Road To Cheltenham: Step in now for Majborough ahead of quick return

This year, the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase is the more compelling prospect than the Savills Chase. (Catch it while you can, people.) That’s not least because JP McManus downed Willie Mullins in the 2025 World Championship Stare-Out Final – a classic of its era, I’m sure you’ll agree – with the key passage of play where Fact To File would run this festive period.

These two titans of the game – think supreme rivalries such as Federer v Nadal, Ali v Frazier, Happy Gilmore v Shooter McGavin – would in effect generate a walkover against any other opposition. Yet pitted against each other, it made for a fascinating pre-Christmas match. This time, the green-and-gold hoops blinked last. Expect Mullins to accumulate a series of subtler retaliations as he regroups.

In the aftermath of a pulsating John Durkan duel, in which Gaelic Warrior edged out his stablemate, despite Mullins openly stating his preference to “send one to Kempton and one to Leopardstown" this column and its accompanying shows repeatedly suggested McManus diverged from his trainer’s view. Even though the markets didn’t believe it.

That changed last Tuesday, when Fact To File tumbled from a baggy 5-1 to half that price and even lower in some places for the King George. He’s now vying with his recent conqueror for control at the top at around the 5-2 mark.

With at least two more credible rivals in the race, Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man, I’m not tempted to bet that tight. But I’d make Gaelic Warrior favourite and the likeliest winner.

As Ruby was illustrating in Thursday night’s show, it’s hard to predict the shape of this renewal. Is Il Est Français still capable of raising a Grade One gallop even for a short while? If so, Ruby’s view was that a prominent racer such as The Jukebox Man could then take over on the pace whereas he and others would be less inclined to make it from the outset. 

Paul Townend will be hoping Gaelic Warrior is in a tractable Aintree mood rather than a domineering Punchestown one, so he can exercise some control over where he’s positioned. Charlie Deutsch could ride Djelo either way, especially if emboldened to think he now gets a well-run three miles.

The trip is the doubt for Fact To File because, although he beat nearly allcomers bar Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown last Christmas and in February, that isn’t an endorsement of his stamina as much as of his class.

Neither race was strongly run and the champion was deferentially permitted to dominate, from flag-fall in the case of the 2024 Savills. Then, other rivals with superior stamina reserves were produced with both eyes on a certain April target and in the Irish Gold Cup Grangeclare West stayed on past Fact To File for second.

Yes, Fact To File might have enough stamina for many a King George – and his smooth-travelling, tracking run style will be ideally suited to this track – but this is a deep one.

Jango Baie will be ridden similarly but must also prove his stamina. He runs as though he’ll enjoy it but isn’t bred that way (depending, as ever, how you read his pedigree). His ability to jump soundly at speed is an asset. The Jukebox Man is the least experienced and therefore has the most to prove. Yet he exudes quality and looked fully at home over this course and distance during last year’s Kauto Star success – no great shakes on form, admittedly.

Djelo has five times fallen short at Grade One level but is only seven years of age and clearly thriving. This will be his best shot. Titleholder Banbridge won a far weaker version of this race, run to his absolute strengths. He’ll enjoy the better ground and tends to improve a bundle from first to second start but he’ll need to again. Yet even the first-time application of key aids – a visor and Sean Bowen – are unlikely to be enough.

I don’t fancy those at bigger prices – famous last words about Croke Park and Master Chewy – so, for me, it comes down to how well Gaelic Warrior settles in the early stages. He’s already a top-class talent but also yet to be fully exposed at three miles. I mentioned in the first Road that I found him to be an interesting Gold Cup prospect. He’s now 8/1 – four points shorter, if memory serves, than he was at that time but now facing the test of his career to date on Friday.

Over at Leopardstown two days later, Galopin Des Champs makes his belated seasonal debut after a setback left him overdue for his traditional John Durkan return. I expect him to be, at a minimum, vulnerable and probably to be beaten – depending on how cagey his opponents play it.

