Minella Missile dented some lofty reputations in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle for Evan Williams at Cheltenham.

The point-to-point winner had caused a 20-1 shock when scoring on his hurdling debut from a Paul Nicholls-trained favourite at Chepstow and he repeated the feat here – but this time at Grade Two level at an even bigger price.

Sent off a 22-1 chance the five-year-old looked up against with Nicholls’ Captain Teague and several Irish-trained runners appearing to hold stronger claims. However, Adam Wedge moved within his comfort zone for much of the race, despite sitting well off the pace.

Harry Cobden had Captain Teague close to Kinbara up front, but did put in a couple of noticeably novicey leaps.

He was still in the box seat turning for home, but The Big Doyen had tracked him while Wedge charted the inside route on Minella Missile.

All three had a chance on jumping the last, and it was the Williams runner who found most to win by a length and a half from the 4-6 favourite with The Big Doyen a further half-length away.

“He’s just one of them you know, he quickens and is very laid back,” said Williams

“You can drop him in and I love a horse you can drop in and then quickens. There’s not many of them that get there in two strides and he can do that.

“It’s the trainer why he is the price he is, nothing to do with the horse. It’s the trainer, not the horse.

“Talk is talk and it’s November. The men in March don’t talk they just turn up don’t they. We’re under no illusions and he has won his good race. He’s a brother to a horse who I think is a good horse in Monbeg Genius and his future will be over fences somewhere down the line.

“I just think in these novice hurdles, a step up in trip wouldn’t be a problem and he quickens.”

Minella Missile provided a poignant 100th winner for owner Janet Davies, who has endured a difficult time following the death of her husband, Peter, and the winning trainer was thrilled to give his loyal owner with a day to remember.

“That’s racing, it pulls in the emotions of life which are important to the very trivial pursuit of going faster than another horse round a grassy field,” continued Williams.

“It is her 100th winner and she has been very successful, had a lot of winners and some very nice horses. But, as often happens with racing, it sometimes just gives back that little bit of a fairytale.

“I’m blessed with the owners I train for. I’m a dinosaur and I train for some very old-fashioned owners and it makes my life very easy. But sometimes that cross-over between real life and racing is fantastic. Isn’t it crazy how the cards fall sometimes.”

On future plans, he went on: “He handles this place which is an undulating track and sometimes you can get dragged into doing things for the sake of doing things.

“Lets be brutal about it, the second horse carried a penalty and we have only won a length and a half. So we have a bit to find to go and win a Grade One.

“He’s the type of horse who might be able to step up to that, but as far as I’m concerned, in his life as a novice hurdler he has won a good race and what happens now as a novice hurdler is almost irrelevant.

“Today is Janet’s day and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s a special day for Janet.”

Davies said: “How amazing was that. We won last (here) with Court Minstrel and I never thought we would have another like that.

“Evan said when he won at Chepstow, ‘you have a nice horse’. But I didn’t think he would be that nice.

“I was trying to keep my cool, as this time last year I lost my husband suddenly in his sleep. It’s been a difficult year, but that was amazing.”

Mouse Morris made another successful raid to Britain as Foxy Jacks claimed the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.

Morris has already struck on British shores this term with Gentlemansgame in the Charlie Hall, and his nine-year-old produced a superb round of jumping in the hands of Gavin Brouder to hold off Dan Skelton’s Latenightpass in a thrilling finish.

The trainer is of course no stranger to success at Prestbury Park, but was delighted with his charge who provided him with his first winner at the track since First Lieutenant struck at the Festival in 2011.

“It was very tenacious, he’s not simple but got a great ride, he jumped super,” said Morris of the 9-1 scorer.

“I thought he was in great shape coming here, but there are 30 fences to jump and jumping is not what he is noted for. These sort of races change his mind a little.

“It was his first time over the banks and I couldn’t be happier. There are a lot of days he hasn’t delivered which makes these days good.

“He has been running well this year, he won the Midlands National and was third in the Kerry National, so something has happened to him.

