Dave1962

Mydaddypaddy is trained by Dan Skelton and will be ridden by his brother, Harry. Mydaddypaddy won his only run of last season in a bumper at Huntingdon. This season he started off with an impressive win at Carlisle followed by another win at Haydock, which then saw him move to the top of the ante-post market for this race. His final run was at Aintree where, with the hurdles taken out in the home straight, he could only finish second. Providing no hurdles are removed in today's race, there is every chance Mydaddypaddy will show his true form and be amongst the prize money for the Skeltons.

Since moving to the Nicky Henderson yard from Paul Nicholls, Old Park Star has done nothing wrong in his three runs over hurdles. His three runs in bumpers for Paul Nicholls yielded two thirds and a second. But since switching to Nicky Henderson and to hurdles, Old Park Star is three wins from three runs. His wins came at Kempton, Cheltenham, and Haydock, with his last two runs both having winning margins of twelve lengths or more. All three wins have been over a very similar distance to that which he faces today. He recorded two wins on good to soft and the other on good ground. Old Park Star has appeared to improve with each of his hurdle races, and if improving again Nicky Henderson could have the opening winner of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.

If either of the top two market leaders does not run up to expectations, then Kargese has every chance of finishing in the top two, provided she has fully recovered from the race in which she finished second to Romeo Collio at the beginning of February. In that race she went off at pace and was jumping well, only to be overtaken in the later stages before rallying to eventually go down by a neck. Today's race is slightly shorter, and the uphill finish may suit her. She won the County Hurdle at last year's Festival and receives weight from her five rivals.

Eleven of the last fourteen runnings of this race have seen either a Willie Mullins or Nicky Henderson-trained horse win. Mullins leads with six. Lulamba is trained by Nicky Henderson and has won all three chase races. The Mullins-trained horse has only had one run over the larger obstacles, and with not much between these two horses, experience may come into play. Providing Lulamba can jump well, he might well have more left in the tank coming up the Cheltenham Hill to repeat Henderson's success in this race from last season. His previous back-to-back winners in this race were in 2012 and 2013 with Sprinter Sacre and Simonsig.

With the Irish having a good record in this race, the Willie Mullins-trained Madness Delle appears to be in with a chance of a top-six finish. He has been out twice this year. He started by finishing second at Punchestown and then, in his last race, he improved to win by just under three lengths. There is every chance there is still plenty of improvement to come from Madness Delle. If so, a top-six finish is a possibility.

The Irish have dominated this race for the last eight years. In this eight-year period the jockey on Saratoga, Mark Walsh, has won this race three times. Today he is on board the Padraig Roche-trained Saratoga. The trainer/jockey combination teamed up to win this race in 2022 with Brazil. Saratoga has raced three times this season, finishing third twice and second once. Those three races were all in Ireland. This will be his first venture into handicap company, and today he races off the same mark as the horse which won this race last year.

Three of the last four runnings of this race have been won by a Lucinda Russell-trained horse: Corach Rambler in 2022 and 2023, and last year by Myretown, who is seeking to repeat his success from a fifteen-pound higher mark. Myretown has raced three times this season but has only finished one of those races, earning a fourth-place finish at Haydock in January. Myretown won races in March 2024 and March 2025. So, with this race being run in March, a return to Cheltenham and this trip could see Myretown rediscover his form and give Lucinda Russell another winner in this race.

Prior to being pulled up in his last race at Gowan Park on heavy ground, the Gordon Elliott-trained Search For Glory finished second at Navan and Leopardstown. Jack Kennedy was on board at Gowan Park, and in his previous two races today's jockey, James Smith, who can claim five pounds, was in the plate. With six places on offer, every chance Search For Glory could run well at a big price.

Since winning last season's Champion Hurdle, Golden Ace has run a further five times, winning twice and finishing second three times. He is a sound jumper who has already beaten Anzadam this season. With two of the more fancied runners in this field having previously fallen in a hurdle race, Golden Ace could once again finish in the first three.

In his racing career, The New Lion has raced seven times, winning six and falling in his other race. The New Lion has run twice at Cheltenham, and each time he won. He has winning form on good and good-to-soft ground. He proved that he was back to himself after his fall at Newcastle when returning to winning ways at Cheltenham in January. He finished that race well and may well have the speed and stamina to outstay his rivals up the Cheltenham Hill.

