JP McManus purchases one of Britain’s leading Cheltenham Festival candidates

JP McManus has long been one of National Hunt racing’s most important figures and has never been shy about getting his cheque book out. He has recently splashed out a presumably significant amount of cash to pick up another major Cheltenham contender.

One of Britain’s leading hopes for the Festival in March, the horse in question is unbeaten so far this season. Here we take a look at McManus’ latest purchase and what his major spring target will be. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

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Turners here we come?

The New Lion has looked very smart in three starts over hurdles so far this season and currently heads the market for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle on Day 2 at Cheltenham. Trained by Dan Skelton, he began the campaign with a visually impressive victory in a Chepstow maiden and the second won next time.

He beat another previous winner when following up at Newbury after that, getting the better of a Nicky Henderson-trained horse by three lengths. It was a comfortable enough success, despite the fact that the form hasn’t worked out particularly well.

The son of Kayf Tara truly announced himself with a sparkling performance in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle after that. It was a red-hot novice and Harry Skelton didn’t need to move a muscle, as he scored by just shy of five lengths on the bridle.

Now rated 147, he’s the clear market leader for the 2m5f event and it’s easy to see why. Britain will have few bigger chances than The New Lion at this stage and it’s no surprise that McManus has snapped him up.

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