The Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham often gives us a few pointers to The Festival itself so it is well worth taking some time out to peruse through the trends and statistics that have built up at the fixture over the years.
Here is the race schedule:
12:40pm - JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial (Grade 2) 2m 179y £32,000
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
1999 Hors La Loi III (won Supreme Novices’ Hurdle)
2007 Katchit (won Triumph Hurdle)
2015 Peace And Co (won Triumph Hurdle)
2017 Defi Du Seuil (won Triumph Hurdle)
1:15pm - Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y £27,500
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
1994 Monsieur Le Cure (won RSA Chase)
2002 Royal Auclair (won Cathcart Chase)
2003 La Landiere (won Cathcart Chase)
2018 Mister Whitaker (won Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase)
1:50pm Spectra Cyber Security Solutions Trophy Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 2m 4f 127y £75,000
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
None
2:25pm - BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) 3m 1f 56y £100,000
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
1981 Little Owl (won Cheltenham Gold Cup)
1985 West Tip (won Ultima Handicap Chase)
1995 Master Oats (won Cheltenham Gold Cup)
2000 Looks Like Trouble (won Cheltenham Gold Cup)
3:00pm - Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 4f 56y £32,000
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
2000 Monsignor (won Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle)
2007 Wichita Lineman (won Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle)
2011 Bobs Worth (won Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle)
2013 At Fishers Cross (won Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle)
Promising novice Jarveys Plate is on course for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle over two and a half miles.
Jarveys Plate improved dramatically for the step up in trip over course and distance on New Year's Day, when storming to a 13-length victory in the Listed Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.
The six-year-old, owned by the Yes No Wait Sorries partnership, finished second to subsequent G1 Tolworth Hurdle victor Elixir De Nutz in the British Stallion Studs EBF "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle, staged over two miles and a furlong at The International in December.
Fergal O'Brien, who trains locally to Cheltenham near Guiting Power, said: "Jarveys Plate is a lovely horse to deal with and came out of his Cheltenham win in good form.
"We took a chance by running in that race and it was surprise to win as easily as we did, because it looked a strong race. It was a very good performance.
"He will have to carry a penalty, but the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle on Festival Trials Day is the target.
"If we got rain, I don't think soft ground would inconvenience him."
3:35pm - Galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 7f 213y £60,000
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
1991 Crystal Spirit (won Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle)
1994 Flakey Dove (won Champion Hurdle)
2008 Inglis Drever (won Stayers’ Hurdle)
2009 Big Buck’s (won Stayers’ Hurdle)
2012 Big Buck’s (won Stayers’ Hurdle)
2016 Thistlecrack (won Stayers’ Hurdle)
Stayers' Hurdle hope Paisley Park is set to test his credentials in the Cleeve Hurdle.
Trained by Emma Lavelle, Paisley Park has been successful on all three of his starts this season, with the pick of those wins coming in the in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on December 22 and the valuable Betfair Exchange Stayers' Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park the previous month.
The Andrew Gemmell-owned seven-year-old began the year when successful in a two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at Aintree in October.
Lavelle, who is based at Ogbourne Maizey, Wiltshire, commented about her stable star: "Paisley Park is in good form and came out of the Long Walk very well.
"We have been very pleased with his work since and the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle is the target.
"We are keen to run as I think it's a long wait for the Stayers' Hurdle otherwise, plus we can get some more experience into him.
"We would not want a slog at Cheltenham, but provided it is genuine nice ground, we will look to run."
4:10pm Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y £27,500
Winners that went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season:
2014 Lac Fontana (won County Handicap Hurdle)
Facts And Figures
The Cotswold Chase often provides us with Cheltenham Gold Cup clues.
The 2018 winner Definitly Red, trained by Brian Ellison in Yorkshire and owned by Phil and Julie Martin, finished sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and is two from two this season, winning a couple of G2 chases - the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and the Betway Many Clouds Chase at Aintree. The four-time G1 victor Bristol De Mai finished third.
Mister Whitaker was successful in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase last year, and then captured the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at The Festival.
The 2018 Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase third Sizing Tennessee came home third in the G2 National Hunt Chase at The Festival nearly two months later and is unbeaten this season, including when the decisive winner of the G3 Ladbrokes Trophy Chase at Newbury.
Two female jockeys, Bryony Frost and Lizzie Kelly, were victorious during Festival Trials Day last year, with the former winning on Frodon in the Spectra Cyber Security Solutions Trophy Handicap Chase and the latter gaining glory on Agrapart in the Cleeve Hurdle.
Frodon, with Frost on board, are due to run this year in the Cotswold Chase on Festival Trials Day.
Leading Current Trainers On Festival Trials Day
13 winners Alan King, 12 winners Paul Nicholls, 10 winners Nicky Henderson, 8 winners Venetia Williams, 6 winners Philip Hobbs, Jonjo O’Neill, Nigel Twiston-Davies 5 winners Nick Williams, 4 winners Oliver Sherwood, Colin Tizzard, 3 winners David Bridgwater, Bob Buckler, David Pipe.
Leading Current Jockeys On Festival Trials Day
12 winners Richard Johnson, 10 winners Barry Geraghty, 6 winners Tom Scudamore, Ruby Walsh 5 winners Paddy Brennan, Wayne Hutchinson 4 winners Daryl Jacob, 3winners Leighton Aspell, Aidan Coleman.
