After a Champion Hurdle that had to be seen to believed, there was another surprise at Cheltenham on Wednesday morning, with snow falling.
An increasingly wintry scene emerged at Prestbury Park, where the day two feature is the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 4.00pm.
Thankfully by 8.30am the snow had turned to sleet before gradually stopping with temperatures forecast to rise to 7C by the time racing begins at 1.20pm, with a fascinating clash between The New Lion and Final Demand in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.
Ahead of day two of the Cheltenham Festival, the country's top tipster assesses the chance of Queen Mother Champion Chase favourite Jonbon along with Wednesday's other races
1.20 TURNERS NOVICES’ HURDLE
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 THE NEW LION, 2 FINAL DEMAND, 3 POTTERS CHARM
THE NEW LION arrives at his first Cheltenham Festival with the world at his feet, and is expected to leave it with his unbeaten record intact.
Dan Skelton is well on the way to landing a first trainers’ title and in The New Lion he has a horse already victorious at the highest level - with the prospect of plenty more to come.
The son of Kayf Tara made his racecourse debut with a bumper win at Market Rasen last April that promised much for the future, and began his hurdles career in similar vein at Chepstow in October.
Skelton then sent the six-year-old to Newbury for a novice event in November, which The New Lion won by three lengths from Califet En Vol to earn a return to Royal Berkshire for the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle three days after Christmas.
The way my selection travelled under Harry Skelton before surging away to humble Wendigo by four and three-quarter lengths that day marked him out as a horse of huge potential - and triggered his purchase by JP McManus.
Today’s £84,405 first prize will represent a modest instalment on the fee that saw The New Lion change hands, but every little helps.
Market rival Final Demand is also unbeaten and warrants maximum respect, while The Yellow Clay and Potters Charm look the strongest candidates for the final podium place.
2.00 BROWN ADVISORY NOVICES’ CHASE
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 BALLYBURN, 2 BETTER DAYS AHEAD, 3 DANCING CITY
BALLYBURN is very much the clubhouse leader among the neophyte staying chasers, and rates a worthy favourite for a second Cheltenham Festival triumph.
Willie Mullins forecast great things for the son of Flemensfirth after he romped away with the Turners Novices’ Hurdle 12 months ago and his words still hold true.
Sent off at 2-11 when making his chasing debut over two miles and three furlongs at Punchestown in November, Paul Townend’s partner strolled home by 13 lengths.
A step back to two miles for the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park over Christmas brought a first defeat over fences as Ballyburn couldn’t live with brilliant seven-and-a-half-length winner Sir Gino.
But out of darkness cometh light - that reverse convinced his connections that, rather than target the Arkle Challenge Trophy over the minimum trip, they should move up in distance.
Ballyburn contested Leopardstown’s top-level Ladbrokes Novice Chase over an extended to miles and five and galloped to the finish with fortitude to beat dual Grade 1 victor Croke Park by five lengths.
Three miles won’t be an impediment for a horse who has still has a considerable ‘up’ side, with Better Days Ahead , Dancing City and Stellar Story taken to follow the selection home.
2.40 CORAL CUP
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 BEAT THE BAT, 2 AL GASPARO, 3 BE AWARE
BEAT THE BAT moves back up in trip, and that might just give him the edge.
Successful once from three starts in his first campaign over hurdles - a score at Ascot was sandwiched between seconds at Chepstow and Cheltenham - Harry Fry’s son of Walk In The Park began this season with a fine second to Steel Ally over two miles and three furlongs at Haydock Park in November.
Reverting to two miles at Windsor in January, Beat The Bat looked ill at ease on the Thameside twists and turns in returning seventh to Secret Squirrel.
Fry elected to stay at the minimum distance for the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury last time out and, not for the first time, Bryan Carver’s mount gave the strong impression a sterner test of stamina was needed with a 13-length fifth to Joyeuse.
An honest gallop over two miles and five furlongs - and topped by an uphill finish - will play to my selection’s strengths and a British Horseracing Authority mark of 133 looks within range.
The list of dangers, inevitably a long one, is headed by Be Aware , with Impose Toi , Jimmy Du Seuil and Al Gasparo in close attendance.
3.20 GLENFARCLAS CROSS COUNTRY CHASE
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 LATENIGHTPASS, 2 STUMPTOWN, 3 IWILLDOIT
LATENIGHTPASS is capable of rewarding each-way support - at the very least.
