Cheltenham Festival 2025: Antepost Reaction To Mares Entries

It comes as no surprise that Irish trainers dominated the entries for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase at the Cheltenham Festival when they were released on Tuesday.

Mares Novices Hurdle Reaction

Hot on everyone’s lips is the well-bred mare Maughreen for the Willie Mullins stable and she is very strong in our Cheltenham betting for this race at odds of 7/2.

The six-year-old, whose dam is a half-sister to Faugheen, was an impressive winner of a mares’ bumper at Punchestown in January 2024 which put her in pole position for the Champion Bumper at last year’s Festival, but a setback ruled her out.

Her comeback run in January of this season in a Mares Maiden Hurdle was also wonderful, and you would never have realised that she’d been away for 378-days.

A lot of people think Maughreen is named after Maureen Mullins but that’s not the case. She’s actually named after a next-door neighbour of the syndicate manager called Maureen O’Brien from Castlelyons, but many punters, and indeed Willie himself, will believe that she is fated to win at Cheltenham this season given that naming coincidence.

Marginally leading the ante-post betting for the race is the Gavin Cromwell-trained  Sixandahalf (3/1) who has only had one start over hurdles, running out an impressive 12 length winner of a Fairyhouse maiden.

Last seen when third in the Irish Cesarewitch in September, the daughter of Snow Sky is an exciting recruit to hurdling and her performance at Fairyhouse proves she will be a force to be reckoned with at the headquarters of National Hunt.

Bringing up a triumvirate of runners dominating the head of the betting for this Mares’ feature is Karoline Banbou (7/1), who is another leading runner from the powerful Closutton yard.

Her French form suggests that she could be top-end material at the end of the day, so she is still garnering plenty of support in the betting.

After the entries came through on Tuesday, there was a slight ripple of support for the progressive Jubilee Alpha (10/1), a good winner of a Listed Hurdle at Taunton before an excellent Winter Millions victory.

Mares Chase Reaction

Dinoblue (5/2) came out on top after locking horns with stablemate Allegorie De Vassy (7/1) in the Opera Hat Mares Chase at Naas the other day, and tops the betting pile for the Mrs Paddy Power Chase.

Happy with both of them, Willie Mullins will send both his leading ladies over to Prestbury Park.

Of the others, The Gavin Cromwell trained Bioluminescence (3/1) was a progressive novice hurdler who won a Grade 3 last season before winning by three lengths at Limerick on her chasing debut.

Novices have a good record in this race and she has been popular with our bettors this week.