Cheltenham Festival | Road To The Roar: Reaction following the weekend winners from Ascot and Wincanton – plus the latest market movers
17 Feb 2026
This weekend saw a whole host of top quality racing with Cheltenham implications, including the Ascot Chase, the Kingwell Hurdle and the Red Mills Chase. Check out the thoughts from our trading room as well as quotes from winning connections in our latest Ante-Post Preview below.
FROM THE TRADING FLOOR
Cheltenham is less than a month away but a few more contenders staked their claims on Saturday. Alexei was trimmed to 20/1 NRMB (from 25/1) to emulate Golden Ace in doing the Kingwell Hurdle/Champion Hurdle double. Joe Tizzard's versatile six-year-old will need to improve again to get involved but wouldn't be the worst each-way option in a race which could well cut up to 6 or 7 runners on the day.
Alexei to win the Champion Hurdle (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
We left Jonbon unchanged at 4/1 NRMB for the Ryanair Chase after his heroic 12th Grade 1 win in the Ascot Chase. Every race seems to be an epic struggle for him nowadays but we can't take a bullish view of his chance in a market that revolves around Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior. Will one of them run? Both of them? Neither? These situations spark the debates on social media but are a stress headache for us traders!
Jonbon to win the Ryanair Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
We were impressed by Impaire Et Passe and cut him to 6/1 (from 8/1) in his Ryanair tune-up, as he returned from 10 months off with a cosy win in a tactical renewal of the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park. He has verdicts over Jango Baie and Gaelic Warrior on his CV and might be the forgotten horse in the race.
Impaire Et Passe to win the Ryanair Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
2022 National Hunt Chase winner Stattler secured his Hunters' Chase qualification with a win at Fakenham on Friday. We are 10/1 NRMB for him in the Hunters' Chase at Cheltenham and think he looks a long way short of glory days now. Top amateur Patrick Mullins has pledged to keep the ride at Cheltenham but this race often goes to young horses from the Point-To-Point ranks rather than the old ex-Graded horses.
Stattler to win the Hunters' Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS HAVE THEIR SAY
Coral Racing Ambassador, Joe Tizzard, on Alexei’s victory in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton
“He was stepping up in grade and Rubaud has got a cracking record around there. The ground was also soft enough and he's gone and got the job done in Graded company. There are discussions to be had, but we’ll have a crack at the Champion Hurdle.
A bigger field with a stronger gallop suits him, he is a good traveller through a race and the Champion Hurdle is something to aim at. Whether he is good enough, we’ll find out, but I think one thing he will do is travel into it and if he is good enough, he is good enough. It is exciting and it was a nice win today in its own right.”
Fellow Coral Racing Ambassador, Brendan Powell, tells us how it felt from the saddle
“I went to put the race to bed between two out and the last. He had a bit of a look at the last, which he has done before, but he got from A to B. It gave the second horse a bit of a sniff, but I was really happy with the way he picked up again, especially in that ground.
He has come here and won a Kingwell but I’ll leave the Champion Hurdle with the boss to decide, I wouldn’t mind having a go in it anyway!”
Nicky Henderson on Jonbon’s triumph in the Ascot Chase
"Your mind goes back to Grundy and Bustino when you see a race like that, it was a proper race between two older horses who put up the race of the season. They jumped, fought and traded blows and it was in the balance all the way.
He ran the same sort of race that he did in the Clarence House. He looked in trouble on the bend, but it was his stamina that got him home over two miles last time and it was his stamina that got him home today over two miles five, so there's no doubt he stayed.
He's something very special and you don't get many like him, his record of never finishing outside the first two says it all. Even if he doesn't win, he never lies down.
He's had two big races in four weeks now, but he turns around so well from his runs. I'd have thought the Ryanair would have to be his race, I can't see why you'd want to come back to two miles and you're not going to go any further than the Ryanair. If he's going anywhere at Cheltenham, that would be it."
Ben Pauling on Mondoui’boy on the back on his latest win at Ascot
“His bumper form was very good, and I just liked the size and scope he had, I’m delighted to have got him. We didn’t see half of Ludlow, so I didn’t really see how he jumped and Saturday was the first time I had been able to see how efficient he was, long and short, but he was very quick in and out.
He looked a little bit keen early doors, but I was pleased to see him settle as Ben [Jones] just reined him back into third or fourth and it looked pretty smooth really. His jumping was exceptional and I was quite impressed how he quickened up. I thought it was a good performance then Ben got off him and said he is a lovely horse for the future.
He is in the Turners and the Albert Bartlett, but if that came too soon then he would go to Aintree instead, I think he is at that level. Cheltenham is three weeks on Tuesday, and we will be going there only if we genuinely think it was an option. Ben got off and said he wouldn’t be coming back in trip as he was flat out early doors, so I suppose you would be leaning towards the three mile rather than the two and a half mile race.”
