Sam Turner on the Cheltenham Festival: Zertakt shows zest required to make him a Festival fancy

• Cheltenham Christmas crackers deliver festive cheer

• Minella a perfect Study in efficiency 

• Zertakt following in illustrious hoofprints

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Two days of pre-Christmas action in the Cotswolds produced largely competitive fare and some Cheltenham festival clues without necessarily seeing any seismic shifts in the ante-post markets for March.

I was fortunate to be on track along with Lydia Hislop covering Friday's card for Racing TV where two novice events preceded five handicaps, one of which saw the return of Cross Country Chase action to the menu.

The first point to make was that despite morning showers on Friday, the ground on the New Course, both hurdles and chase, rode quicker than the soft, good to soft in places given at the start of the meeting.

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Turners Novices' Hurdle: Park a Star in the making 

The day's statement performance came in the opening novices' hurdle where Old Park Star made it two from two since switching to Nicky Henderson from Paul Nicholls.

The second novice hurdler to win in these colours for Seven Barrows since owners Gordon and Sue Hall moved their team from Somerset to Lambourn in the summer, Old Park Star bounded up the Cheltenham hill to score by 12 lengths from Huntingdon novice winner Glance At Midnight who went into the race rated just 104.

While the runner-up's connections may be regretting wasting such an exploitable mark with a horse that finished his race off powerfully despite racing exuberantly early on, Henderson was delighted his Kempton scorer landed a deep looking race with such panache and the brother of talented 2m-3m hurdle/chase winner Chosen Mate clearly has the pace for the minimum trip and the pedigree for a race like the Turners in March. He is 14/115.00 in Betfair's antepost Turners betting.

Initially, I was really enthusiastic about the depth of this race and the winner remains of definite interest going forward especially as his speed figure was excellent, but with third-home Kingston Queen looking all at sea on good ground over two miles and Our Boy Stan hurdling as poorly as he did at Ffos Las, then it may not have taken the winning it looked like it might pre-race.

My chief disappointment was the Dan Skelton-trained Minella Marathon who, although easy to back, was expected to make an impact following his Lingfield comeback win.

Only four years of age, this beautiful looking son of Blue Bresil over-raced a little and probably found this step back in trip on quicker ground than at Lingfield alien to him as he faded tamely late on.

He may also be a little weak at present, requiring time and patience to fill that sizeable frame so I would remain optimistic about his prospects going forward.

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Jack Richards Novices' Handicap: Bridge not troubled 

Sixmilebridge was cut to single figures by some firms for the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase after posting a strong staying performance in the ensuing novices' chase over two-and-a-half miles.

Fergal O'Brien's six-year-old can be hot-headed and required two handlers in the preliminaries as he spent most of the pre-race festivities growling at those with the temerity to get close to him!

While he may be a character, his in-race demeanour is resolute and steadfast and he took it in turns to turn away challenges from chasing debutants Califet En Vol and Royal Infantry who both tried to put him under pressure at various stages of this contest.

The Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown is reportedly the next target, but he would always be a horse I'd want to see in the paddock before backing him so he wouldn't represent an ante-post proposition for me.

There will be better to come from Califet En Vol going forward, but the first time tongue tie didn't seem to help Royal Infantry finish off his race any better and the jury is out on him.

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County Hurdle: Fortune favours De Mer 

Following a couple of early reverses, the Skelton operation struck with County Hurdle aspirant Fortune De Mer in the handicap hurdle and this victory should be enough to see him make the field ratings wise for his chief spring objective.

The son of Doyen now boasts track figures of 21011 and will need one more run, probably in a novice hurdle away from Cheltenham (to ensure defeat!) to qualify for the Festival as novices need at least five runs to gain eligibility for a non novice handicap hurdle (qualification number is four over fences).

He is firmly on everyone's radar though and is already as low as 10/111.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook so makes limited appeal despite the rigours of a strongly-run County Hurdle looking ideal.

Of more immediate interest was the run of third across the line Melon - no, not that one.

A sizeable market drifter, his yard have struggled for winners this autumn courtesy of one or two well-documented issues, however there have been green shoots of recovery recently and their lightly-raced four-year-old looked in need of the outing on paddock inspection.

Three career wins, one on the level and two over hurdles, have been achieved on flat, galloping tracks so this was confirmation Melon is capable of handling undulations and a stiff finish going forward.