Tom Ellis’s stable stalwart has a victory at Aintree’s Grand National meeting on his CV - he lifted the Foxhunters’ Chase under the trainer’s wife, Gina Andrews, as a nine-year-old in 2022.
Latenightpass also has winning form over this course and distance, registering a cross-country chase success in December 2023 during a temporary move to Ellis’s best friend, Dan Skelton.
This term, after a pipe-opening 10th over the National fences in the Grand Sefton Chase in November, my selection came home in third behind Stumptown and Mister Coffey over the Cheltenham banks and hedges 12 days before Christmas, but re-engages with both rivals on favourable terms here.
Forgive Latenightpass a first-fence unseat at Ascot in January - a stumble on the landing side was to blame for the early departure - and he’s well capable of giving a good account of himself at rewarding odds.
Favourite Stumptown is an obvious danger and has to be feared, along with Mister Coffey , The Goffer and Iwilldoit.
4.00 BETMGM QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 SOLNESS, 2 JONBON, 3 ENERGUMENE
SOLNESS has reinvented himself as a top-class two-mile chaser this winter and is put up as the value alternative to hotpot Jonbon .
Punters wouldn’t have been in a rush to back the Joseph O’Brien trainee for Champion Chase honours when he finished 11th in last year’s Grand Annual Chase, or when he completed last of four finishers behind Jonbon in the top-level Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park in December.
But a significant upturn in the seven-year-old’s fortunes has seen Solness pocket Grade 1 prizes on his last two outings.
Making the running under JJ Slevin in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown in December, the combination galloped through a pea-souper to beat Gaelic Warrior by three and three-quarter lengths, with Marine Nationale three parts of a length away in third, 2024 Champion Chase hero Captain Guinness fifth and Found A Fifty pulling up.
Those inclined to dismiss that 28-1 win as a foggy fluke had to eat their words back in Foxrock at the start of February when Solness and Danny Mullins - Slevin was contracted to partner second-fence departee El Fabiolo - set a searching pace but had enough in hand at the finish to contain Marine Nationale by two lengths. Quilixios (fourth) and Captain Guinness (last of six finishers) came home well beaten.
Slevin is back on board and, with forcing tactics once more on the chalkboard, Solness will take some pegging back.
Jonbon completed his Cheltenham preparation by beating Energumene for the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January and is not passed over lightly, with Willie Mullins’ two-time Champion Chaser the selection for the bronze medal.
4.40 DEBENHAMS JOHNNY HENDERSON GRAND ANNUAL CHALLENGE CUP
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 JPR ONE, 2 UNEXPECTED PARTY, 3 TRAPRAIN LAW
JPR ONE still has more to offer over fences and gets the vote to give his rivals weight and a beating.
While proving shy of the top class as a novice chaser last season - he finished 7th as a 16-1 chance for the Arkle Challenge Trophy - Joe Tizzard’s eight-year-old did manage success at Grade 2 level when landing the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Lingfield Park on his previous start.
And JPR One began the current campaign with a three-quarter-length margin from Djelo in the Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Exeter in November.
My selection’s sights were raised back to the top tier for the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park in December, and he was anything but discredited with a third to Jonbon.
JPR One ran to a similar level of form when fourth in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on his most recent outing, and is feasibly treated on a British Horseracing Authority rating of 156 as he makes his return to the handicap sphere.
In a race of near-endless possibilities, last year’s winner Unexpected Party , General Medrano and Traprain Law are just three horses up to making their presence felt.
5.20 WEATHERBYS CHAMPION BUMPER
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 KALYPSO’CHANCE, 2 COPACABANA, 3 NO DRAMA THIS END
KALYPSO’CHANCE could hardly have made a better start to his career and has plenty going for him.
The Gordon Elliott trainee is a recruit from the English point-to-point circuit, having won by 13 lengths at Corbridge in Northumberland last April.
That performance prompted Elliott to buy Kalypso’chance for £85,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sales five days later and, a further seven months on, the son of Masked Marvel carried the colours of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud to a 15-length margin in a Punchestown bumper.
My selection then took in Listed company at Navan 10 days before Christmas and dished out a four-and-a-half-length beating to Heads Up .
Just five horses assembled for that race but the time boffins were trilling afterwards and Kalypso’chance showed a sharp turn of foot to settle matters.
He’s a long way from the bottom of the barrel.
Willie Mullins’ Champion Bumper record of 14 successes makes Copacabana and Gameofinches worthy of the utmost respect, but the Paul Nicholls-saddled No Drama This End also merits a second look.