“I don’t think weight matters to this fella, it is just getting him on his day. He belongs to great people who love the craic and we will go where we can have some fun.”

Gordon Elliott’s pair of Delta Work and Galvin fought out the finish of the cross country at the Cheltenham Festival in the spring but finished down the field in their return to action.

Both have a return in March on the agenda, but Elliott is keen to see how Delta Work (sixth) comes out of the contest having failed to sparkle in the second half of the contest.

“Keith (Donoghue) actually said for the second half of the race he never jumped which he usually does and he was a bit sore pulling up. So we will have to see how he is,” said Elliott.

“Cheltenham is the plan in March, but once he’s OK in the morning that is all that matters. You can see in the second half of the race he never jumped like he can.

“In fairness we were happy with the run, if we got beat today we wouldn’t have been disappointed but he never jumped for the second half of the race, he just wasn’t right.

“Galvin (eighth) ran very well, he just hated the ground and we’re very happy. March is the plan and it will probably be one run over hurdles and that is it.”

The Injured Jockeys Fund has provided a further update on Graham Lee, in which he is described as having made “positive progress”.

The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after a serious fall last week, when unseated from Ben Macdui at the start of an all-weather handicap on Friday.

He suffered an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to his spinal cord and has undergone two procedures to stabilise the fractures and further protect his spinal cord.

The IJF update, circulated on Friday afternoon, read: “Graham has made positive progress in the last 24 hours and has been able to talk normally with his family for short periods when his ventilator is turned down.

“He has been reviewed by his spinal consultant and when a bed becomes available in the ITU at James Cook Hospital, Middlesborough, he will be transferred closer to home.

“Graham and his family want to thank everyone for their continued and overwhelming support.”

Two Cheltenham Festival winners and a host of placed horses from the big meeting in March make this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup one not to be missed.

Stage Star and The Real Whacker took the Turners Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory respectively at the showpiece fixture, and both have featured heavily in the ante-post market on this historic handicap.

The former disappointed when last of five at Aintree after Cheltenham, but Paul Nicholls is not losing sleep over that ahead of the weekend.

“You can put a line through his last start at Aintree, which was one race too many after a busy campaign,” the champion trainer told Betfair.

“The Paddy Power has been the target for him since the summer and there are plenty of positives, as he is brilliant fresh, having won first time out for the last three seasons.

“He also likes racing left-handed, will not mind how soft the ground gets and we know he handles Cheltenham.

“Yes, he does have a lot of weight because he is rated on what he achieved last year but it helps that the top one (The Real Whacker) runs, which means Stage Star is on a nice racing weight of 11st 7lb.”

Trained by Patrick Neville, The Real Whacker is a perfect three from three over fences – with all of those runs coming at Cheltenham.

Unsurprisingly, the Gold Cup is his big target and it is also not a shock connections have opted to start his season here, even with his welter burden of 12st.

“Two and a half (miles) is a lovely starting point for him. He won over two and a half in January in the Dipper,” said North Yorkshire-based Neville.

“We’ll just go our own gallop and if anything wants to take him on or go a cutthroat gallop, then we’ll let them on, as he doesn’t have to make the running.

“When he ran in Doncaster, we dropped him out stone last, so if something else wanted to make the running, it might even help carry him into it a bit, but we’ll see.

“Hopefully, he’ll run his race and come back sound and we’ll move on to the next day.”

Dan Skelton saddles Unexpected Party – fifth in the Turners and a Listed winner on his return at Chepstow last month, form subsequently boosted by runner-up Knappers Hill.

Skelton said: “Unexpected Party beat Knappers Hill, who came out and won easy at Wincanton, which he was entitled to do, being honest. I expected Knappers Hill to win that, so I don’t think it improves our chance.

“What it did do was offer comfort that I was as confident with Unexpected Party on Friday night as I was on Saturday night. He’s got the right profile for the race, but we thought that before seeing what Knappers Hill came out and did.