He gained lengths at every hurdle and his recovery times over his final three obstacles were rapid which augurs well for the future. He remains a horse to keep onside.

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Triumph Hurdle: Minella a Triumph marvel

Saturday's card began with an informative juvenile hurdle in which northern raider Minella Study stamped himself as one of the better juveniles seen to date this side of the Irish Sea.

The Wensleydale Hurdle winner put the previously unbeaten hurdler One Horse Town in his place and, although the initial reaction was to believe Harry Derham's well-backed juvenile underperformed, subsequent time analysis confirmed that both the winner and third had improved on what they had previously achieved.

Minella Study recorded a higher RaceIQ jump index than at Wetherby and gained more lengths over his field than he did on his previous start.

He also completed his race with a finishing speed percentage of 107.00% which, considering the overall pace was extremely healthy, was no mean feat and connections are very much entitled to believe they have a legitimate Triumph Hurdle contender, especially as he is still regarded as quite weak by trainer Adam Nichol and can only improve with time.

There will of course be a plethora of Irish challengers, but quotes of 20/121.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook look very fair for a horse with proven track form who can clearly jump extremely efficiently and lengthen well on good ground.

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National Hunt Novices' Handicap: Zippy Z enters calculations 

The novices' limited handicap chase run over an extended three miles and a furlong was used as a springboard to festival success by Haiti Couleurs 12 months ago, while dual festival scorer and National winner Corach Rambler is also on the race's roll call.  

Connections of Zertakt will be hoping history can repeat itself following his cosy win off a mark of 116 under a well-timed Charlie Deutsch ride on Saturday.

For much of this truly-run staying contest, success for the Herefordshire chaser seemed highly unlikely as a good gallop on a sound surface appeared to take the seven-year-old out of his comfort zone and left him with a lot of ground to find at the second last.

He appeared around nine to ten lengths down at that point, but a superb leap at the penultimate obstacle saw him gain 2.21 lengths on his field and, perhaps more pertinently, his recovery time of 0.40secs gave him the momentum to close on four rivals who had been fighting it out for a while.

A similar leap at the last saw Zertakt replicate his recovery time from the previous fence and gain another couple of lengths on his toiling rivals and the way in which he finished off with a final four-furlong sectional which was only marginally slower than the two milers later on the card carried him to an unlikely success.

Trainer Venetia Williams was quoted nominating the Princess Royal NH Novices' Handicap Chase on day one of the Festival as an ultimate target and the extra four and a half furlongs should really play to his strengths.

Utilising the RaceIQ jumping metric, this was the best that Zertakt has jumped in his chase career and, although he benefited from his rider's customary patience in winning off an attractive mark, he is definitely on the radar for the opening day marathon come March 10th.

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And finally, to Fairyhouse where Fierce Handay landed some weighty wagers in the novice handicap hurdle to give trainer Noel Meade a double on the card.

In contrast to his handicap bow at Gowran when an easy-to-back 8/1 chance, the son of Doyen was a lot sharper on Saturday, reversing the form with runner-up Kentucky Beach from their meeting five weeks beforehand to score readily from his old adversary, while there was another dozen lengths back to the third home Kinturk Nelson.

Winning this event with a degree of comfort off a mark of 109, Fierce Handy is likely to earn a fierce riposte from the assessor, but that might not be an issue for connections who will have been pleased to see their five-year-old hurdle with speed and efficiency in recording an index rating of 8.2 while gaining 13 lengths on his field.

He is bred to stay further too and I wonder if he might be the type that winds up taking in a race like the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap come March. Wherever he goes next, a rise in the handicap may not be enough to stop him following up.

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Sam Turner's Cheltenham 2026 Ante-post Ledger

Champion Hurdle - Alexei each-way @ 33/134.00  

Gold Cup - Gaelic Warrior win @ 8/19.00

Supreme Novices' Hurdle - Act Of Innocence win @ 25/126.00

Arkle Chase - Romeo Coolio @ 11/26.50

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - The Blue Room win @ 40/141.00

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Talent Tracker

Aeroplane Blonde

Bespoke Tailor

Constellation Walk

Destination Dubai

El Capitaine

Fierce Handay

Final Demand

Heads Up

Jimmy Du Seuil

Lord Of All Saints

Melon

Park Talk

The Blue Room

Zertakt

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Now read Katie Midwinter's latest tips here

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