Neil Morrice shares all of his tips and picks for the fourth day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Race 1 JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE (Grade 1)
No11 MINELLA STUDY
Trainer: Adam Nicol – Jockey: Ryan Mania
From his stables in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle, Nicol has a major chance of proving the champion juvenile hurdler in MINELLA STUDY. The Study Of Man gelding brings an unblemished record as a jumper to the table following success at Wetherby and this course, and has been intentionally kept on ice since his mid-December triumph. The form has stood up, and he’s reportedly been working the house down for his second season handler.
Also defending an unbeaten record over jumps is MAESTRO CONTI who was a winner in the French provinces before landing a race at Kempton and then a Grade 2 at this course in January. He’s versatile in terms of the ground, and his trainer has likened him to the super smart Allmankind.
Willie Mullins fields a team of nine from which PROACTIF looks his main arrow. The JP McManus-owned gelding was a winner on debut at Auteuil and readily held his reopposing stablemate MACHO MAN on his first run out of Closutton at Fairyhouse.
Prediction: 1st MINELLA STUDY, 2nd Proactif, 3rd Macho Man, 4th Maestro Conti
Race 2 WILLIAM HILL COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE
No23 SECRET SQUIRREL (Each Way)
Trainer: Hughie Morrison – Jockey: Jonathan Burke
SECRET SQUIRREL showed sufficient on his return in the Kingwell Hurdle to raise hopes he can be competitive for a stable that’s has been quiet with its jumpers this winter. The flashy selection will make an unmistakable sight amongst this field, and if back to the level of form that saw him fall at the last when holding every chance in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Newbury, he can get into the mix. He spent time on the injury list following that incident, but has retained a fair amount of his ability and looks well-treated.
SIXANDAHALF has shown herself to be a very good dual-purpose mare and is respected for Gavin Cromwell. WILFUL represents a Jonjo O’Neill stable that is firmly amongst the winners and he should also enter calculations.
TELLHERTHENAME has the look of a joker in the pack. He’s been hiding his light under a bushel, but today is the time for him to be let off the leash. Of Willie Mullins’s runners, KARBAU may well prove the pick.
Prediction: 1st SECRET SQUIRREL, 2nd Tellherthename, 3rd Sixandahalf, 4th Wilful, 5th Karbau
Race 3 MRS PADDY POWER MARES’ CHASE
No8 DIVA LUNA (Nap)
Trainer: Ben Pauling – Jockey: Ben Jones
DINOBLUE has dominated market exchanges for this very interesting race to become one of the shortest priced favourites at the meeting. The Doctor Dino mare makes her fourth consecutive visit to the Festival, having comfortably taken out this race in 2025.
Things have gone exactly to plan for her this season, but if there’s one to ruffle her feathers, we need to look closely at DIVA LUNA, who in two outings over fences has looked a natural. A minor setback prevented her from running again after her win in a Listed race at Warwick in December, but that form was heavily boosted by the subsequent efforts of the second Blue Las. My Nap didn’t have to come off the bridle to make sure of the spoils, while Pauling has put plenty of work into her subsequently.
PANIC ATTACK is one of jockey Harry Skelton’s strongest fancied of the week, and having won the Coral Trophy and a Listed chase at Newbury brings very strong form to the table.
Prediction: 1st DIVA LUNA 2nd Dinoblue, 3rd Panic Attack
Race 4 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES’ HURDLE (Grade 1)
No2 DOCTOR STEINBERG
Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey:
DOCTOR STEINBERG has looked a better hurdler than he was a bumper horse, a point hammered home with a three from three record over jumps for Mullins. But the performance that marks him special is the Grade 1 at Leopardstown, in which despite pulling from the front, he was able to find extra when it mattered. Connections are reliant on a strong pace in this championship race in which Townend might adopt different antics and get him to settle.
THEDEVILUNO is two from three over hurdles and latterly produced an authoritative display to take out the River Don at Doncaster, where the ground was softer than you normally get on the Town Moor. This ultra consistent contender should again make it onto the podium while SPINNINGAYARN has looked good at Fairyhouse and Punchestown, although a slight concern is that his best form is in very testing ground.
