Eye On Cheltenham - Maestro Conti, Spillane's Tower and Ma Shantou impress on Trials Day
In week 11 of the Eye On Cheltenham 25/26 series, notable performances were observed, impacting market odds for upcoming races. Spillane's Tower's unexpected victory in the Cotswold Chase and The New Lion's triumph in the Unibet Hurdle shook the betting landscape. Ma Shantou continues to impress in the Cleeve Hurdle, while the odds for Maestro Conti have shortened after a strong performance on Trials Day. This week shows dynamic shifts with entries like Love Sign d'Aunou emerging as potential favorites for the Cheltenham Festival.
- Week 11 of our Eye On Cheltenham series for 2025/26
- Strong meetings took place at Cheltenham, Doncaster and Punchestown this past week
- Maestro Conti, Spillane's Tower and Ma Shantou were slashed after victories on Trials Day
- Spillane's Tower
- The New Lion
- Ma Shantou
- Home By The Lee
- Leader d'Allier
- Shuttle Diplomacy
- Kripticjim
- Thedeviluno
- Feet Of A Dancer
- Maestro Conti
- Feel Gut
- Argento Boy
- Love Sign d'Aunou
Eye On Cheltenham 25/26 Week 11
Here's week eleven of our Eye On Cheltenham 25/26 series, listing key Cheltenham Festival market movers from between January 20th and 27th.
Cheltenham's Trials Day hogged most of the headlines this past week, with other good meetings also taking place across Britain and Ireland. Here are this week's major Cheltenham Festival market movers.
Eye On Cheltenham 2025/26 - Week 11
Spillane's Tower
There was a shock in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, as Spillane's Tower edged out L'Homme Presse, with odds-on favourite Grey Dawning back in third. Jimmy Mangan's star is entered in the Ryanair Chase, but a tilt at the Gold Cup seems like after Saturday's victory, and Spillane's Tower can now be backed at 16/1 for this year's feature.
The New Lion
In a race that was marred by the season-ending pelvic injury sustained by Sir Gino, The New Lion motored to victory in the Unibet Hurdle. Dan Skelton's star will now head on to the Champion Hurdle, and The New Lion was cut into 11/4 second-favouritism for the opening Championship race at the Cheltenham Festival.
Ma Shantou
Having struck in two handicaps around Cheltenham this season, Ma Shantou secured an emphatic victory in the Cleeve Hurdle in Saturday. Emma Lavelle's star powered clear of favourite Impose Toi on the uphill run to the learn, earning fresh quotes of 8/1 for the 2026 Stayers' Hurdle from BOYLE Sports.
Home By The Lee
Despite his advancing years, Home By The Lee proved his quality again by landing the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park on Thursday. Joseph O'Brien's star hurdler looks set for a fifth outing in the Stayers' Hurdle, and Home By The Lee was cut into 33/1 for the day three feature this year.
Leader d'Allier
Having suffered a shock defeat over Christmas, Leader d'Allier got off the mark over hurdles at Punchestown on Monday. Willie Mullins' youngster is entered in all three of the novice hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival, and was cut into 25/1 for the Supreme on the back of Monday's success.
Shuttle Diplomacy
Third in the Champion Bumper 12 months ago, Shuttle Diplomacy got off the mark over hurdles at the fourth time of asking at Punchestown on Sunday. Thomas Cooper's stable star was then clipped into 33/1 for the Turners Novices' Hurdle.
Kripticjim
In the delayed card-closer at Cheltenham on Saturday, Kripticjim forged through the gloom to beat Taurus Bay in the Classic Novices' Hurdle. Joe Tizzard's star is entered in both the Turners Novices' Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett, and was cut into 25/1 for the shorter of those two Festival targets.
Thedeviluno
Paul Nolan celebrated a double at Doncaster on Saturday, the first leg of which was secured by Thedeviluno, who powered to victory in the Grade Two River Don. Nolan's charge is now the second-favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, with most firms quoting fresh odds of 12/1.
Feet Of A Dancer
Nolan's double was then completed by Feet Of A Dancer, who justified favouritism with a comfortable success in the Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle. Nolan's mare placed in the Pertemps Final 12 months ago, and saw her odds for both the Mares' Hurdle and the Stayers' Hurdle slashed after Saturday's success.
Maestro Conti
One of the most impressive performances on Cheltenham Trials Day came courtesy of Maestro Conti in the Triumph Trial. Dan Skelton's youngster pulled hard for most of the contest, but still powered up the hill to claim a taking victory, and was immediately cut into 8/1 for the 2026 Triumph Hurdle by bet365.
Feel Gut
Nicky Henderson's newcomer, Feel Gut made a good impression when scoring in a junior National Hunt Hurdle at Warwick on Friday. Henderson's four-year-old was cut into 25/1 for the Triumph Hurdle, but might be saved for a novice hurdle campaign in 2026/27.
Argento Boy
Paul Townend was in the saddle as Argento Boy justified favouritism in the Grade Three Novices' Chase at Punchestown on Sunday. Mullins' youngster was then cut into 40/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, but seems more likely to be aimed at the National Hunt Chase handicap instead.
Love Sign d'Aunou
An impressive point-to-point winner in April, Love Sign d'Aunau romped to victory on his debut for Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci in a bumper at Naas on Sunday. Jasmin De Vaux won the same race before going on to score in the 2024 Champion Bumper, and Love Sign d'Aunau was cut into 7/1 favouritism for Cheltenham's only flat race.
Verdict
Week 11 Market Movers:
Ma Shantou
2026 Stayers' Hurdle
@8/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £40
in free bets
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply.
Maestro Conti
2026 Triumph Hurdle
@8/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
with bonus code NEWBONUS
Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad
Thedeviluno
2026 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
@12/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £10
with promo code NEWBONUS
Join betgoodwin with promo code NEWBONUS and get access to their Bet £10 Get £10 as a free ACCA welcome offer. 18+ only. T&Cs apply.
Love Sign d'Aunou
2026 Champion Bumper
@7/1 - 5 Units
Bet £5, Get £20 + 2 Odds Boosts
Promo Code: NEWBONUS
Bet £5+ to receive £20 in Free Bets + 2 Rocket Odds Boosts on your 1st deposit. New customers only. 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
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