Key Points
- His former trainer held him in the highest regard
- Today’s betting tip grabbed my attention at the Cheltenham Festival
- The Scottish Champion Hurdle looks the perfect race for him
Today we’re looking at the antepost markets and I have landed on a Dan Skelton runner in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. He really caught my attention last time out at the Cheltenham Festival and this looks the perfect race for him. I think this horse is underestimated at 10/1 and I predict he will go significantly shorter if he is confirmed for the race and conditions look favourable.
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Betting advice
- Saturday 18 April 2026 - Ayr - Scottish Champion Hurdle -
Tellherthename
@ 10/1 (4 places) -
1pt each way
Back Tellherthename with William Hill
Several bookmakers have prices up for the Scottish Champion Hurdle, and one of those is William Hill, who also has the
best horse racing odds
for Tellherthename at 10/1. Not only that, William Hill has a great deal for anybody who opens a new account. If you sign up and bet £10, you’ll get £30 in free bets. Definitely worth doing to catch Tellherthename at a generous antepost price.
Tellherthename can land this valuable prize!
Dan Skelton is well on his way to becoming the Champion Trainer for the 2025/26 National Hunt season, and a huge factor in this has been his ability to keep landing big Handicaps and the valuable prize money they bring. I think he can strike again with Tellherthename in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr later this month, and here I’ll explain why!
Ben Pauling held Tellherthename in the highest regard
Tellherthename won an Irish Point-To-Point at Borris House, where the now 145-rated Chaser, Miami Magic, was 36 lengths back in fourth. Ben Pauling subsequently purchased Tellherthename at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival sales for ÂŁ200,000. He was second by a nose on his debut under Rules, just getting beaten by Jango Baie, the subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup runner up.
Tellherthename was even more impressive when bolting up by 14 lengths at Huntingdon on two different occasions, easily beating smart horses like Lucky Place (151), Zain Nights (130) and Dartmoor Pirate (129). He was disappointing at Aintree, but I heard off the record that ulcers were the cause of his poor performance there.
Ben Pauling clearly thought he was destined for great things, and sent him to the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. The ground went against him that day, as a lot of rain came, and he did too much in front as well. He’s better than he showed that day, and despite the ground being against him, he was still sent off at just 14/1 for that race. His owners (the Megsons) subsequently moved all of their horses out of Ben Pauling’s yard after some bad publicity, which was a bitter blow for Ben, especially when it came to Tellherthename, who Ben held in high regard.
Tellherthename grabbed my attention at the Cheltenham Festival
The Megsons decided to move Tellherthename to Jonjo & A J O’Neill, which never really worked out. He was a very respectable fourth in the 2024 Fighting Fifth 14 lengths behind the late great Sir Gino. However, he pulled up at Kelso after a three month break, then only managed fifth place in a Grade 1 at Aintree over 2m 4f. He was sent Chasing at the start of this season, where he finished third of four, but beaten by just two lengths. It later transpired that he bled from the nose.
The Megsons decided to move Tellherthename again, this time to Dan Skelton. Off a mark of 133, he threw Tellherthename straight into the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, reflecting the fact that he was showing plenty at home. The official Soft going put me off him that day, but by race time it was Good to Soft, if not closer to Good in reality.
If you watch the race again, Tellherthename was held up in rear and cruised through the race. He gained traction by sweeping wide around the field, but as they crossed to the stand side rail, he was left with little to no room. Kielan Woods looked to have plenty of horse under him, and Tellherthename stayed on well before Kielan eased him off towards the line, knowing the chance had gone. If a gap had stayed open down the rail, it may have been a different story, as he certainly travelled well enough to play a part at the finish.
The Scottish Champion Hurdle looks the perfect race for Tellherthename
I was interested to see where Dan Skelton would send Tellherthename after the Cheltenham Festival and the Scottish Champion Hurdle is a good choice. This is a race that seems perfect for Tellherthename for various reasons. It is also worth noting that this race was on Ben Pauling’s radar for the horse back in April 2024. However, we didn’t see him again after the Supreme and then he changed yards the following season.
What I find most interesting about the Scottish Champion Hurdle is that it’s usually a proper Spring time race run on better ground, which would be exactly what Tellherthename wants. In the last 10 renewals, only one has been run on Soft going, with every other renewal being on either Good, or Good to Soft. I’d be happy with genuine Good to Soft going for Tellherthename, but the better the ground, the better his chance in my opinion.
Ayr is a fascinating track. When the ground is on the quicker side, it rides on the sharp side. However, when rain comes and it’s softer, it can be very testing. I think the former would suit Tellherthename, as he’s got gears galore and there won’t be many lining up with a higher cruising speed. As we saw in the County Hurdle, he should be able to travel powerfully before making a strong challenge late on. Finally, I think this meeting at Ayr gives Tellherthename a better chance of winning a big pot than the Aintree Festival.
Can Tellherthename land a big pot for his owners?
As soon as I saw Tellherthename entered for the Scottish Champion Hurdle, I knew I wanted him on side. He is long overdue a big win and he can deliver on the promise he’s shown throughout his career. Ben Pauling thought the world of him and Dan Skelton has already commented that he is a high-class horse and that his work has been very good.
The fact that Dan Skelton threw him straight into the County Hurdle speaks volumes, and it’s a huge shame that he was denied a clear run. That was also his first race after he changed yards, so he should be in even better form at Ayr. Hopefully the Scottish Champion Hurdle will be run on good ground again, which should bring more out of Tellherthename too. I think it’s the perfect race, and great placement from Dan Skelton, something he has been phenomenal at all season.
On the negative side, it has yet to be confirmed that he will run here. He had some issues with his back when he arrived at Lodge Hill, and he also bled on his penultimate start, which is a concern. Plus, we’re gambling on the weather being right. However, I think the race is a perfect fit, and there was no report of any bleeding, or other problems at Cheltenham.
I’d back Tellherthename at most prices, but at a double figure price, he is unmissable. Assuming he does turn up here, I think he will go off significantly shorter, especially so if others clocked what I saw at Cheltenham. Barring mishaps, I expect him to be in the first four, and hopeful of even better. If he gets confirmed and the forecast looks favourable, I may well top up on this bet, as I’m very sweet on his chances, but for now, I’m sticking to 1pt each way.
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