THE PASSING WIFE targets this race in favour of the Martin Pipe after leaving previous efforts behind with a visually impressive win last time. He will need a personal best, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he produced it.
In a race that is likely to be dominated by Irish-trained horses KRIPTICJIM can prove the pick of the home brigade. His three wins have happened at Grade 1 tracks including in a Grade 2 here in January where he was headed but fought back to chin Taurus Bay.
Prediction: 1st DOCTOR STENBERG, 2nd The Passng Wife, 3rd Kripticjim, 4th Thedeviluno
Race 5 BOODLES CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP (Grade 1)
No14 THE JUKEBOX MAN
Trainer: Ben Pauling – Jockey: Ben Jones
Ireland have won the last seven runnings of the blue riband of steeplechasing but that iron grip can be broken by the ‘Big White Hope’ of the home contenders, his name THE JUKEBOX MAN. Agility is an important factor in this race around two circuits of the course and Ben Pauling’s cat-like jumper has that in spades. He wastes no time in the air, can shorten or go long, and rarely touches a twig. His finest moment happened with his success by a paper-thin margin in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, but I think he will operate even better on an undulating track and stepping up to three and a quarter miles for the first time. Rumours of a pre-race training issue have been quashed, and Harry Redknapp’s charge is in for the kill today.
Last year’s winner INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN has endured a fruitless season whilst looking a shadow of the horse who easily landed the spoils 12 months ago. But regardless of that, he’s been very strong in the market, his supporters buoyed by very good signals from Gavin Cromwell’s gallops combined with the knowledge that he comes to life in the spring and the addition of cheek pieces.
JANGO BAIE has less than a length to find with The Jukebox Man from Kempton, where he subsequently excelled in a racecourse gallop. Nicky Henderson’s charge will operate on this better ground.
GREY DAWNING grittily landed the Betfair Chase in November but that’s not the contest it once was, and he didn’t appreciate being held up in the Cotswold Chase here in January. For such a good jumper, I’ve always wondered if the Skeltons might change tactics with the grey and allow him to bowl along.
Prediction: 1st THE JUKEBOX MAN, 2nd Jango Baie, 3rd Grey Dawning, 4th Inothewayurthinkin
Race 6 PRINCESS ROYAL CHALLENGE CUP OPEN HUNTERS’ CHASE
No23 WONDERWALL
Trainer: Sam Curling – Jockey: Mr Robert James
History can repeat itself in the hunter-chase with WONDERWALL carbon copying his 2025 triumph. The former Peter Bowen-trained gelding is unbeaten in four starts for his current handler, with point-to-point successes on each side of his only hunter-chase start so far. He was unextended when scoring at Dromahane back in November and shouldn’t be inconvenienced by his long wait for another run, as this is all that matters.
PANDA BOY comes into the reckoning with back-to-back conversions at Thurles and Naas suggesting that at the age of ten he is better than ever. CON’S ROC adds further lustre to the Irish challenge with his chances likely to be boosted by first-time cheek pieces. STATTLER is a former inmate of the Mullins stable who won easily at Fakenham, and appeals as the best of the home contingent.
Prediction: 1st WONDERWALL, 2nd Panda Boy, 3rd Stattler, 4th Con’s Roc
Race 7 MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP HURDLE
No21 ROC DINO (Each Way)
Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey:
ROC DINO has grazed the woodwork on each of two starts since joining Mullins from the south of France. His form is from maiden hurdles, but with so few miles on his racing clock, he’s of serious interest now engaging in a handicap.
Stablemate KEL HISTOIRE has attracted support and would be dangerous if rediscovering his early novice form. JUMP ALLEN is a third member of the Mullins team that could have a say, and landed one good bets on his only outing so far this season at Punchestown last month.
OPEN SECRET has a habit of troubling the judge and I’ve had a good message for ANDASHAN. He’s progressed from race to race this winter and needs respecting.
Prediction: 1st ROC DINO, 2nd Jump Allen, 3rd Andashan, 4th KEL Histoire, 5th Open Secret