“He ran in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival and he has turned up on some big days. The preliminaries before the race won’t get to him and that is a big part of it.

“He is a good traveller and a slick jumper, and I don’t want to put the mockers on him with a comment like that, but that is what he is good at, and that is what you need for a race like this.”

Another runner for Nicholls is last year’s fourth Il Ridoto, who also has winning form at the Prestbury Park circuit.

The Ditcheat handler said: “He ran a series of solid races last season carrying big weights and finally got his reward with a fluent victory at this track in January, then didn’t take to the National fences at Aintree (in the Topham).

“He is 6lb higher now so it’s a bonus that Freddie Gingell’s claim takes off a handy 5lb. Il Ridoto is a year older, more mature and should be knocking on the door again.”

Sam Thomas has enjoyed a good start to the new season and he sends out Angels Breath, who showed his well-being with a solid second over hurdles here last month.

“We were thrilled with him last time and it is sort of now or never really. He’s a nine-year-old in good form, so we thought we would take our chance,” Thomas said.

“It’s a very competitive race, but we’re lucky to have such a lovely horse and fingers crossed he puts in a good performance and comes back safe and sound.”

Also prominent in the market is the Lauran Morgan-trained Notlongtillmay, second only to Stage Star in the Turners in March.

“This was the aim, we’re 3lb better off with Stage Star and Stage Star isn’t going to get an easy lead like he did in the Turners – there’s going to be a lot of pace in this on Saturday,” Morgan said.

“With The Real Whacker running, our lad goes in there with a nice racing weight (11st 4lb) and he’ll go through the (soft) ground, that wouldn’t worry me at all.”

Like Nicholls, Morgan has a second-string to her bow in the shape of Whistleinthedark.

She added: “I’m not too fussed about not getting a run in, as he’s done a lot of work at home. We’ve got a two-mile grass gallop and he’s fairly ready without having had that run to sharpen him – he’s not far away.”

Homme Public ensured Henry Brooke could celebrate his first ever victory at Cheltenham in the SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase but he was fortunate to do so.

The favourite JPR One looked to have done everything right the whole way round as Brendan Powell set a scorching gallop.

Coming down the hill before the turn for home, it possibly looked like he had gone too fast as the three other runners all closed up, including Homme Public.

However, Powell had saved plenty on Joe Tizzard’s six-year-old and no sooner had he given the others a sniff had he shot clear again and seemingly put the race to bed.

He cleared the second last in style and with just one fence left to negotiate, it appeared the UK had a rock-solid contender for Arkle glory but, as many before him have found, the last at Cheltenham takes some jumping and he landed too steeply, giving Powell no chance.

Suddenly Homme Public, having looked booked for second, was left in front and while Petit Tonnerre gave him a fright, he won by two lengths.

Homme Public is trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, who have made a fantastic start to the season and won the Grand Sefton last weekend with Gesskille.

There was a fitting start to Cheltenham’s November Meeting when David Pipe’s American Sniper landed the opening Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

The Pipes have been synonymous with success at this meeting down the years and although Pond House may be lacking the stars of old, they showed they can still land a punch on the big occasion as American Sniper (16-1) led home a one-three for the Somerset team, with stablemate Paricolor picking up the bronze medal.

It was Pipe’s fourth win in the race since 2014 and first at the track since the spring of 2022 with a first-time tongue-tie working the oracle on his winning five-year-old, who was never involved over three miles at the track last month.

“We probably haven’t got as many as we used to, but we fancied both of them and they finished first and third,” said Pipe.

“On their best bits of form they had chances. We’ll enjoy today.

“We put a tongue-tie on him for the first time which probably helped and he likes a bit better ground, so obviously first race of the meeting it obviously helped.”

Brendan Powell delivered Triple Trade (100-30 favourite) with perfection as Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old hunted down Dan Skelton’s Calico late in the day to go one better than his running on second here in October.

“I thought it was a lovely race for him today and Brendan gave him a peach,” said the winning trainer.

“He was always going to play him late-ish and he didn’t get into him until the last and won nicely. It was a proper performance.

