'He's definitely one we're excited about' - who fancies their chance in a race graced by several Cheltenham favourites?

This race has been won by some Cheltenham favourites in recent years with Thistlecrack (2016) and The Real Whacker (2022) standing out among them. Last year Broadway Boy won it after finishing second at the October meeting and Hyland takes that route.

The Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old made his chasing debut in the same race in which Broadway Boy finished second last year and Hyland went one better in winning. However, it was Flooring Porter who beat Broadway Boy and Hyland faced nothing like that.

Nevertheless, Hyland produced an impressive performance to win by 15 lengths, jumping soundly and recording a career-best effort on his first outing at this distance over fences.

Not many will have him down as a genuine Cheltenham Festival contender, but the same would have been said for The Real Whacker when he won here two years ago and Hyland loves good ground. He appears to have an outstanding chance to bolster his festival claims.

He will probably need to improve again to beat Buddy One, though. Buddy One is the highest-rated runner in the field with a BHA figure of 154, yet he is receiving weight.

Hyland has to concede 3lb to Buddy One and Springwell Bay 5lb, because both have picked up penalties for their recent chase victories, whereas Buddy One’s win came only in a weak three-runner race at Galway. He has since finished last of three in a Listed chase at Wexford.

Springwell Bay’s win in a Listed novice chase at Chepstow has proved costly in terms of a penalty, but the four-and-a-half furlong longer distance should be in his favour and there is more to come, while similar comments apply to Resplendent Grey, who also tackles further.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

AJ O’Neill, joint-trainer of Springwell Bay
He's definitely one we're excited about. He did it nicely at Chepstow and jumped well. He'll be slightly disadvantaged weight-wise with a penalty this time but the longer trip is no concern. He ran some nice races at three miles over hurdles and we hope he can run well again.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Hyland
He's in good form and he looked good last time. He loves this ground, so we've got to keep going while it's good. From a very early age he's been a natural jumper, it's obviously his forte.

Olly Murphy, trainer of Resplendent Grey
I'm looking forward to stepping him up in trip. He's in good form and he's a better horse without the hood. He won well at Uttoxeter last time and he'll have improved for the run. Fingers crossed he's got a good chance.
Reporting by David Carr

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