Festival fancies from the bloodstock team – including one under the radar from a canny trainer and the 'ultimate opportunist'

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Mighty Park

Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Tuesday 1.20)
5g Walk In The Park – Knotted Midge (Presenting)

Mighty Park shapes as an interesting contender in the opener, the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Trained by Willie Mullins, the lightly raced novice has already created a strong impression despite his limited experience.

The five-year-old is a three-parts brother to Might Bite, the brilliant but quirky chaser who landed the King George VI Chase as well as the RSA Novices' Chase at the 2017 edition of the Cheltenham Festival, and Beat That, a Grade 1 winner at Aintree and Punchestown. Mighty Park therefore brings the stamina and class from his bloodlines that would suggest he could develop into a high-class performer. 

That staying pedigree, mixed in with his obvious pace, could prove crucial at Cheltenham. He was a very impressive winner on debut over hurdles at Fairyhouse, where he bolted up by 38 lengths. That performance, coupled with Mullins’ exceptional record of preparing novices for the festival, Mighty Park looks the type who could have a big say on Tuesday. 

Might Bite: winner of the RSA at the 2017 Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Mighty Park was sold at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale  in 2024 by Manister House Stud and was purchased by Monbeg Stables for €105,000. A price that could look like excellent value if he continues his current trajectory.
Miriam Doran

Golden Ace

Unibet Champion Hurdle (Tuesday 4.00)
7m Golden Horn – Deuce Again (Dubawi)

In what has turned out to be a wide open and somewhat lacklustre edition of the Champion Hurdle, few are better placed to capitalise than the defending champion, who, perhaps unfairly, has forged a reputation as an ultimate opportunist.

The Jeremy Scott-trained Golden Ace has proven a canny purchase for Ian Gosden, who secured her for 12,000gns as an unraced three-year-old at the 2021 Tattersalls July Sale, having consistently held her own in top company the past couple of seasons.

One of two representatives in Tuesday's Grade 1 for Golden Horn, the mare had the measure of Brighterdaysahead when landing the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in 2024 and clearly had it again in last year’s Champion Hurdle. She looked destined for second in the latter until State Man came down at the last, gifting her a nine-length triumph.

She then ran a gallant second to Willie Mullins’ sidelined star at Punchestown, with another of Tuesday’s would-be favourites, Constitution Hill, a distant fifth that day.

Golden Ace: Champion Hurdle queen for Jeremy ScottCredit: Edward Whitaker

This season’s Fighting Fifth saw Golden Ace underline her reliability as The New Lion crashed out, allowing her to pick up her second Grade 1. In the process, she beat Nemean Lion further than Dan Skelton’s gelding did in the Unibet Hurdle.

The eight-year-old heads in fresh, last seen running a valiant second to the race's third missing headliner – Sir Gino – in the Christmas Hurdle.

Bred by Meon Valley Stud, Golden Ace boasts the classiest page in the field. She is out of the Listed-winning Dubawi mare Deuce Again and from the family of multiple stakes performers including Group 1 Prix du Cadran winner San Sebastian and Group 3 Lancashire Oaks winner Noushkey. 

She's a sound jumper who is all but guaranteed to run her race, making her easier to fancy than some of the others.
Mary-Jo Jackson

Newton Tornado

National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase (Tuesday 5.20)
7g Cokoriko – New Saga (Sagamix)

French-bred Newton Tornado looks to have a massive shout in the opening day's National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase. Rebecca Curtis' seven-year-old has been a big improver since going over fences and he has won both of his completed chasing starts to date.

The son of Cokoriko is a half-brother to French hurdle winner New Santa, out of Flat winner and Listed-placed hurdler New Saga, a half-sister to top-class French and Irish jumper Nickname.

Newton Tornado: promising chaser for Rebecca CurtisCredit: GROSSICK PHOTOGRAPHY

A novicey fall on debut at Cheltenham was marked down as a 'silly mistake' by the trainer and he duly learnt from that when bolting up at Bangor on his next start. He was then pulled up at Newbury on ground that was found to be far too quick for him, but got back in the winner's enclosure when cruising to success at Doncaster on softer ground in January.
Daniel Harrold

Shuttle Diplomacy

Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Wednesday 1.20)
6g Dschingis Secret – Rime De Boitron (My Risk)

Tom Cooper has a Cheltenham Festival record many big-name trainers can only dream of, and Shuttle Diplomacy illustrated how his runners should not be underestimated when heading Supreme Novices' Hurdle hope El Cairos to snatch third place behind Bambino Fever in last season’s Weatherbys Champion Bumper at odds of 66-1. 

After a couple of less-than-stellar runs early this season, he was able to keep fairly close tabs on King Rasko Grey when second at Limerick, before getting off the mark at Naas when stepped up to 2m3f. 

With son and former Gold Cup-winning jockey Bryan now an emerging force in the bloodstock world, Cooper’s Tralee yard might find one or two more Grade 1 hopes walking through the gates in the years to come. 