“The horse deserved to win off his last form and he’s improving all the time. He’s been sharper since that last run, a lot of my horses were needing the run three weeks ago and I expected a big performance and it came off.

“He’s one of the cheapest horses we’ve ever bought, he cost £12,000 I think it was, so he was cheap and three good lads own him. Dad said he was a Gold Cup horse when he bought him but couldn’t get him on the track for 18 months.”

Triple Trade could now be tasked with replicating Amarillo Sky’s Newbury victory in the Coral Get Closer To The Action Handicap Chase on December 2.

“I would be half-tempted to take him to Newbury at the end of the month,” added Tizzard.

“There is that nice handicap at the end of the Saturday that we won with Amarillo Sky.

“We will see how he comes out of it, but I’m tempted by that and it is in the back of my mind. These two milers, you can run them a bit more frequent.

“We were never dreaming he was an Amarillo Sky, but he’s heading in the right direction isn’t he and I’m really tempted to take him to Newbury if it is nice and soft in a couple of weeks’ time and keep having a lot of fun.”

Navan’s new two-day Festival has attracted some real equine stars – with champion jockey Paul Townend especially excited about teaming up with Facile Vega in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase on Saturday.

Always highly thought of as just the second foal out of Willie Mullins’ champion mare Quevega, he won the Cheltenham Festival bumper in 2022.

Having landed a Grade One on just his second outing over hurdles last season, Facile Vega ran inexplicably badly at the Dublin Racing Festival and, despite returning to something like his best at Cheltenham, had no answer to Marine Nationale in the Supreme in March.

While he enjoyed a stroll at Punchestown to end on a winning note, he has always had the size and scope of a chaser.

“Facile Vega was a star novice hurdler last season. He’s one we’re really looking forward to getting going over fences and he’s one that could even improve for fences,” Townend told Navan Racecourse.

“His schooling has been really good and we’re looking forward to getting him out on the track.

“He has the size and scope to develop into a better chaser, his mother got better with age and he did really well through the summer. Without putting the mockers on him, I like the way he’s taken to fences at home.

“Navan is a good, big, fair track with an inviting fence, it’s one of the tracks we are blessed to have on our doorstep in Ireland.”

It is far from a penalty kick, however, with Henry de Bromhead’s Inthepocket, also a Grade One-winning hurdler, and the Gordon Elliott pair of Saint Felicien and Sa Fureur, who have been favourites for the Coral Cup for the past two seasons.

Townend also rides Dysart Dynamo, who steps out of novice company in the Bar One Fortria Chase

“The conditions suit Dysart Dynamo. He ran into El Fabiolo a couple of times but without him around he’d have had a tremendous season. It looks a nice place to start him off, with the conditions suiting,” said Townend.

Captain Guinness, Saint Roi, Now Where Or When and Riviere D’etel complete the field.

Last year’s winner Home By The Lee and Stayers’ Hurdle victor Sire Du Berlais look to put down an early marker in the Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle.

Home By The Lee will be joined by his Joseph O’Brien-trained stablemate Busselton.

“He’s done great (over the summer) and I’m looking forward to getting him started for the season,” O’Brien said of Home By The Lee.

“I suppose he will go down the staying hurdle route and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.

“The plan was always he would have an extended break and he is starting back a bit later than last year, but we’re not too worried about that and we’re looking forward to getting him back on track.

“Leopardstown (at Christmas) is probably his big target for the first half of the season.”

On Busselton, he added: “He also had a pretty busy campaign last year and had a nice holiday during the summer.

“This is a nice starting point for him, even though his best runs have come over a bit further than this.”

Bob Olinger and Zanahiyr will also have plenty of followers in an open race.

Incredibly, Gordon Elliott has declared 15 of the 22 runners in the Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase on Sunday, albeit Thedevilscoachman heads the market for Noel Meade.

The government has responded to the racing industry’s petition to stop the proposed implementation of affordability checks.

