The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is now less than two months away, and Prestbury Park is gearing up for its final meeting before the March showpiece, as Festival Trials Day takes centre stage at the iconic course on Saturday (January 24).
The card features eight quality contests, including five Grade 2s, and every race is an official trial for a race at the Festival itself. From prep races for novices, like the Triumph Trial, to warm-ups for the Champion Hurdle in the shape of the International Hurdle, Festival Trials Day has it all.
There won’t be a shortage of big names either, and the ante-post markets for the Cheltenham Festival are sure to fluctuate depending on how things pan out. With that said, here’s our list of five horses to keep an eye on this weekend.
Maestro Conti – Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2)
It’s been seven years since a British-trained horse won the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and this trial hasn’t produced a winner of the race itself since Richard Johnson’s Defi du Seuil in 2017.
But some have come close, including East India Dock last year, and this race will be telling for the host’s true chances of ending their Triumph draught. Maestro Conti is the third-favourite for the Triumph, and those odds are sure to shorten should he win on Saturday.
The Dan Skelton-trained four-year-old won his only start in France for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm by a comfortable six and a half lengths in September before switching to Skelton and making an instant impression on debut at Kempton last month.
Maestro Conti went off as the odds-on favourite and justified his short price with a cosy victory over his nearest rival, Brave Guest, by almost 10 lengths. Being a Grade 2 Triumph Trial, this race offers more competition and depth, but the part-Sir Alex Ferguson-owned horse is the one to beat.
Grey Dawning – Cotswold Chase (Grade 2)
The in-form Skeltons have the chance to lay down another marker for the Festival in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase, as Grey Dawning is the overwhelming favourite for the three-mile, one-and-a-half-furlong contest.
The race is a trial for the prestigious Gold Cup, and a victory for Grey Dawning will only strengthen Britain’s hand in the Cheltenham Festival showpiece. Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man both made strong cases for themselves in the King George VI Chase, and this is Grey Dawning’s opportunity to throw his hat in the ring.
The nine-year-old is currently just outside the top five in the ante-post market for the Gold Cup, but he won the Grade 1 Lancashire Chase at Haydock in impressive fashion on his only appearance so far this season back in November, and a Cotswold Chase victory would enhance his chances somewhat.
The five-horse field for the race, which includes L’Homme Presse and Spillane’s Tower, isn’t necessarily going to be a strong form boost for Grey Dawning, but winning on the new course and over just a furlong shorter than the Gold Cup’s testing trip will be a positive for Skelton.
Sir Gino – International Hurdle (Grade 2)
With the top two in the Champion Hurdle ante-post market set to go hammer and tongs in the International Hurdle, this Grade 2 contest is set to be the headline act on Festival Trials Day this weekend, and the spotlight is on Nicky Henderson’s Sir Gino.
Nobody has won this race more than the veteran trainer, who is seeking an eighth victory on Saturday, and Sir Gino could set him up nicely for a shot at a record-extending 10th Champion Hurdle triumph in March.
The six-year-old was set to go chasing in open company this campaign, with the Queen Mother Champion Chase the goal. However, after Constitution Hill suffered another fall in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Sir Gino was reverted to hurdles.
Kempton Park’s Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day marked his first start in a year, but you wouldn’t have known he’d been away from the track for so long, as Sir Gino breezed home from a competitive field that included reigning Champion Hurdle holder Golden Ace.
He is odds-on to land the International Hurdle on Saturday, and victory could see him go odds-on for the Champion Hurdle.
The New Lion – International Hurdle (Grade 2)
The New Lion was one of the most exciting novice hurdlers last season, winning all four of his outings for the Skelton team, including fending off two top Irish rivals, The Yellow Clay and Final Demand, in the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
He went into this season heavily tipped to land the Champion Hurdle, but a fall in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in November has massively hindered his chances in the ante-post market for the opening day feature race.
The New Lion crashed out when under pressure from Golden Ace and the Willie Mullins-trained Anzadam three hurdles out from the finish, and there’s been plenty of debate amongst pundits and punters alike about whether he would have gone on to win had he even stayed up.
So, question marks do surround him heading into this. The New Lion has to bounce to prove his Champion Hurdle credentials, but Skelton has been bullish in the build-up to this blockbuster clash and is refusing to rule out an upset.
Impose Toi – Cleeve Hurdle (Grade 2)
Given they are the two most powerful yards in the country, it’s perhaps no surprise that Henderson and Skelton dominate this list ahead of such a key meeting, and the second horse we’re zoning in on for Seven Barrows is Impose Toi in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle.
The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old has made stark progress in the staying hurdle division this campaign, winning a Class 2 Handicap at Aintree before holding off Strong Leader in both the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury and the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot last month.
He’ll be looking to make it a hat-trick over Olly Murphy’s nine-year-old in the Cleeve Hurdle, and while French raider Theleme is the main rival according to the market at the time of writing, Impose Toi is very heavily backed to win here.
It’s been six years since the last British-trained horse won the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, with Lisnagar Oscar scoring for Rebecca Curtis, and Impose Toi could be a serious threat to Gordon Elliott’s market leaders, Teahupoo and Honesty Policy, if he makes it four for four this season in the Cleeve.
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While there’s a lack of serious Irish challengers, Festival Trials Day is still an important fixture for British runners. This is the final chance for some of the host nation’s key players to get a run in before March, and a victory around Prestbury Park is a notable form markup.
