Gavin Cromwell
Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Cheltenham Festival Day Three & Four previews
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell previews his runners across the final two days of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham, Thursday
Our only runner on Thursday is Yeah Man in the Pertemps (16:40). He ran a lovely race in the qualifier at Leopardstown over Christmas, although that probably turned into a bit of a sprint and I thought he was even better than the result.
The British handicapper has had his say and he’s 10lbs higher than his Irish mark, but that said he’s still a good bit below his chase mark and it is what it is. Conditions should suit. The only question is whether he’ll be taken off his feet with the ground being on the better side, but either way he’ll be doing his best work in the finish. He’s in good form and he should run well.
Cheltenham, Friday
We have a good number of chances on Friday, starting off with North Shore in what looks a wide-open Triumph Hurdle (13:20). Based on his two runs so far this season he’s not good enough to win, but he’s improved and is capable of running into a place.
He’s taken all his work well, he keeps stepping forward and has a great attitude. He’s got a great mind for a juvenile, he schools really well at home and those are all great attributes for him to run a good race.
We run two in the William Hill County Hurdle (14:00). Hello Neighbour is a Grade 1 winner in a handicap with a bit of class, but he has plenty of weight to carry.
He’s in good nick and the ground shouldn’t be an issue for him because he’s got more than enough pace. He’s a slick jumper and I think he should be a player here.
We also run Sixandahalf, who has had a disappointing season since she was a runner-up in the Mares’ Novice last season. We’ve found a few niggly problems with her throughout the season, but I think we’ve ironed those out now.
The fact she’s disappointed us a few times this season means you’re always going to be a bit on the fence with her, but she’s in great form and I don’t see any reason that she can’t run a really solid race and be bang there.
Then we have Only By Night in the Mares’ Chase (14:40). We did think about the Champion Chase with her, but this race has always been the plan for her and we’re sticking with it.
She missed the Dublin Racing Festival but I’m happy with her at home – she’s fresh and well. The ground being on the better side will only help her stay the two-and-a-half, but we’ve always thought that would eventually be her trip.
She might be going a bit under the radar a bit here. She’s had a habit of doing that and she keeps coming back and running really well. I think she definitely has a big chance in this.
Next we have our supplementary entry in the Albert Bartlett (15:20), The Passing Wife. I certainly hope he’s going to be in the mix here. He would’ve been top weight in the Martin Pipe and probably would’ve had to run about 10lbs better than his mark to win that. If he can run to that, then that’d put him right in the mix for the Albert Bartlett.
I also think you’re far less likely to have a hard luck story here compared to the Martin Pipe, which can be a real helter-skelter race. We’ve opted for the big one and hopefully that decision will be a good one.
Our final runner of the week is Inothewayurthinkin, who is back to defend his Gold Cup (16:00). He’ll have the cheekpieces on this time. We schooled him in them the other week and they certainly seemed to sharpen up his jumping.
He’s certainly a different horse to what he was a month ago. He’s taken a big step forward and it remains to be seen whether that’ll be enough for him to win the race again, but hopefully it is.
