One Horse Town bidding to warm up for Triumph with Adonis glory
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 20 Feb 2026
Harry Derham’s One Horse Town is out for further Grade Two glory as he lines up in the Ladbrokes Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton.
The chestnut, a former Flat campaigner, transitioned seamlessly to hurdling in the summer with two wide-margin wins and continued to progress into the autumn when taking a Kempton juvenile and a Grade Two Triumph trial at Cheltenham.
He was subsequently placed in two similar races to the latter, both times under a penalty, and although the Triumph ultimately beckons he is primed for this valuable port of call beforehand.
“He’s run very well all season, we’ve been incredibly pleased with him,” said Derham.
“We were umming and ahhing about about running him in the Adonis as we thought we’d made our mind up about going straight to the Triumph and missing this, but it’s an £80,000 Grade Two that he has a very legitimate chance in.
“We’re going to let him take his chance, he’s in great form and hopefully he can run another really solid race.
“It’s still the plan to go to Cheltenham but we’re taking the Adonis very seriously, it’s a big race and we’re going to give it a good do. Then hopefully, all being well, we’ll roll on to Cheltenham.”
There is a French-trained runner in the mix in Noel George’s Allure, who makes his second start over hurdles having switched from Andre Fabre.
The grey was placed at Listed grade on the level and made a pleasing debut under the National Hunt code by finishing second in a Fontainebleau contest when beaten half a length in December.
Elsewhere is Dan Skelton’s Precious Man, second to One Horse Town at Cheltenham in November and subsequently the comfortable winner of a juvenile event over this course and distance.
Skelton told his Ladbrokes blog: “We run Precious Man in the Adonis, and there’s good form on his books at the moment obviously. This track suits him, and I’d like to think he’ll go very close here.
“We’re missing Cheltenham with him, and instead going to Aintree, but I don’t have any negatives when it comes to him at all. I’m really looking forward to getting him back around this track – I think the speed nature of it will continue to suit him.”
Paul Nicholls has put forward Falls Of Acharn, another Flat recruit, whereas Jane Williams is represented by La Luna Artista, winner of two of her three starts so far.
Nicky Henderson will saddle Lady Bamford’s Fantasy World, a useful Flat performer who took the Listed Noel Murless for Andrew Balding and was fourth on debut when turning his hand to hurdling.
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