As we sit here in early January, freezing our whatsits off, it’s hard to believe that spring is even going to arrive on time however, the Cheltenham Festival is just around the corner and Dave Massey marks your card for some potential early ante-post clues.
Cheltenham Festival 2026: AP Clues
It’s the crowning glory of the jumps season and whilst a 10-1 winner at Cheltenham pays exactly the same as it does elsewhere, there’s still something a bit more special about finding a winner of a prestigious contest that you’ve fancied for some time, that “knowing you were right” feeling it brings. And so with that, let’s keep ourselves nicely warmed up with an ante-post Cheltenham Yankee, shall we?
Cheltenham Festival Clues: Minella Study
There are still non-believers out there that will tell you Minella Study has been “lucky” to find two races where an odds-on favourite has misfired, and he’s been on hand to take advantage. These people are wrong, as Minella Study is very much the real deal and with nothing I’ve seen coming from Ireland bar Narciso Has to worry me yet (and you should never be frightened of one horse when having a punt) I think Minella Study still looks overpriced to win the Triumph Hurdle.
It hasn’t just been the manner of his victories, but having seen him in the flesh, he’s a really good-looker that’s only going to keep improving as he strengthens out. The way he beat Winston Junior and One Horse Town hollow in one of the Cheltenham Trials was easy on the eye, and with a clock to match. At this stage, he ticks every box I’m looking for in a Triumph winner, and if he dots up at Musselburgh at the end of the month, he’ll shorten a few points again.
Cheltenham Festival Clues: Jonbon
Sometimes, in a bet like this, you just have to play the maths, and Jonbon as an each-way swing at 25s in the Champion Chase still makes some sense. Nicky’s already admitted that, as long as Il Etait Temps is around, Jonbon’s going to have a lot on his plate to beat him again but that shouldn’t detract from two facts;.
One, chances are that, as ever, we’ll end up with a small field for this and two, Jonbon will then have two choices; miss Cheltenham completely and go to Aintree, where there are no guarantees he won’t meet Il Etait Temps anyway, or JP realises Majborough can’t jump for toffee and allows Jonbon take his chance in the Champion Chase, rather than stand in his box for a few more weeks.
In a field of five or six, would you fancy 5-1 a place Jonbon in a multi? I know I would. Look, he’s still top quality regardless of the fact he might just be regressing now; take the chance he goes in this because he’ll go off a lot shorter on the day if he does.
Cheltenham Festival Clues: Honesty Policy
The fact that Teahupoo heads up the betting, again, for the Stayers Hurdle tells you there’s not a lot coming through in the staying division right now, and whilst the favourite is the correct one, I don’t think there’s as much as a three-point gap to Honesty Policy, who does look the one that could break through and take the crown.
Winner of the Grade 1 Mersey Hurdle at Aintree last year, this improving sort then went on to run Jasmin De Vaux to half a length at Punchestown where a final-flight blunder didn’t help his cause, and then was a major eyecatcher in the Long Walk at Ascot on his return, staying on all the way to the line for a 1½ length third to Impose Toi. I was sure he’d come on for the run beforehand, too; all that points to another improved run being the most likely scenario at Cheltenham, a stiffer test likely to prove ideal.
Cheltenham Festival Clues: The Jukebox Man
In what looks the most open Gold Cup for years, take The Jukebox Man to bring the trophy back this side of the Irish Sea, and racing back on the front pages of the redtops the next day. The argument against The Jukebox Man before the King George was that he had to step it up again on what he’d done to date and that was absolutely true, he did. Victories over the likes of Hyland and Iroko were stylish enough, but hardly the form to worry a field full of Grade 1 winners.
Well, not only did The Jukebox Man step it up, he showed some superb battling qualities that were hitherto unseen to boot, and he’s starting to look the real deal. Let’s remind ourselves of something at this point – that was only The Jukebox Man’s fifth start over fences when winning the King George, he’s probably not finished improving yet, and the way he finished off at Kempton suggests an ever stiffer test will suit. A lot to like about his chance for Ben Pauling, pound for pound the best English trainer I think we have this season.
By Dave Massey
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