Plenty of people would have kept a close eye on the racing results over Christmas, as some of them will have a bearing on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Some horses blotted their copybooks over the festive period, but others enhanced their reputations with some sparkling performances and could be worth a bet for Cheltenham.
Ahead of the spring festivals, a wealth of new betting sites are offering promotions to punters.
With that in mind, we look at three standout performers who could go on to achieve big things in the not-too-distant future.
El Cairos
Connections purchased El Cairos from the David Maxwell dispersal sale for £410,000, and he’ll need to be a very smart horse to recoup that small fortune.
Previously a strong bumper performer, he finished fifth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham when trained by Harry Derham.
He made his debut for Gordon Elliott in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown on Boxing Day and was very well backed, going off the 8/15 favourite.
Things were going to plan and he travelled imperiously throughout the race. Two lengths ahead at the last, he was going easily before an unfortunate fall. There was a lot to like about the performance, and he’s now the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle favourite.
Odds of 5/1 for Cheltenham’s opening race do seem plenty short enough, but he’s definitely one to keep an eye out for. It will be interesting to see where he goes next.
Idaho Sun
Another one who did his Supreme Novices’ Hurdle chances no harm is the Harry Fry-trained Idaho Sun. He gunned down previous Supreme favourite Mydaddypaddy to win the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle and establish himself as a serious candidate in the process.
Mydaddypaddy’s backers were quick to blame the omission of the hurdles in the straight, but that didn’t suit the winner either, so it’s fair to say that the best horse won. Fry’s gelding showed a sharper turn of foot to win by a comfortable margin in the end.
It’s no surprise that he has developed into a smart novice hurdler, as he won a couple of bumpers before finishing a more than respectable sixth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2025.
The Irish challengers may prove too strong in March, as they usually do, but this horse is definitely Britain’s best hope as things stand.
Talk The Talk
Skylight Hustle won the Future Champion Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, but the result could have been very different.
Joseph O’Brien’s Talk The Talk appeared to have the best chance of winning before he fell at the last flight.
The Isaac Souede and Simon Munir-owned four-year-old had won his two previous starts over hurdles, a maiden hurdle at Limerick, followed by a Grade 3 victory at Fairyhouse. A step up to Grade 1 level was therefore a logical move, and it almost paid off.
His win at Fairyhouse was rather impressive, especially as the well-beaten third was a Grade 1 winner at Aintree in the spring.
A return to Leopardstown for the Dublin Racing Festival could be on the cards, and he’ll be well fancied to get the job done off the back of this effort.
