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The 2026 Classic Handicap Chase

Apart from that, did it make any mistakes in the Ultima?

I'd need to watch the race again to be sure but seem to recall it was very fluent on the day. The form book comment only mentions 'not fluent 15th'.
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In the 2025 National only three fell and none was deemed a dodgy jumper.

I still don't buy inti tiggers's 'hurdle race' contention because the fences, although technically 'easier' than in the past still require a bit of jumping and the height reduction invites the field to run faster so it ends up at least as severe a test of stamina as ever.

I still think in recent years WPM has changed the nature of the race in that he is sending horses who would be most yards' main Gold Cup horse for the race. I'm interpreting that the RP item (which I haven't read because it's behind a paywall) is saying the yard think Myretown is up to running well in the Gold Cup so if they can get it into the race, which has probably been the aim since before the Ultima, it will be well handicapped off a mark in the mid-high 140s.

They're going to have to show at least a bit of their hand before the weights are framed.
 
tiggers1972 said:
The Grand National is now a hurdle race so being a good jumper isn't much of a requirement anymore.
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This is the key point - it's a 4m2f Fixed Brush Hurdle dressed with spruce nowadays.

I'd be no more worried about a horse's jumping over the Grand National course than in any other Chase pretty much anywhere.
 
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The brother has just been on the phone to say he was in the bookies and that RP item was suggesting Myretown's focus might be the Gold Cup rather than the National.

There's a full month between the two races this year which might help but it wouldn't be ideal recovery time.
 
Desert Orchid said:
The brother has just been on the phone to say he was in the bookies and that RP item was suggesting Myretown's focus might be the Gold Cup rather than the National.

There's a full month between the two races this year which might help but it wouldn't be ideal recovery time.
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'If everything went to plan we're not a million miles away' - could lowest-rated entry be a Cheltenham Gold Cup dark horse?

Another brilliant front-running performance in Saturday's William Hill Half A Mill Classic Chase (2.55) could thrust Myretown into the Gold Cup picture, with connections still unsure where the ceiling of his ability lies.

Last year's awesome all-the-way Ultima winner was sent off the 4-1 favourite for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November and had established a good rhythm in the lead under Derek Fox before falling at the ninth fence.

He is the 7-2 favourite with the race sponsor to follow in the footsteps of his former stablemate and Grand National winner One For Arthur on Saturday and was given the Gold Cup option when entries were revealed on Tuesday.

The nine-year-old could yet take up that engagement if impressing at the weekend – should Warwick get the green light – and his joint-trainer Michael Scudamore reports him in top condition since the unfortunate mishap on his last outing.

He said: "He's a long way from the Gold Cup on ratings, but it's still early doors and if he were to put up a really good performance at Warwick then it's nice to have that option.

"He's in great form, he's been fine since Newbury and hasn't missed a day. It was just one of those things – he doesn't have much experience chasing and he appeared to be in a good place up until then. It was far too early to know what was going to happen."

There is rain forecast for Warwick, which remained frozen in places on Wednesday, and Myretown has the option of deferring to next week's Peter Marsh Handicap Chase at Haydock if the race is off or run on unsuitably heavy going.

The four-time winner is a 66-1 shot for the Gold Cup, for which he is the lowest-rated horse entered, but was at his best at the festival last year when slamming The Changing Man by 11 lengths, and Scudamore is looking forward to finding out how he figures off a 15lb higher mark.

He said: "He likes it around Cheltenham, which is a big plus, and when he won there last March you're thinking 'where is the limit to his ability?' At this stage we have to hope and dream, and we'll see where we are in a run or two.

"The next run will tell us if we're aiming at the Gold Cup, Grand National or another Ultima. The hope was Newbury would tell us what league we're in, but he still has time to answer those questions. If everything went to plan and he was to win a nice race between now and the Gold Cup, we're not a million miles away."

Scudamore, who operates in conjunction with Lucinda Russell, trains a handful of other promising types who could take in the festival, including last year's Albert Bartlett third Derryhassen Paddy and Conman John, who is pointing towards the same novice hurdle this time around.