Although it is registered in the name of Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of the Jockey Club, the petition was launched on behalf of Britain’s horseracing industry, which supports more than 85,000 jobs and contributes £4.1billion to the UK economy each year.

It has so far attracted in excess of 80,000 signatures and will warrant consideration for a debate in parliament when it hits 100,000.

The sport is broadly concerned that the implementation of affordability checks will be highly damaging to its revenue and are potentially intrusive to punters for the sake of relatively small losses. Many owners have spoken out on their intention to leave the sport or significantly cut their interests over the issue.

With signatures rising swiftly the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has underlined its commitment to “effective but proportionate” affordability checks whilst working with the industry to gain clarity on the expected financial deficit.

A portion of the response read: “We are committed to a proportionate, frictionless system of financial risk checks, to protect those at risk of harm without over regulating. The Gambling Commission will set out plans in due course.

“The government and Gambling Commission recognise concerns some have with the proposed system of financial risk checks for the highest spending online customers to help identify and tackle gambling related harm. We share the goals that the checks should not overregulate the gambling sector, should not unduly disrupt the millions of people who gamble without suffering harm, and should not cause unnecessary damage to sectors which rely on betting, in particular horseracing. The government is a strong supporter of horseracing, and recognises that it is not the job of either the government or the Gambling Commission to tell people how to spend their money. As outlined in the gambling white paper we are seeking to balance this freedom with the necessary action to tackle the devastating consequences which harmful gambling can have for individuals and communities.

“Importantly, the proposals will represent a significant improvement for both businesses and customers compared to the current situation. While the Gambling Commission does not currently have specific requirements or thresholds, we know that operators are applying inconsistent ‘affordability’ checks on a number of customers, often without being clear on why the checks are happening, and normally requiring customers to provide data manually. We have challenged operators to be more transparent with customers in the interim, but the proposed system will be a significant improvement in having clear and proportionate rules which all operators are held to, and allowing for financial data to be shared seamlessly with operators instead of burdening customers with information requests. Both the government and the Gambling Commission have been clear that we would not mandate the checks proposed in the consultation until we are sure that they will be frictionless for the vast majority of customers who would be checked.”

It added: “The government recognises the enormous value of horseracing as both a spectator sport and through its economic contribution. The white paper’s estimate was that financial risk checks will reduce online horserace betting yield by 6% to 11%, which would in turn reduce racing’s income by £8.4 to £14.9 million per year (0.5% to 1% of its total income) through a reduction in levy, media rights and sponsorship returns. We are working with racing and refining that estimate. We have also commenced a review of the Horserace Betting Levy to ensure a suitable return to the sport for the future.

“The government and Gambling Commission are working with the industry and others to ensure the checks can be implemented in an effective but proportionate way. We are also exploring the role of pilots or phased implementation to help ensure this.”

Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road knows all about competing on the big stage and heads to Cheltenham to continue his hurdling education in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

A winner of the Golden Gates Stakes at the big summer meeting before trying his hand in Group company, he made the perfect start to life over timber when making his first outing for new handler James Owen at Huntingdon.

Although somewhat raw, it was hard not to be impressed by the facile nature of that 12-length romp and he now heads to Prestbury Park for an immediate step up in class.

“He seemed to enjoy it at Huntingdon, even though he was a little bit keen and exuberant,” said Owen.

“He enjoyed the jumping but made a couple of silly little mistakes and we’ve had him back and schooled him since and he seems to have learnt a bit.

“Hopefully, he will put up a better display of jumping at Cheltenham, where we are all looking forward to watching him.

“We’re very privileged to have him and hopefully he will do the job for us just as well as he did for Michael Bell.”

Noel George may have grown up a stone’s throw away form Cheltenham but he is now classed as a raider from France at Prestbury Park and, alongside his training partner Amanda Zetterholm, will saddle the exciting Milan Tino.

Owned by JP McManus, he reversed form with his debut conqueror Kingland when they clashed again in Auteuil’s Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy and the two horses that finished ahead of Milan Tino that day went on to finish first and second again in one of France’s premier juvenile events.

