Key Points
- This horse was a huge eye-catcher at this year’s Festival
- His yard are all about Chasers and he will excel over fences next season
- His price looks far bigger than it should be, take it while it lasts!
I know some people will think I’m mad but I am happy to be looking ahead to the next Cheltenham Festival straight after the latest one ends. In fact, it’s pretty common for me to have bets on for the next Cheltenham Festival before the current one has even finished! Two days after the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, I put up six eye-catching prices for the 2025 edition in my Discord server.
We had Constitution Hill at 2/1, Teahupoo at 7/2 and Galopin Des Champs at 3/1. Whilst those three didn’t pay off (a faller and two second places), we got plenty of value, as they went off at 1/2, 7/4 and 8/13 on the day. We also had Theleme for the Stayers' Hurdle, and L’Homme Presse for the Gold Cup, at 8/1 and 40/1 respectively. Sadly neither made it through injury, which is part and parcel of the antepost game. However, it was all made worthwhile by my other early pick, which was Marine Nationale at 14/1 for the Champion Chase and he delivered! So for any members who backed all six at £1 level stakes, they saw a profit of £9.
Betting advice
- 2026 Cheltenham Festival - The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase -
Derryhassen Paddy
@ 33/1 -
1pt Win
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The Lucinda Russell yard can strike with Derryhassen Paddy!
Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore were victorious with Myretown, who won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. They also had Derryhassen Paddy hit the frame in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. They have landed victories at previous Cheltenham Festivals too, including Brindisi Breeze, who won the 2012 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Then there was Corach Rambler, who won the 2022 and 2023 renewals of the Ultima Handicap Chase, the 2023 Grand National, and also placed in the Gold Cup.
As well as winning races at the Cheltenham Festival, the yard has gone close on other occasions. A couple that instantly spring to mind are Ahoy Senor finishing second in the 2022 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, only beaten by the very talented L’Homme Presse, and Giovinco finishing third in the 2024 renewal of the same race. I think Derryhassen Paddy could be a real contender for the 2026 renewal of the Brown Advisory, and in this article, I’ll be explaining why.
Derryhassen Paddy was a huge eye-catcher at this year’s festival
Derryhassen Paddy came into the Albert Bartlett with four career starts to his name: 1 Point-to-Point, 1 Bumper and 2 Hurdles and he had won all of them. All four runs came on Soft or Heavy ground and he was actually pulled out at Haydock last month due to the ground being unsuitable when Good to Soft. However, Cheltenham often sways folks into doing things they wouldn’t normally do, with it being the pinnacle of the National Hunt racing calendar, and everybody wanting a runner there. As a result, despite the ground being Good to Soft and arguably more like Good by the time of the race, the team let Derryhassen Paddy take his chance in the Albert Bartlett, despite the risk to his unbeaten record.
Considering the quicker than ideal ground, it was no surprise to me to see him at the front of the field. He disputed the lead two out, before leading soon after. He tried hard to go for the winning post, but he was headed before the last as Jasmin De Vaux and The Big Westerner had superior speed on the fast surface. What impressed me though, is that Derryhassen Paddy looked as if he would be swallowed by the field towards the end, but he kept on galloping and held third at the line.
Considering the ground was too quick for him, I think his performance can be marked up considerably. I would also say there is zero shame in finishing behind Jasmin De Vaux and The Big Westerner, as they are both top horses and both were very strongly fancied for the race.
His stable are all about Chasers and he will excel over fences next season
Derryhassen Paddy is a type that suggests anything he does over Hurdles is a bonus, as he’s a Chaser in the making. He is a serious unit of a horse and looks to be crying out for the bigger obstacles. A lot of these types don’t really take to Hurdles, then improve significantly once they go Chasing. To see this horse doing so well over Hurdles, and holding his own at Grade 1 level, really excites me for his future over fences.
After the Albert Bartlett, Lucinda Russell was quoted as saying:
“I'm delighted with Derryhassen Paddy and I just can't wait for him to go over fences. I get very emotional about him - Scu loves him - he's just a great, big, honest horse, and here he is. He shouldn't really be going hurdling, but he hasn't done too badly! He won't run again this season - I think we've got away with it”.
What also excites me is what this yard can do with their Chasers. They do well in all types of NH races, but Chasers, particularly Stayers, are their speciality. When you think of their best horses over the last five to 10 years, you think of horses like One For Arthur, Ahoy Senor, Mighty Thunder, Corach Rambler and Apple Away to name but a few. These horses have won Grand Nationals, Scottish Grand Nationals, Cheltenham Festival races and even Grade 1s and they are all staying Chasers. I think Derryhassen Paddy will excel over fences next season and I think he is in the right yard to do so. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him competing in the Gold Cup or a Grand National in a couple of years' time.
His price looks far bigger than it should be!
Considering Derryhassen Paddy’s performance in the 3m Novice Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, on ground way too quick for him, and also over the wrong obstacles, I’d have him right towards the top of the antepost market for the 2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. I appreciate Final Demand and The Yellow Clay are the sexier types coming up from the Turners Novices’ Hurdle. Then you have to have the two who beat him in the Albert Bartlett higher in the market, but there are very few others I would consider. I’m also not convinced that Jasmin De Vaux (the Albert Bartlett winner) has the scope for fences. He’s tiny, and struggles to jump hurdles. I love him, and tipped him for the Albert Bartlett, but I’m far from convinced he is destined to be a top Chaser.
Of the rest, you have Brighterdaysahead, who would have stamina to prove at 3m and is far more likely to run in the Mares’ Chase. You have Kitzbuhel who could be a future Stayer, but hasn’t ran beyond 2m 2f over Hurdles so far, and is likely only so prominent in the market due to his trainer (Willie Mullins) and owners (The Donnellys).
There are also horses like Dan Skelton’s The New Lion, who they were talking about as a potential Champion Hurdle horse. On that basis, he would stay over Hurdles and drop back in trip, rather than going Chasing. Ironically there is Wendigo, who finished two places behind Derryhassen Paddy in the Albert Bartlett… make that make sense. For me, Derryhassen Paddy should be somewhere between 12/1 and 16/1 for the 2026 Brown Advisory. And if he excels over fences, as I fully expect him to, I can easily see him going off at a single figure price on the day. Therefore, the 33/1 currently on offer at bet365 looks massive to me, and I’d take that now before others catch on.
He ticks all the boxes for me and I want him on my side
There are a fair few factors to take account of here. Derryhassen Paddy is a horse that screams staying Chaser and his trainer excels in developing that exact type of horse. He doesn’t look remotely like a Hurdler, but he has already performed well at the highest level in that discipline, and with unsuitable ground conditions to boot. If rain had come ahead of the Albert Bartlett, I think he would have been much happier, and he would have given the first two home plenty to think about. However, if he had beaten them, he would also be trading at a much shorter price than he is.
When you are looking this far in advance, it is all about securing value. I think there is exceptional value in the 33/1 available at bet365 currently, and that price will most surely shorten over time. I wouldn’t be surprised if folks catch on through the rest of the spring and the summer, even without seeing him running and that price will soon get nibbled away at.
Come the day that Derryhassen Paddy makes his Chase debut, and shows us what he can do over fences, I think he’ll shorten significantly. Even if they are modest affairs, if he were to win his first couple of races over fences, he would quickly shorten to around 10/1. It is also worth noting that the last two renewals of the Brown Advisory have only had six or seven runners, and a similar sized field next year could see him even shorter. Mark my words, he is a proper horse and if he stays sound and progresses as I expect, you won’t see anywhere near 33/1on the day.
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