Neil Morrice shares all of his tips and picks for the second day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Race 1 TURNERS’ NOVICES’ HURDLE (Grade 1)
No16 SKYLIGHT HUSTLE
Trainer: Gordon Elliott – Jockey: Danny Gilligan
ACT OF INNOCENCE is an interesting card being played out of Seven Barrows granted that by the admission of trainer Nicky Henderson when he received the gelding from another stable he thought he would be better than Old Park Star. It hasn’t gone exactly to plan for this horse who is two from three over hurdles, but a victory for him wouldn’t be a total surprise and he’s right in the mix.
Another UK-based runner that looks over priced is the Ben Pauling-trained TAURUS BAY, who gives owner Harry Redknapp an outside chance of a good omen for his Gold Cup hope The Jukebox Man. NO DRAMA THIS END heads the home challenge having done nothing wrong in his three hurdling successes for Paul Nicholls including the prestigious Challow. The grey went well in a racecourse gallop at Kempton but has been kept up to his work at Ditcheat as he needs plenty of graft.
Irish hopes lie principally with SKYLIGHT HUSTLE who could be the answer. The former winning pointer has grown in stature and it’s hard to know what would have happened in his Grade 1 win at Leopardstown had Talk The Talk not departed at the last when slightly ahead. It still makes for a line of form which is probably the best on offer.
Prediction: 1st SKYLIGHT HUSTLE, 2nd No Drama This End, 3rd Act Of Innoncence, 4th Taurus Bay
Race 2 BROWN ADVISORY NOVICES’ CHASE (Grade 1)
No10 ROMEO COOLIO (Nap)
Trainer: Gordon Elliott – Jockey: Jack Kennedy
After a lot of tooing and froing connections of ROMEO COOLIO opted for the longest of his three options at the Festival and he can show it was the right move by remaining unbeaten over fences. Runner-up in the Festival Bumper in 2024 and third in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last year, the selection had a harder race than ideal when getting the better of Kargese in a bruising battle at the Dublin Racing Festival. Having looked beaten, he rallied gamely to go clear but had to be driven out to hold his rival’s renewed challenge. Gordon Elliott looks upon him as a Gold Cup horse for next year and targeting the blue riband of chasing is what today’s race is all about. It therefore had to be the sensible and right way to go.
One that looks overpriced on what he’s achieved is THOMAS MOR, who was the meat in the sandwich between KITZBUHEL and WENDIGO at the end of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton at Christmas, yet can be backed at three times the price of those opponents.
WENDIGO boasts a subsequent victory at Ayr on his CV but that was against vastly inferior foes and the one that interests me most outside the selection is KOKTAIL DIVIN who was hugely impressive when opening his chasing account at Leopardstown in December and has been freshened up by a mid season break. He has the scope to step up markedly on that visually glowing performance, which was just his third start over fences.
Prediction: 1st ROMEO COOLIO, 2nd Koktail Divin, 3rd Kitzbuhel, 4th Wendigo, 5th Thomas Mor
Race 3 BET MGM CUP HANDICAP HURDLE
No12 GUARD DUTY (Each Way)
Trainer: Emma Lavelle – Jockey: Ben Jones
For a long time GUARD DUTY has been my idea of a horse that can go well in this ultra competitive race. The nine-year-old has been selectively campaigned and when landing the odds at Doncaster in January was engaging in just a third outing of the season. He’s been taken to the same courses as when notching back to back successes at Windsor and Newbury last season and without question his trainer has had her eyes on this prize. He’s a horse that responds well to exaggerated waiting tactics and I expect he will have a lot more in front of him than behind as the field comes down the hill.
Owner JP McManus fields three of the 28 runners with the Nicky Henderson-trained IBERICO LORD the pick. He’s a lightly raced individual who doesn’t always produce his best at this course but importantly is a winner here. Furthermore he was an authoritative winner of the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton, and two weeks ago worked especially well in a racecourse gallop there with Old Park Star. The Skeltons can never be overlooked with their runners in handicap hurdles here and for all the world their mare KATEIRA looks like she’s been laid out for this. Her last two offerings haven’t been encouraging, but resulted in her being dropped in the ratings and there’s been plenty of money for her in the ante post market.
The Willie Mullins-trained STORM HEART enters calculations as he tries to make it three from three this season. The only worry with the former French trained runner is that his best form has happened with plenty of juice in the ground, and conditions could dry up a tad, though probably not enough to stop him taking away a cheque.
Prediction: 1st GUARD DUTY, 2nd Iberico Lord, 3rd Storm Heart, 4th Kateira, 5th
Race 4 GLENFARCLAS CROSS COUNTRY CHASE LIMITED HANDICAP
No1 STUMPTOWN
Trainer: Gavin Cromwell – Jockey: Keith Donoghue
STUMPTOWN is a three times winner from five visits to Prestbury Park including when overcoming a slipping saddle on the run in to plunder this contest in 2025. The nine-year-old showed he is as good as ever when landing the historic Velka Pardubicka in the Czech Republic in October and turns out as fresh as paint for a race that can be dominated by Irish-trained horses.