George said: “He’s a horse we have always liked a lot and I actually got in touch with Charlie Swann before he ran first time out as he was for sale, and after he confirmed he was a good horse first time out, JP McManus has thankfully invested in him and I think he’s a smart horse to head over with.

“The two horses who beat him last time were the first two in a Grade One and first time out he was beaten by a horse who was third in a Grade One.

“He has improved a lot since those two runs and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the form works out in England.

“I’m in France mainly for the amazing prize-money, but I have British owners and I’m British myself obviously, so when we have ones good enough for the big day, then we will be coming over.”

A field of 11 will head to post, with An Bradan Feasa making his debut for Newmarket handler Jack Jones following an impressive win at Ballinrobe in September, while Tom Dascombe will saddle a rare runner over obstacles with the hat-trick seeking Gifted Angel.

Brian Ellison’s Eagle Prince and Ben Brookhouse’s I Still Have Faith both arrive following a victory on their hurdling debuts, with owners Mark and Maria Adams bidding for a third straight win in the race with former Andrew Balding inmate Galactic Jack.

Mister Coffey will begin his journey back to the Grand National on Saturday when he attempts to finally break his duck over fences in the From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

Although second to L’Homme Presse in a Grade One over fences in February 2022, Nicky Henderson’s eight-year-old is remarkably still a novice over the larger obstacles, despite a respectable overall record that has seen him make the podium in seven of his nine chasing appearances.

Having run with credit at Prestbury Park at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, connections now hope they have picked out a suitable option to kick-start the gelding’s new campaign.

“He’s been third and second at the track but the most significant thing is he has never won a race over fences and hopefully this is the perfect opportunity,” said Charlie Gordon-Watson, racing manager to owner Lady Bamford.

“It’s left-handed on soft ground, the distance is right, everything is right. It looks like the right race for him.”

Mister Coffey was last seen jumping with real gusto on the front-end at Aintree in April in the Grand National.

Only stamina could stop Mister Coffey’s fun on that occasion and his team are now keen to return to Merseyside in the spring, providing their charge improves his rating sufficiently to make the line-up.

Gordon-Watson added: “Nicky was concerned about the new limit on numbers and that he needs to get up the weights a bit, so he needs to go up quite a few pounds to be guaranteed to get in. He’s 142 at the moment, so he has a bit of work to do.”

The Listed event, which was won last year by The Real Whacker and has the likes of Thistlecrack on its roll of honour, has attracted a strong field of six, with Nigel Twiston-Davies responsible for Weveallbeencaught and Broadway Boy, who both bring course-winning form to the table.

However, it is Good Risk At All that could pose the biggest threat to Mister Coffey, judged on his taking chasing bow at Carlisle.

Sam Thomas’ seven-year-old relished the larger obstacles when a 16-length winner over the reopposing Alaphilippe in the north west and could continue his handler’s fine start to the current season.

“Hopefully, Good Risk has learnt plenty from Carlisle and it is a small-runner field as well, which is nice,” said the trainer.

“We were thrilled (with his run at Carlisle), he made a bit of a novicey mistake early doors but he got the hang of it and please God he has learnt loads from that and, with a nice clean round of jumping, I would like to think he wouldn’t be a million miles away.”

Willie Mullins’ Baby Kate and John McConnell’s Sharp Object give Ireland a strong hand in the concluding Karndean Designflooring Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race, while the Emerald Isle raiders also have leading claims earlier in the day with Buddy One in the Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle.

Paul Gilligan’s six-year-old was third behind Iroko in the Martin Pipe back in March before also picking up a silver medal at Aintree a month later and he has continued to thrive, impressing with victory at Galway late last month.

“He’s improving and improving the whole time,” said Gilligan. “It’s another step up obviously, but his Galway run was fantastic – he was very professional that day in Galway.

“If he brings back his Martin Pipe form, then even though he has top-weight, he has to be in with a massive shout and that is what we are hoping.”