Four horses who have already started their journey to the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

It may only be the start of November, but the jumps racing season is already starting to heat up. It’s a long road to the Cheltenham Festival in March, but with the November Meeting on the horizon, and regular jumps fixtures on a daily basis, many horses have already kicked off their respective campaigns.

For punters already thinking ahead, keeping an eye on early form can be invaluable when considering a free bet Cheltenham offer in the build-up to the Festival. It might be closer to Christmas before we see many of the big names, but here are four horses that have made an early impression and are well on course to be bound for Prestbury Park in the spring.

Resplendent Grey

Fourth in last year’s Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase in March, Resplendent Grey ended last season on a high with a win in the Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown.

The grey gelding has picked up where he left off, landing a Listed Intermediate Chase at Carlisle when defeating odds-on favourite Handstands. That performance saw him immediately propelled to the head of the betting for the Ultima Handicap Chase on day one of the Festival.

A strong, scopey type who seems to be improving with every run, he could well deliver a first Cheltenham Festival success to the formidable team of Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen

Il Etait Temps

There’s no doubting the class of Il Etait Temps, especially over fences, but his record at the Cheltenham Festival is still a sticking point. The Willie Mullins-trained star is 0-3 at the meeting, with last year’s distant third in the Arkle Challenge Trophy his best effort yet – albeit 13 lengths behind stablemate Gaelic Warrior.

Since then, however, he’s been electric. Four wins on the spin, including three straight Grade 1 victories to close out the season, confirmed him as a serious two-miler. His reappearance in the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase resulted in a commanding 18-length success, marking him out as one of Ireland’s leading hopes for the Champion Chase in 2026.

Priced around 8/1, he’s a bold option for punters – but given his previous struggles at Cheltenham, you’d need to be brave to side with him, even if he is trained by the best in the business.

Riskintheground

A proven performer at Cheltenham, Riskintheground captured the Grade 2 Silver Trophy at the course in April and seems set for another busy campaign under Dan Skelton. The eight-year-old often thrives with racing and kicked off the new season in fine style, narrowly getting the better of Blueking d’Oroux at Newton Abbot in October.

Now trading as 12/1 favourite for the TrustATrader Plate, he’s expected to head back to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup Handicap Chase at the upcoming November Meeting. A bold showing there would see his Festival credentials take another step forward. Tough, consistent and clearly effective on the track’s undulations, he’s a horse who could easily find himself in the mix again come March.

Jackie Hobbs

One of the more exciting mares to emerge this autumn, Jackie Hobbs began her hurdling career in style with a slick victory in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury. A former point-to-point winner with plenty of size and scope, she looks the type to keep improving for trainer Harry Derham, who was full of praise for her professionalism and turn of foot after that debut success.

She remains a long shot for Festival glory – 33/1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and 40/1 for the Triumph Hurdle – but with natural progression and another win or two under her belt, those odds could shrink rapidly. A bright prospect who has hit the ground running, Jackie Hobbs might just develop into one of the season’s headline mares.