Cheltenham Festival eyecatchers: what horses shook the market last week?

It might only be November but punters are already sorting out their antepost portfolios for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and we already saw a few top performances in the last week. Below, we highlight some of the most striking performances with an eye to the future.

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Alexei – 40/1 for the Champion Hurdle

The Joe Tizzard stable is in scintillating form at present and arguably the performance of the week was Alexei in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday. Sent off favourite for what is usually a very competitive handicap, Alexei cruised around and produced a blistering turn of foot once they turned for home to go up the hill, pulling away in the manner of a very classy horse. There are no plans for the horse at present according to the trainer, but connections will surely be seriously considering a crack at an open-looking Champion Hurdle in March if he continues to progress.

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Final Demand – 6/4 favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

What a weekend it was for Bryan Drew, firstly winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup with Panic Attack, only for his Final Demand to then put in a stunning performance on his chasing debut at Navan. One of the best novice hurdlers last season, he battered Wingmen by 13 lengths and he was always going to make a much better chaser given his size and physique.

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July Flower – 8/1 for the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

Not much could get in the way of the Skeltons at the weekend but July Flower happened to do so when seeing off Be Aware in the Arkle Trial at Cheltenham. The 7lb allowance made all the difference coming up the hill and she has to be a serious player for the mares’ division this term.

If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.

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