As he gets older, he’s tended to improve for his comeback run – albeit that analysis is complicated, as discussed on Thursday’s show, by the fact he’s usually stepping up half a mile in trip. Also, his impregnability has taken a knock, with flashes of lost concentration and when off his game in the Gold Cup. I doubt he’ll be allowed his own way as much as before. He shouldn’t be.

How ready will Inowthewayurthinkin be to take advantage? To put it another way, how important does the Savills rank for McManus against winning back-to-back at Cheltenham? “Do you think he's ready to be the Gold Cup version of himself at Christmas?” I asked trainer Gavin Cromwell at Cheltenham last weekend. In my view, he prevaricated – as I think my underlining of his words demonstrates below. 

“Yeah, definitely,” he said, before immediately adding, “a lot closer to it anyway, for sure... I think we're in a good place now and hopefully he can be competitive from here on.”

Earlier Cromwell had said: “Listen, he was beaten a long way in Punchestown but they went a furious gallop and he was flat out and just wasn't sharp enough on the day, but I think it's woke him up a bit. He jumped really well and he stayed really well. He was beaten a long way but hopefully when we step up in trip and as the season progresses, we’ll see the best of him.”

Can Inowthewayurthinkin beat an on-song Galopin Des Champs? In truth, we don’t yet know. Quite probably yes, given their relative ages, but the latter won’t yet be on song on Sunday. So, perhaps the stage is set for Fastorslow, whom Martin Brassil had been set to dispatch to Kempton but removed at Saturday’s forfeit stage.

Doubtless Brassil was expecting Fact To File to remain in Leopardstown; without him, despite the presence of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1-2, there’s a comparatively gettable look to this year’s Savills Chase.

On his dual defeats of Galopin Des Champs and particularly his belated seasonal-debut second to that race-fit rival in the 2024 Irish Gold Cup over this course and distance, Fastorslow right on the premises. Despite returning from a soft-tissue injury, he produced a better performance than Inowthewayurthinkin when third in the John Durkan – admittedly ridden closer to the runaway leader than the Gold Cup hero but also keeping on strongly. He’s a bet for me in this race, but probably on the day as his two glitzier rivals likely gain popularity.

The vastly overpriced horse in this line-up is Grangeclare West, not just for the reason outlined above in relation to Fact To File but also because he reproduced that calibre of form when third in the Grand National and fifth in the Bet365 Gold Cup. He’s 25/1 after jogging around in the John Durkan and would have made huge each-way appeal had Fastorslow headed to Kempton. Not so much now.

Finally for this section, I’m expecting Gerri Colombe to turn tail from Leopardstown and head to Tramore for its New Year’s Day Chase. This would be the right call because even if the track will suit less well, the ground should be helpfully testing and the opposition a distinct cut below for a quality horse returning from 14 months on the sidelines.

As per Fact To File, the market now strongly suggests Majborough will make a swift bid to recover credibility by running in Saturday’s Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown – something we didn’t predict!

He’ll meet Champion Chase titleholder Marine Nationale when he gets there, making this a potentially compelling duel. How compelling depends on the former’s jumping and the latter’s fitness.

Ruby expects Mullins to take his advice by removing Majborough’s earplugs to make him concentrate better when jumping. Perhaps a return to a left-handed track will help but I think that’s more of a factor at certain fences on the ever-turning Old Course at Cheltenham than at Leopardstown. The great unknown – in a break from Closutton Order practice – is the 20-day turnaround. 38 days is the quickest he’s been asked to repeat-perform before.

Marine Nationale sidestepped the Fortria when wet weather forced its postponement and the ground became unpalatably heavy to Barry Connell for a reappearance run. He’ll have packed more training in since then but will still be vulnerable if his smart, race-fit younger rival gets his act together. I’m banking that he does and making a Champion Chase move for Majborough right now at 6/1 with Bet365, William Hill and others.

Based on our Thursday night emails, as overseen by Josh Stacey, I’m not alone.

