Majborough can emulate another JP McManus star who went from Triumph success to the top division over fences

Majborough becomes latest smart novice to advertise Arkle claims

Not since 2004 has a Triumph Hurdle winner gone over fences the following season. The Philip Hobbs-trained Made In Japan made a successful start to his novice chase career several months after his Cheltenham Festival success, but it then took five years, 19 runs and a return to hurdling for him to win again.

Twenty years later, it would be quite the surprise if Majborough took as long to follow up his impressive chase debut win at Fairyhouse.

Majborough had been slightly weak in the market on Saturday morning, given the support for two of his high-class stablemates, Asian Master and Tullyhill.

However, the strapping JP McManus-owned four-year-old, remarkably making only his fourth start, proved to be in a different league to those two, with Willie Mullins' decision to go chasing already looking the correct call.

Defi Du Seuil was the last Triumph winner to also score in a Grade 1 chase and Majborough can follow in those footsteps.

He belied his inexperience with a very tidy round of jumping. Although he will surely grow into a strong stayer in the future, it appears he'll be kept down the two-mile route this season.

He was cut to 6-1 for the Arkle behind only stablemate Ballyburn. In previous years it may have been likely these two would have been kept apart with the 2m4f Turners Novices' Chase providing an obvious alternative. Without that, the Arkle could turn into one of the races of the season if the current protagonists stay healthy.
Sam Hendry

Turgeon on the rise – but more needed to be in National contention

Grand National quotes of 33-1 might prove a tad premature for King Turgeon, but David Pipe's flagbearer is a chaser on the rise following his feature handicap success at Cheltenham on Friday.

King Turgeon had a 2-11 record before this campaign for Pipe since joining from France towards the end of 2022, but has really hit form since a second bout of wind surgery in the summer.

A ten-length success on his return at Chepstow was followed by a victory in the Grand Sefton at Aintree on his first start on the National course.

King Turgeon (left): won at Cheltenham under Jack TudorCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

He recorded a Racing Post Rating of 137 in those two wins and improved his peak RPR to the tune of 5lb when beating Our Power by three lengths in the 3m2f handicap chase at Cheltenham.

King Turgeon's official rating of 133 is set for another hike on Tuesday, but he is still going to be some way short of the mark required to run in the National, with the reduced field size leading to 146 being the lowest rating in last season's running.

It might be that the race comes a year too soon, with King Turgeon only turning seven next month, but he could easily be a National candidate in the future.
Jack Haynes

French raiders could form strong hand at Cheltenham Festival

David Cottin broke a 15-year drought at the Cheltenham Festival for French trainers when Easysland ran away with the Cross Country Chase in 2020 and he looks to have unearthed another good one in Jet Blue.

The five-year-old was beaten just three-quarters of a length in a Grade 1 bumper and won a 2m2f Auteuil hurdle by seven lengths during his time at Hugo Merienne's yard before being bought for €220,000 and sent to Cottin.

Jet Blue, related to a 2m6f chase winner and a 3m Grade 1-winning hurdler, was upped markedly in trip on his stable debut in the Grade 2 Bristol Novices' Hurdle and, despite a couple of slow jumps at the start, tanked his way to the front on the home turn before quickening away to win impressively.

Jet Blue: won the 3m novice hurdle at Cheltenham on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

He gave the well-regarded dual hurdle winner Western Knight 2lb and a six-and-a-half-length beating and was introduced at 20-1 with Paddy Power for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, which was won by French trainer Francois Doumen in its inaugural year in 2005.

Cottin won the cross-country race at this meeting in 2019 with subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner Easysland, who arrived on the back of success in the Grand Steeple-Chase-Cross-Country de Compiegne, the race won en route by this year's hopeful Iceo Madrik.

The six-year-old looked to be hampered when making a mistake and unseating his jockey at the third on Friday, and will warrant another chance if lining up at the festival, a race the French could have a strong hand in following Sweet David's success at the November meeting.
Harry Wilson

Latest Jockeys’ Cup standings 

Harry Skelton 132
Sam Twiston-Davies 108
Nico de Boinville 102
Sean Bowen 90
Harry Cobden 90

British jump jockeys’ ­championship standings

Sean Bowen 106
Harry Skelton 101
Sam Twiston-Davies 72
Harry Cobden 58
Gavin Sheehan 57

British jumps trainers’ ­championship standings

Dan Skelton £1,553,562
Paul Nicholls £1,033,662
Olly Murphy £743,635
Nigel Twiston-Davies £717,009
Nicky Henderson £676,775

Irish jump ­jockeys’ ­championship standings

Paul Townend 50
Darragh O'Keeffe 49
Sam Ewing 44
Keith Donoghue 42
Jack Kennedy 34

Irish jumps trainers’ ­championship standings

Gordon Elliott €2,093,380
Willie Mullins €1,629,510
Henry de Bromhead €912,660
Gavin Cromwell €869,370
Joseph O'Brien €521,675

Read these next:

'Any turf track bringing jump racing back has to be a positive' - spirits high as Windsor ends near two-decade hiatus 

Rachael Blackmore is back! Star jockey to ride Supreme winner Slade Steel on long-awaited return from injury 

'There’s going to be a lot of bubbles burst but we think we’re there with a great chance. Let’s see if they can beat us' 

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more