From the two handicap selections, one was placed, and the other was tailed off after being prominent for the majority of the race.
Kateira was held up in the middle of the pack throughout the race. Her jumping was good enough to see her glide through the field to get into a handy position, but she was then hampered down the hill. I don't think it was enough to halt her from winning, but she might've gotten a little bit closer. Thankfully, she held on to get a place to reduce the blow for day two.
Be Aware didn't jump a couple of fences well, but it wasn't the be-all and end-all. He was simply not good enough and too high in the handicap.
Cheltenham 2026 Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase | 2.00 pm – Regent's Stroll 11/2 (1pt)
I could be barking up the wrong tree with Regent's Stroll being my selection for this race, but I didn't think it was an extremely strong race.
I think backing Paul Nicholls' horses at this festival is a big gamble, as he doesn't have the level of ammunition that he did ten or so years ago. However, I've always felt that there was a very nice horse in Regent's Stroll, and we saw that in the Grade 1 at Aintree last spring.
He was tried in the Challow, but was far too keen, and then flopped on his next outing. He dodged Cheltenham and went to Aintree, where he bumped into Honesty Policy, who turns out to be a useful horse. Other horses in that race include Koktail Divin, who is a very promising chaser, who has already recorded an RPR of 159.
Paul won this race last year with Caldwell Potter, who enjoyed front-running tactics in this race twelve months ago. I think this lad will be seen at his best if allowed to run from the front. I don't think it'll be an easy assignment to get an easy lead, as Sixmilebridge likes to front-run as well. However, based on the first two days, I think you have to be prominent to have the best chance. It could be different with the swap from old to new track, but I can't see how it would play too differently.
He is running off a mark of 145, and given that he has Grade 1 form over hurdles, there's got to be a little bit more left off his current rating.
Cheltenham 2026 Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | 4.40 pm – C'Est Different 15/2 (0.5pt EW, 6pl)
This selection could be my heart ruling my head, as I've been on the journey with this horse since Market Rasen two runs back. I thought he was a handicap blot in his Pertemps qualifier that day, and he proved to be that.
He managed to win that race off a mark of 109, but did it easily. Connections then had their hands forced to run him again, so he contested a Class 4 race at Newbury, and he got the job done whilst carrying 12st 1lb. That grade of race is miles worse than what he is against today, but the fact that he shouldered a huge weight showcased the talent of this horse.
As a result of his most recent win, he was put up 10lbs by the handicapper, which means he has a run in this race. I hope we've not seen the end of his progression.
What I did like from his run last time out was that he stays the trip out nicely, and he is a battler. It wasn't all sun and rainbows at Newbury; he came under pressure, but he is very game.
Cheltenham 2026 Kim Muir Challenge Amateur Jockey's Handicap Chase | 5.20 pm – Jeriko Du Reponet 7/2 (1pt)
It definitely feels a bit illegal backing a horse this short for a race like this at the festival, but we've watched this horse be a non-trier all season long, and they've just about squeaked into this race by the skin of their teeth.
Many others and I could be massively wrong for this, but this looks like one hell of a handicap plot by team Henderson and JP. This horse has always had a high reputation since he was a novice hurdler. At one stage, he was one of the antepost favourites for the Supreme in the year he was running as a novice.
Those days are long gone, and he hasn't gone on to build on the reputation he first had, but he still has a lot of ability. He was second in the Pertemps last year, another race dominated by horses trying to swindle the handicapper. This year, he has been shocking over fences, but Nico De Boinville has done his best acting to get this horse's handicap mark down, and the handicapper has given them the green light by putting him at the top of the weights.
Derek O'Connor is the man for the gamble in races like this, and he has been booked on Jeriko for quite a while. Gambles like this do go up in flames, but it doesn't look like a great race, and if he stays the trip, and jumps well, he is the one to beat.
GambleAware