrior) and fourth (Jango Baie) are at the head of the market.
Half a length separated the trio at Kempton and they are battling for favouritism here at around 4/1. I’m not convinced that Gaelic Warrior is a Gold Cup horse, he’s been beaten twice before from three festival runs and I believe The Jukebox Man can uphold the King George form. I’d see Jango Baie as a bigger threat than the Mullins horse but I’d definitely be siding with Ben Pauling’s stable star if I had to pick between the three of them.
He’s a fast, accurate jumper, he enjoys being close to the pace and he ran a cracker in the Albert Bartlett here in 2024, so he should be fine on the track. Ben Jones has already got a winner on the board too and having a confident jockey is always a positive.
Welsh Challenger
Next in the market is the Welsh challenger, Haiti Couleurs. Trained by Rebecca Curtis, Sean Bowen will ride and he will want to be up with the early pace. The question for me is, will he be quick enough in this company. He jumped poorly on his only previous start in Grade 1 company in the Betfair Chase and while he hosed up in a four runner Grade 2 last time, it remains to be seen if he is a proper Grade 1 horse.
Last year’s winner Inothewayurthinkin is on a recovery mission after some dreadful efforts this term. It takes a huge leap of faith to fancy him on what he has shown recently but Mark Walsh seems to be a believer.
Harry Cobden rides Spillane’s Tower, JP’s other main hope. He beat L’Homme Presse by 0.75l here last time out and he has some classy form in the book but I suspect he’ll need to improve a fair bit on that form to get involved at the finish here. That being said, he’s only an 8yo so there might be more to come from him.
Go Grey
Grey Dawning trailed in 5l behind Spillane’s Tower here last time out but it was his first run since November and to my eye, it looked a prep run for this. Harry Skelton was very easy on his mount after an error at the second last and that run should have left him spot on for the main event.
This son of Flemensfirth has finished out of the first three in just one of his twelve chase starts. His five wins include a win in the Turners Novice Chase at the festival in 2024 and he won the Betfair Chase this season.
Like a couple of these, he has to prove he definitively stays 3m2f but his jumping is usually a huge asset and he ran through the line pretty well under hands and heels after his late mistake here last time. At the odds, I’ll take a chance on Grey Dawning each way, hopefully he runs a big one.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: Grey Dawning e/w @ 12/1
4.40 – Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase (Class 2)
No opinion and no bet.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Friday Tip: No bet
5.20 – Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
I’ve already put Ballykinlar up for this race and you can read why here. I think he’s better than his mark, the question is whether he might need this run. Just in case he does, I’m also going to back Philip Fenton’s charge, Karl Des Tourelles.
He ran a fine race in the Pertemps last year off 139, beaten 8l into seventh. He actually almost led on the home turn after travelling strongly but the 3m trip just stretched his stamina and he faded late on. Today’s trip should suit him much better.
This year he’s had four runs over the bigger obstacles and the best was his last one, a 6.75l fourth at Navan. Clearly, he’ll need to do better to feature here but the return to this venue offers hope he’ll produce a better performance and he has form in the book over hurdles with Franciscan Rock too, runner up in the Coral Cup off 139 here earlier this week.
Off a mark of 138, Karl Des Tourelles is the each way selection at odds of 20/1.