Of the three runners that Dan Skelton sends into this race, Madara is the pick of Harry Skelton. He finished second in his last race at Newbury in early February. He has winning form at Cheltenham, and on his last visit to this course he finished second. He has finished second twice in his last three races, which have all been off today's mark of 140.

Dan Skelton saddles three in this race, and Riskintheground is ridden by Charlie Todd, who was onboard Heltenham, another Skelton horse, when winning at Newbury on the last day of February. Riskintheground won at Newbury in February and since then has not really troubled the judge in his subsequent five races. His mark has now fallen to two pounds below his last winning mark, so he can hopefully be very competitive off today's mark. In total he has raced five times at Cheltenham, with his best finish being a win back in April 2025. He appears to be a sound jumper, so with another good round of jumping Riskintheground could be a lively prospect for a top-five finish.

Newton Tornado is trained by Ruth Curtis, who won this race last year with Haiti Couleurs. Newton Tornado was a very comfortable winner in his last race. He fell in his first chase, which was at Cheltenham. Since then he has raced three times, winning twice and being pulled up in the other. His jumping has improved since that race at Cheltenham. Providing Newton Tornado has the stamina to stay this distance, then every chance the prize will once again be returning to the Ruth Curtis yard.

In this race last season, Ben Jones rode the winner. This time he is on board, then Ben Pauling trained Pic Roc, who bounced back to form at Sandown in his last race to win by a very comfortable thirteen lengths. He was ridden much more aggressively on that day. If the same tactics are employed today, then Pic Roc has every chance of a top-five finish.

Both these teams are in the top six of the Championship, with Wrexham three points behind Hull and a game in hand. Hull lost their last away game at fourth-place Ipswich. Wrexham have won their last two home Championship games, which included a win against Ipswich.

Bodø/Glimt dispatched Inter Milan to reach this stage of the competition. Inter Milan were top of Serie A when they lost to Bodø/Glimt. With Sporting playing in what is probably a weaker league, there is every reason to think that Bodø/Glimt can win the first leg of this tie.

It's been nearly thirty years since Newcastle beat Barcelona. At the time of writing, Barcelona have lost their last two away games. In the Champions League, Barcelona beat Newcastle by the odd goal in three back in September last year. Since then, Newcastle have won all their Champions League home games, which were against Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, PSV, and Qaraba?.

With Manchester City already through to the next round, Real Madrid were not convincing in their win against Benfica to reach this stage of the competition. Manchester City won on their last visit to Real Madrid, which was in the first round of matches in this season's Champions League competition.

Last season the Paul Nicholls-trained No Drama won a bumper and then finished midfield in the Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. This season he has switched to hurdling and is undefeated in three races. He has been kept back for this race, as he was last seen on a racecourse just before the new year when winning at Newbury in the Challow. He was probably more impressive when winning the race before that at Sandown. With plenty of time to recover, every chance No Drama This End can make a winning start to Day Two of the Festival for Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden.

There has to be a question mark over Final Demand following his poor showing in his last race at Leopardstown, where he was sent off the odds-on favourite and was beaten into third place by just over twelve lengths. So, in looking elsewhere, Romeo Coolio could take full advantage if the Willie Mullins horse again runs below expectations. Romeo Coolio switched to chasing at the start of this season and has won all four races. He is yet to race beyond two and a half miles, but, providing the extra distance poses no problems for him, Romeo Coolio could be a festival winner for Gordon Elliott.

At last year's Cheltenham Festival, Majborough was sent off the odds-on favourite for the Arkle but could only finish third after his jumping let him down. Since then he has raced four times, winning twice. By far his best effort was his last race when, fitted with cheek pieces, he bolted up by nineteen lengths at the Dublin Racing Festival on the first day of February, beating Marine Nationale into second. His jumping was probably the best it had ever been, and with cheek pieces fitted again today he appears to have a favourite's chance of winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

By their standards, Motherwell are having a fantastic season. They are fourth in the table, one place behind Celtic, who are not having the best of seasons. They beat Celtic when they welcomed them at the end of December. It's been over ten years since Motherwell won at Celtic. However, with the form of these two teams, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Motherwell can win.