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Equinties - the DRF awards
BGP Capital
February 03, 2026
Gm, Equinauts
Well, the DRF has finished, and we won’t lie, we as punters don’t really have much of a clearer picture of Cheltenham.
If anything, March looks more wide open than ever and with that, no doubt all those beautiful in the money accas you had going on are all blown to bits!
It doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining though, and so as usual after any big meeting, we’ve found the best and worst of it.
Let’s dive in.
THE DRF AWARDS
BEST NOVICE HURDLER: TALK THE TALK
OLD PARK STAR may set a good standard in the Supreme, but Nicky Henderson and connections should be worried by TALK THE TALK and what he did in the 2m Grade 1 novice hurdle.
He was positioned very far back through the field, JJ Slevin waited until he absolute last moment to make his move, and he gave the outside to no one.
And yet, he still found a length-and-a-half after the last against horses staying-on through the line. That was a sharp performance on bad ground.
A strong pace on better ground should really suit him in the Supreme, and he has a nig chance. Obviously, we could have picked DOCTOR STEINBERG for this because he was very good, but with the ambiguity about his Cheltenham target (Bartlett should be his race, the Turners could be tricky) and what he beat, we’ve gone with TALK TO TALK.
BEST NOVICE CHASER: SIXMILEBRIDGE
We’re cheating here because, obviously, SIXMILEBRIDGE ran at Kempon on Saturday and not at Leopardstown this weekend. However, this does say enough about what the novice chasers did at the DRF. FINAL DEMAND really disappointed, ROMEO COOLIO & KARGESE almost walked over the line, and, fair enough, KAID D’AUTHIE was good on Sunday in a race that fell apart.
So, back to SIXMILEBRIDGE, one would have to give him a bit of a chance in the Brown Advisory, especially with the murkiness of the current ante-post picture.
He made a mistake at the 10th, but he led from pillar to post, and he flew home on bad ground down the home straight. 14/1 for a Grade 1 winner who has won at Cheltenham and is unbeaten over fences? That doesn’t sound too shabby.
Now, Fergal O’Brien has mentioned both the Arkle and Browns for him. Please, Ferg, the Brown Advisory would be a great race for him. The Arkle would be quite difficult.
BEST OPEN HORSES: MAJBOROUGH & FACT TO FILE
As for the open horses, both hurdles and chasers, JP McManus had a great time of things. MAJBOROUGH jumped like a stag and is now the best horse in training (according to Timeform) and FACT TO FILE is now being talked up as a Gold Cup horse (again) having been taken out of the race by JP’s team.
During this season, IL ETAIT TEMPS was considered unbeatable in the Queen Mum, then it was MARINE NATIONALE, and now it’s MAJBOROUGH. What does that say? Well, the division is a touch sketchy, though on their day, every one of them can run to a number around 175.
As for Sunday, MAJBOROUGH would like a soft ground Queen Mum for him to be at his best, and he does set the standard, though he isn’t bombproof. His performance does pay a handsome nod to L’EAU DU SUD, who was just behind him in an Arkle having been prepped a touch badly by Dan Skelton last season.
Ultimately, we think MAJBORIUGH would still love a step up in trip, and in another scenario, he could be a cracking horse for the Ryanair, which would then send FACT TO FILE on to the Gold Cup. Speaking of the Irish Gold Cup winner, we get the massive impression that Willie Mullins has always wanted to see FACT TO FILE in the blue riband event, while JP has said no every time.
It’s hard to work out what Mullins or JP are thinking, so for us to speculate would be pretty pointless as well. That being said, if he went to the Ryanair, it’s really hard to see anything beating him, while the Gold Cup would have stronger opponents both from his stable and others.
That may just see connections send him to the Ryanair again, and he could mop up another Grade 1. He was very good yesterday, though the rest of the field behind FACT TO FILE probably disappointed slightly. Willie Mullins think Christmas left a mark of GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, GAELIC WARRIOR almost walked across the line having been keen, and FIREFOX (rated 154) was fourth.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS: FINAL DEMAND, MARINE NATIONALE & ROMEO COOLIO
Yes, you read that right, ROMEO COOLIO is in this list. We’re probably being too harsh, but this is with a view to Cheltenham. Gordon Elliott is talking about sending this horse to the Arkle, and this would come on the back of two really hard runs. He doesn’t want two miles, and he now has to show that none of these runs have had an effect over the wrong trip. Therefore, would he win an Arkle based on falling in yesterday? No. If he was ours, we’d miss Cheltenham and head to the Manifesto at Aintree, but the owners are adamant on Cheltenham, so that’s that.
FINAL DEMAND and MARINE NATIONALE are obvious based on what they did this weekend. The former jumped badly, which is the difference to his Limerick win, though that could maybe be attributed to the ground. The latter’s performance can also be attributed to the ground, and he also jumped very poorly. Can they bounce back at Cheltenham? We’d be less sure on MARINE NATIONALE to be honest (and we did describe this years Champion Chase as so muddling it’s not a betting race), and FINAL DEMAND looks slow, but he could just win a sub-par renewal of the Browns.
BEST MAN: MARK WALSH
Well, Mr Mark Walsh gave a big middle finger to everyone who doubted him this weekend.
Actually, he didn’t. He just did what he has done for so many years now, and that was deliver in the Grade 1 races. KAID D’AUTHIE rode itself, but MAJBOROUGH, NARCISO HAS, and FACT TO FILE were great rides.
He may be leaving the number one JP job at the end of the year, but he has had a fantastic innings, and if he continues to ride for a few more years (he is 40 in March, after all), he will surely get a few nice rides in the green and gold still when Harry Cobden is not available.
It’s good to see Walsh remaining in the big time as he gets his fair share of pelters, though he is ultimately a great jockey.
EYE-CATCHERS
KING RASKO GREY – SUNDAY 13.40 LEOPARDSTOWN
TALK THE TALK was very impressive on Sunday, and BALLYFAD & KING RASKO GREY’s performances should be upgraded because of this. However, we have the feeling that KING RASKO GREY could well be the best of the two. He jumped better, he travelled stronger, and he looked good. We think he might just step up in trip for the Turners, and he could be the Closutton number one if so. He’s a nice horse, and should be a proper chaser next season.
SELMA DE VARY – MONDAY 13.50 LEOPARDSTOWN
This is a fairly obvious one, but Rich Ricci has a nice one on his hands with SELMA DE VARY. She ran a great race on her first start for her new connections considering she wasn’t ridden to win, and she should improve leads and bounds for the run.
If Mullins and the team think NARCISO HAS is a certainty in March (which he is close to being), then they could well try her in the Mares’ Novice, a race that is sure to suit. She’d also get 10lbs for running against her elders. It’s certainly a conversation to have, as she should be a lovely horse going forward.
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