In the case of the Dschingis Secret gelding, it was Bernard Stoffel who signed the docket at €12,000 at Arqana when sent through the Deauville ring by Elevage des Loges as a two-year-old store in June 2022. 

Shuttle Diplomacy: third in last year's Champion Bumper at big oddsCredit: Patrick McCann

Shuttle Diplomacy’s dam, the My Risk mare Rime De Boitron, failed to win in three starts but boasts a couple of talented siblings in Tac De Boistron, who won the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak for Marco Botti, and De Boitron, who was just the sort of hard-knocking handicap chaser that Ferdy Murphy used to excel with, his best festival finish a fourth in the Grand Annual. 

They were all out of a daughter of Sicyos in Pondiki, the last of 13 foals produced by Tikiti, who was bred by Edmond de Rothschild and won a Saint-Cloud maiden for trainer Miguel Clement, father of Nicolas and Christophe. 

Dschingis Secret also brings a bit of Flat class to the pedigree, having followed up a Group 1 victory in the 2017 Grosser Preis von Berlin by taking the scalp of Cloth Of Stars in the Prix Foy. 

The son of Soldier Hollow began his stud career under the care of the late Larissa Kneipp at Haras de Saint Arnoult, before transferring to Haras de Montaigu. He stands his first season at Kilbarry Lodge Stud in Ireland this year.
Scott Burton

Our Trigger

Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Wednesday 5.20)
4g Maxios – Game Of Legs (Hernando)

Our Trigger could be another top-level winner for his dam, Game Of Legs, judging by his Gowran Park bumper win. He was a comfortable winner of an admittedly falsely run race, but the way he stayed on powerfully at the end was pretty taking.

Our Trigger: brother to the top-class Gaelic WarriorCredit: Patrick McCann

The son of Maxios has the pedigree to become a Grade 1 talent, being a brother to the top-class chaser Gaelic Warrior, who will line up as a leading fancy in Friday's Gold Cup. Also trained by Willie Mullins, Gaelic Warrior's top-level successes include this season's John Durkan Memorial Chase, as well as the Arkle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. 

Our Trigger looked at home on the heavy ground at Gowran Park, however, a sounder surface probably wouldn't hinder him either. His future undoubtedly lies over hurdles and then fences, but the fact he runs here shows the regard he's held in at Closutton. His sire, whose two Grade 1 winners have come at the festival, looks set for a big few years as his Irish-bred crops head to the track.
Kitty Trice

Minella Academy

JCB Triumph Hurdle (Friday 1.20)
4g Sea The Moon – Timely (Pivotal)

Willie Mullins cannot opt for exactly the same approach as last year in the Triumph Hurdle, when he threw in a few complete unknown quantities to see if they sank or swam and ended up winning it with 100-1 chance Poniros as it led to a tweak in the rules.

However, he still has a free roll of the dice with Minella Academy, who has won an academy hurdle and will have his novice status preserved for another campaign should the race just become an education session.

Minella Academy: £370,000 purchase is set for the Triumph HurdleCredit: David Keane/Racing Post

However, I'd suspect this Flat-bred son of Sea The Moon is more than sharp enough, having come through the Minella academy of John Nallen, who sold him for £370,000 as the Goffs sale topper at Newbury in late November. He might just be a little better than Minella Yoga, who had an almost identical profile before going to Paul Nicholls and has produced two very good efforts already.

Minella Academy was bought to be the type of dual-purpose, Vauban type, with Mullins' agent Harold Kirk feeling he was the full package. That team don't get a lot wrong, so he's worth looking out for in the colours of the world-conquering H O S Syndicate.
Tom Peacock

The Jukebox Man

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Friday 4.00)
8g Ask - My Twist (Flemensfirth)

A fairly obvious choice, however Ben Pauling has had the season of his life and it would be no surprise to see his stable star, The Jukebox Man, step up to the occasion once again and add to his impressive tally in Friday's Gold Cup. 

The son of the star-crossed stallion Ask has not been seen since his thrilling win in Boxing Day's King George, but judging by the way he finished that day, finding more for pressure after looking beaten, one can only assume the extended trip of the Gold Cup will suit the eight-year-old down to the ground. 

Unbeaten in his last four starts including two in elite company, the gelding has shown good form at this meeting previously when finishing an unlucky second in the Albert Bartlett and could have very easily snared his first Grade 1 had it not been for a mistake at the last. 

When he lines up in Friday's Grade 1, The Jukebox Man will be seeking to become the first horse since Al Boum Photo to win the Grade 1 having not tasted success at the track on a previous occasion, but has all the assets his arsenal to thrive in Gold Cup that perhaps lacks real depth. 

Originally sold for just €3,000 to John Phelan as a foal at Goffs, the gelding was he was moved on four years later for what still looks an absolute bargain of £70,000 at the Goffs UK Tingle Creek Sale, a couple of weeks after winning a Turtulla point-to-point by six lengths for Mary Doyle.
Lydia Symonds

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