Found A Fifty will be the fittest in the field but I doubt he’ll maintain superiority over Majborough in this context. Solness was as honed as a greyhound on his seventh start prior to winning this 12 months ago; this year, on seasonal debut, he relies solely a great affinity for the track but shouldn’t be summarily dismissed to hit the frame. 2023 winner Dinoblue took until the new year last season to get her jumping eye in; based on her Fortria guesswork, that may be the case again. Only By Night needs to find more.

The key for Lossiemouth’s rivals in next Monday’s December Hurdle at Leopardstown will be to get her at full revs over this two-mile trip on the track’s tighter inside line. However, are they capable – or inclined – to execute such tactics?

Unsurprisingly, King Of Kingsfield was not supplemented with stablemate Brighterdaysahead, so there will be no pictures of the mare shooting down rivals on the instant replay. There will be no pictures of the mare shooting down rivals on the instant replay. If she can still fit into that jumpsuit, Gordon Elliott will be saving it for just the proper occasion.

Their front-running stablemate Casheldale Lad remains, though, if Elliott cares to be mob-handed with talented mare Wodhooh also set to be on show. Admittedly the former’s career-best effort, unjustly ending in a last-flight fall, was achieved over 2m4f in the Hatton’s Grace and the pace he set was steady. But Wodhooh is race-fit, versatile and would benefit herself from a truly run affair.

There’s also the curveball in equine form that is El Fabiolo, a once-mighty two-mile chaser who lately hasn’t seen a fence over which he can’t fling himself to the ground. He has a Gaelic Warrior attitude to jockey collaboration, which will be in full effect on his first run since April, so JJ Slevin might be hostage to his mount’s inclination. Will that be too fast and therefore safely ignored? Fascinating.

Meanwhile, at Kempton three days earlier there’ll have been what will likely amount to a match between Sir Gino and rarely unreliable mare Golden Ace. The former is a short price to triumph despite returning from an injury complicated by a life-threatening associated infection, switching from Plan A of chasing (a discipline at which he boasts superior form) and facing a race-fit rival.

He might well win it on natural ability but I’m more interested in what happens next.

Sunday’s Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown showcases a rematch between Ballyburn and Teahupoo, the former having been foiled a mere nose by the latter in a tactically run, traffic-heavy edition of the Hatton’s Grace over half a mile shorter at the end of last month at Fairyhouse. The Closutton Order fancies revenge; Gordon Elliott says bring it on.

Ballyburn is yet to prove his suitability for three miles and the likelihood of him learning to relax seems minimal in the short term. By contrast, Teahupoo doesn’t do quick encores, and enough rain would need to fall for his trainer truly to mean it when saying for at least the second year in succession that he might run him here. Time is ticking on with a gelding rising nine, however, and Teahupoo’s holiday didn’t lead to Cheltenham success last year, so why not give it a go?

I’d say Stayers’ Hurdle hero Bob Olinger is likely to take his jaunty head carriage back to the Relkeel on New Year’s Day, a race he won two years ago over a track at which he is – snatch up Majborough’s earplugs and stuff them in your ears, Galopin Des Champs fans – unbeaten.

Rocky’s Diamond will be relieved to see a hurdle rather than something bigger and might not be done improving as a hurdler, given he’s still only five, but the likely shape of this race is off-putting in betting terms.

Finally, we mentioned in Thursday’s show that dual Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter is back in training with Gavin Cromwell at the age of rising eleven, having not been seen since picking up an injury after winning the Kerry National in September of last year. I had assumed he’d revert to hurdles but, as Ruby pointed out, that might not be the case.

At Cheltenham last weekend, before admitting there had been “a lot of doubt” about whether this popular horse would manage to make it back, Cromwell reported he was “in full work”, aiming for a Spring return and still “every bit” a live wire at home. “He's loving life and hopefully we can keep him right,” he added. “He’s in great spirits and loving it, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Advised 28/11/25: William Munny at 12/1 (10/1 also acceptable) for the Unibet Champion Hurdle

Back on the day: Fastorslow for the Savills Chase

Back now: Majborough at 6/1 for the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase with the sponsors, William Hill or Bet365

Bah humbug!