Scudamore added: "The form of Derryhassen Paddy's run at Ayr has worked out well and he's okay, so we'll have a look and see what we do next. Conman John will have a freshen-up now and we'll assess where we are with the hope to go to the festival."
 
Slim said:
'If everything went to plan we're not a million miles away' - could lowest-rated entry be a Cheltenham Gold Cup dark horse?

Another brilliant front-running performance in Saturday's William Hill Half A Mill Classic Chase (2.55) could thrust Myretown into the Gold Cup picture, with connections still unsure where the ceiling of his ability lies.

Last year's awesome all-the-way Ultima winner was sent off the 4-1 favourite for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November and had established a good rhythm in the lead under Derek Fox before falling at the ninth fence.

He is the 7-2 favourite with the race sponsor to follow in the footsteps of his former stablemate and Grand National winner One For Arthur on Saturday and was given the Gold Cup option when entries were revealed on Tuesday.

The nine-year-old could yet take up that engagement if impressing at the weekend – should Warwick get the green light – and his joint-trainer Michael Scudamore reports him in top condition since the unfortunate mishap on his last outing.

He said: "He's a long way from the Gold Cup on ratings, but it's still early doors and if he were to put up a really good performance at Warwick then it's nice to have that option.

"He's in great form, he's been fine since Newbury and hasn't missed a day. It was just one of those things – he doesn't have much experience chasing and he appeared to be in a good place up until then. It was far too early to know what was going to happen."

There is rain forecast for Warwick, which remained frozen in places on Wednesday, and Myretown has the option of deferring to next week's Peter Marsh Handicap Chase at Haydock if the race is off or run on unsuitably heavy going.

The four-time winner is a 66-1 shot for the Gold Cup, for which he is the lowest-rated horse entered, but was at his best at the festival last year when slamming The Changing Man by 11 lengths, and Scudamore is looking forward to finding out how he figures off a 15lb higher mark.

He said: "He likes it around Cheltenham, which is a big plus, and when he won there last March you're thinking 'where is the limit to his ability?' At this stage we have to hope and dream, and we'll see where we are in a run or two.

"The next run will tell us if we're aiming at the Gold Cup, Grand National or another Ultima. The hope was Newbury would tell us what league we're in, but he still has time to answer those questions. If everything went to plan and he was to win a nice race between now and the Gold Cup, we're not a million miles away."

Scudamore, who operates in conjunction with Lucinda Russell, trains a handful of other promising types who could take in the festival, including last year's Albert Bartlett third Derryhassen Paddy and Conman John, who is pointing towards the same novice hurdle this time around.

Scudamore added: "The form of Derryhassen Paddy's run at Ayr has worked out well and he's okay, so we'll have a look and see what we do next. Conman John will have a freshen-up now and we'll assess where we are with the hope to go to the festival."
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Well, they've been down this road before wuth Corach Rambler.

" Ceiling of ability wise". You coukd apply that to Iroko. Very surprised he didn't get a Gokd Cup entry
 
Slim said:
The way the Grand National is now, I'd much rather roll the dice in the Gold Cup.
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The modern Grand National is a type of Cheltenham Gold Cup for extreme stayers, but in handicap form.

It's a higher-quality event than ever at Aintree, but it would need to be a right quagmire at Cheltenham for Grand National form to ever be of relevance in a Cheltenham Gold Cup.
 
Ian_Davies said:
The modern Grand National is a type of Cheltenham Gold Cup for extreme stayers, but in handicap form.

It's a higher-quality event than ever at Aintree, but it would need to be a right quagmire at Cheltenham for Grand National form to ever be of relevance in a Cheltenham Gold Cup.
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Let me put it more succinctly. You're far more likely to get a Willie up the hole in the Grand National than the Gold Cup these days.
 
I'm getting different forecasts from the different sites I've tried so I'm hopeful that the kindest forecast is closest to being correct, in which case I think racing will take place.

(Kempton is looking much iffier.)
 
By the way, am I right in thinking if the winner of this goes on to win the National they win a bonus £500k?

That would be a big incentive not to leave Aintree hopes behind at Cheltenham.
 

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