FAVORI DE CHAMPDOU could prove the biggest thorn in my selection’s side as he took to the cross-country course like a duck to water when winning easily at the January meeting and seems to have found his niche in this discipline.
Stumptown’s stable companion VANILLIER is capable of having a say following his latest triumph over the Punchestown banks while if bouncing back from an uncharacteristic blip when last seen DESERTMORE HOUSE could prove dangerous.
Prediction: 1st STUMPTOWN, 2nd Favori De Champdou, 3rd Vanillier, 4th Desertmore House
Race 5 BET MGM QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE (Grade 1)
No4 IL ETAIT TEMPS (Each Way)
Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey: Paul Townend
With Jonbon out of the two mile picture and L’EAU DU SUD needing to bounce back from a heavy defeat last time, Irish-trained horses can dominate the day 2 feature. MAJBOROUGH is brilliant when it all goes right as was the case at the Dublin Racing Festival last month, but he was turned over as a 1-2 shot in the 2025 Arkle and again on his return to action this season at Cork, where he made costly errors.
A clean round of jumping will make him hard to beat but I prefer to row in with the Hollywoodbets-owned IL ETAIT TEMPS, who has the best form if you ignore his rare off day at Ascot where he was already beaten when falling in the Clarence House Chase in January. Earlier evidence from races like the Celebration Chase and the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown make him the cock of the two mile walk, and nobody can ignore his overall record of having won seven of his ten starts over fences.
L’EAU DU SUD proved no match for my selection in the Tingle Creek and finished third in the Arkle 12 months ago. The Skeltons will have freshened him up and if Majborough fluffs his lines I think Sir Alex Ferguson’s charge could prove the main danger.
Another one from across the Irish Sea that could be competitive is QUILIXIOS, as he’s endured training issues but has shown he’s good returning from a long absence.
Prediction: 1st IL ETAIT TEMPS, 2nd L’Eau Du Sud, 3rd Majborough, 4th Quilixios
Race 6 DEBENHAMS JOHNNY HENDERSON GRAND ANNUAL CHALLENGE CUP HANDICAP CHASE
No5 INTHEPOCKET (Each Way)
Trainer: Henry De Bromhead – Jockey: Mark Walsh
No quarter is taken or given in this red hot two miler in which INTHEPOCKET can make light of his relative lack of experience at the end of a campaign that has been all about getting him here off an attractive mark. The recent support for the nine-year-old is no surprise, and he’s capable of considerably raising his game in the one that matters.
VANDERPOEL has put together back-to-back wins at Grade 1 courses Ascot and Sandown and is clearly progressing at a rate of knots. He’s versatile ground-wise and rates a danger to all as one of trainer Ben Pauling’s best arrows of the week.
Pauling has another string to his bow in PERSONAL AMBITION who proved a different horse when he was allowed to go clear at Newbury. The worry is that there will be several looking to force the pace, and he’s more appealing as a bet in running.
BE AWARE has found one to beat him in three outings since winning easily on chase debut at Stratford but those were in a Grade 1 and a couple of Grade 2s. At slightly longer odds Gavin Cromwell’s ADDRAGOOLE has to be considered as he’s very good at getting onto the podium, while that remark also applies to the Gordon Elliott-trained top weight TOUCH ME NOT.
Prediction: 1st INTHEPOCKET, 2nd Vanderpoel, 3rd Touch Me Not, 4th Be Aware, 5th Personal Ambition, 6th Addragoole
Race 7 WEATHERBYS CHAMPION BUMPER (Grade 1)
No13 THE MOURNE RAMBLER
Trainer: Noel Meade – Jockey: Colin Keane
This is the hardest race of the week in which to find the winner but the booking of top Flat jockey Colin Keane for THE MOURNE RAMBLER takes the eye. His Boxing Day debut success at Leopardstown sits well in my memory and he could find the necessary improvement to get into the shake-up.
Two fellow so far unbeaten candidates from Ireland that could shake the tree are Gordon Elliott’s KEEP HIM COMPANY and the Willie Mullins-trained LOVE SIGN D’ANOU with the latter likely to start favourite on the back of his wide margin success in a deep race at Naas, after which the trainer said he’d never shown him the same degree of ability in his work at home. History dictates that those types are often the ones that prove the best of all.
THE IRISH AVATOR sees Harry Cobden teaming up with the Mullins stable and that might prove significant, meaning he has to go in.
Prediction: 1st THE MOURNE RAMBLER, 2nd Keep Him Company, 3rd The Irish Avator, 4th Love Sign D’Anou
