The first meeting between Sir Gino and The New Lion, the top two in the Champion Hurdle betting, is among the highlights of Trials Day at Cheltenham on Saturday but every contest on the eight-race card will offer pointers towards the festival and owner-of-the-moment Harry Redknapp will hope to see another big-race contender emerge in his colours in the concluding race.
Redknapp’s attempt to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the blue riband of chasing, with The Jukebox Man, his recent King George VI Chase winner, already looks sure to be the biggest story at this year’s festival. It never hurts to have strength in depth at Cheltenham in March, however, and a win for Taurus Bay in the Grade Two AIS Novice Hurdle would see him shoot towards the market leaders for the Turners Novice Hurdle.
Ben Pauling, who trains both The Jukebox Man and Taurus Bay, has made no secret of the regard in which he holds the five-year-old, a £155,000 purchase at Cheltenham’s February sale in 2025.
“I think Taurus Bay is very smart,” Pauling said, “but we are going from two miles to two and a half miles on what will be very testing ground and hopefully he will stay.
“He’s in very good order and looks a million dollars and we’re keen to see how he progresses at this level. I think he’ll handle the ground, but it’s whether he really wants this trip in a bog. There’s a difference between somewhere like Aintree on soft ground and then Cheltenham in soft ground, but he’s a classy horse and I would hope he can take it in his stride.”
Act Of Innocence, from the Nicky Henderson stable, is the marginal favourite for the contest, and one of three Henderson-trained market leaders on the card including Sir Gino in the International Hurdle.
Sir Gino made a brilliant debut over fences at Kempton’s Christmas meeting in 2024 but has since reverted to hurdles after his stable companion and former Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill suffered a series of falls to put his future over jumps in doubt.
“We could have done without the [recent] rain and Ferraris probably don’t work in a muddy field,” Henderson said at Warwick on Friday. “It might not be that, but it might be hard work tomorrow.
“Everyone is probably quite twitchy at the moment and nobody really wants to see horses walking up the hill at Cheltenham, as that is not a good preparation two months before the festival.”
Lion can roar in key Champion Hurdle trial
Sir Gino is a red-hot favourite to win his first ever meeting with The New Lion in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday but there is next to nothing to choose between the pair on their form to date and so The New Lion (3.00) appeals as a much better bet at around 2-1.
Dan Skelton’s runner was still going through the gears when he came down two out in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last time, and would almost certainly have remained unbeaten but for that mishap.
He is rated within 2lb of Sir Gino by Timeform, and has as much, if not more, scope for improvement as Henderson’s runner after just five starts over hurdles.
Lingfield 11.58 Harlington 12.33 Lovethiswayagain 1.08 Far Too Fizzy 1.43 Mick’s Spirit 2.14 Voix De Bocelli 2.48 Alyara 3.26 Secret Road 4.00 Watermelon Sugar
Cheltenham 12.05 Jordans Cross 12.40 One Horse Town 1.15 Booster Bob 1.50 J’Arrive De L’Est 2.25 Spillane’s Tower 3.00 The New Lion (nb) 3.35 Impose Toi 4.10 Heads Up
Doncaster 12.20 Manganese 12.55 Kicour La 1.30 Feet Of A Dancer 2.05 Docpickedme (nap) 2.38 Ki Woo 3.13 Mighty Bandit 3.48 Hobbson’s Day
Uttoxeter 12.47 Kenzoko 1.22 Up To Trix 1.57 Jaipaletemps 2.32 Master Breffni 3.06 In The Age 3.41 Aboutdamntime 4.18 Eton Mes
Newcastle 4.05 Alpine Sierra 4.35 Bishop’s Glory 5.05 Million Gold 5.35 Carbine Harvester 6.05 Alfa Whiteburd 6.35 Esque Elegance 7.05 Relevant Range
Doncaster 12.55 Ben Pauling’s Kicour La eased 13 lengths clear in a good time at Leicester last month and can extend his unbeaten record.
Cheltenham 1.15 Booster Bob put up a new career-best on his return from a nine-month break at Newbury and two of the next three home were winners next time.
Doncaster 1.30 A strong second behind Wodhooh at Leopardstown last time should perhaps not be taken too literally, but Feet Of A Dancer was also fourth under 11st 7lb in last season’s Pertemps Final at the festival and has an obvious chance on that form.
Cheltenham 1.50 The one-two from the Cross Country handicap at the December meeting take each other on again and Emmet Mullins’s J’Arrive De L’Est could reverse the form on 6lb better terms.
Doncaster 2.05 Three or four of these will be vying for the lead which could leave last year’s winner, Docpickedme, ideally placed to strike.
Sedgefield 1.40 Dixie Cowboy 2.10 Rosie Baloo 2.40 Kazar Forez 3.10 Indian River (nap) 3.40 Tom Creen 4.10 Kaviar Wood (nb)
Cheltenham 2.25 Jack Kennedy takes over on Spillane’s Tower for the first time since his career-best run splitting Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs in the 2024 John Durkan Memorial Chase, and he will be a serious player if this return to fences sparks a revival after two sub-par runs over timber.
Cheltenham 3.35 Nicky Henderson’s Impose Toi continues to progress at the age of eight and should add this Grade Two contest to his Grade One win at Ascot before Christmas.