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – LATEST ANTE-POST BETTING
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – BOOSTED SPECIALS
All odds referenced in this article are accurate as of 10am 17/02/2026
FROM THE TRADING FLOOR
Cheltenham is less than a month away but a few more contenders staked their claims on Saturday. Alexei was trimmed to 20/1 NRMB (from 25/1) to emulate Golden Ace in doing the Kingwell Hurdle/Champion Hurdle double. Joe Tizzard's versatile six-year-old will need to improve again to get involved but wouldn't be the worst each-way option in a race which could well cut up to 6 or 7 runners on the day.
Alexei to win the Champion Hurdle (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
We left Jonbon unchanged at 4/1 NRMB for the Ryanair Chase after his heroic 12th Grade 1 win in the Ascot Chase. Every race seems to be an epic struggle for him nowadays but we can't take a bullish view of his chance in a market that revolves around Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior. Will one of them run? Both of them? Neither? These situations spark the debates on social media but are a stress headache for us traders!
Jonbon to win the Ryanair Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
We were impressed by Impaire Et Passe and cut him to 6/1 (from 8/1) in his Ryanair tune-up, as he returned from 10 months off with a cosy win in a tactical renewal of the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park. He has verdicts over Jango Baie and Gaelic Warrior on his CV and might be the forgotten horse in the race.
Impaire Et Passe to win the Ryanair Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
2022 National Hunt Chase winner Stattler secured his Hunters' Chase qualification with a win at Fakenham on Friday. We are 10/1 NRMB for him in the Hunters' Chase at Cheltenham and think he looks a long way short of glory days now. Top amateur Patrick Mullins has pledged to keep the ride at Cheltenham but this race often goes to young horses from the Point-To-Point ranks rather than the old ex-Graded horses.
Stattler to win the Hunters' Chase (NRMB) – ADD TO BETSLIP
TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS HAVE THEIR SAY
Coral Racing Ambassador, Joe Tizzard, on Alexei’s victory in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton
“He was stepping up in grade and Rubaud has got a cracking record around there. The ground was also soft enough and he's gone and got the job done in Graded company. There are discussions to be had, but we’ll have a crack at the Champion Hurdle.
A bigger field with a stronger gallop suits him, he is a good traveller through a race and the Champion Hurdle is something to aim at. Whether he is good enough, we’ll find out, but I think one thing he will do is travel into it and if he is good enough, he is good enough. It is exciting and it was a nice win today in its own right.”
Fellow Coral Racing Ambassador, Brendan Powell, tells us how it felt from the saddle
“I went to put the race to bed between two out and the last. He had a bit of a look at the last, which he has done before, but he got from A to B. It gave the second horse a bit of a sniff, but I was really happy with the way he picked up again, especially in that ground.
He has come here and won a Kingwell but I’ll leave the Champion Hurdle with the boss to decide, I wouldn’t mind having a go in it anyway!”
Nicky Henderson on Jonbon’s triumph in the Ascot Chase
"Your mind goes back to Grundy and Bustino when you see a race like that, it was a proper race between two older horses who put up the race of the season. They jumped, fought and traded blows and it was in the balance all the way.
He ran the same sort of race that he did in the Clarence House. He looked in trouble on the bend, but it was his stamina that got him home over two miles last time and it was his stamina that got him home today over two miles five, so there's no doubt he stayed.
He's something very special and you don't get many like him, his record of never finishing outside the first two says it all. Even if he doesn't win, he never lies down.
He's had two big races in four weeks now, but he turns around so well from his runs. I'd have thought the Ryanair would have to be his race, I can't see why you'd want to come back to two miles and you're not going to go any further than the Ryanair. If he's going anywhere at Cheltenham, that would be it."
Ben Pauling on Mondoui’boy on the back on his latest win at Ascot
“His bumper form was very good, and I just liked the size and scope he had, I’m delighted to have got him. We didn’t see half of Ludlow, so I didn’t really see how he jumped and Saturday was the first time I had been able to see how efficient he was, long and short, but he was very quick in and out.
He looked a little bit keen early doors, but I was pleased to see him settle as Ben [Jones] just reined him back into third or fourth and it looked pretty smooth really. His jumping was exceptional and I was quite impressed how he quickened up. I thought it was a good performance then Ben got off him and said he is a lovely horse for the future.
He is in the Turners and the Albert Bartlett, but if that came too soon then he would go to Aintree instead, I think he is at that level. Cheltenham is three weeks on Tuesday, and we will be going there only if we genuinely think it was an option. Ben got off and said he wouldn’t be coming back in trip as he was flat out early doors, so I suppose you would be leaning towards the three mile rather than the two and a half mile race.”
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – LATEST ANTE-POST BETTING
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – BOOSTED SPECIALS
All odds referenced in this article are accurate as of 10am 17/02/2026
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