#racehour

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival handicap entries have landed, so it’s time to roll up the sleeves and dive into some of the trickiest races of the week.

We’ve given the panel one simple mission: uncover as many potential handicap winners as possible from the famous Festival puzzles.

Rory Jiwani is joined by Paddy Aspell, Lee Hayes and bet365’s Pat Cooney as they cut through the hype, take on the market leaders and go hunting for real value. Expect plenty of strong opinions, with Lee putting forward a few lively big-priced handicap fancies, and Pat confidently flagging one for the County Hurdle.

Sharp debate, straight talking and a handful of tasty prices along the way — all brought to you in association with bet365.

👉 Visit our sponsors bet365 for all your weekend horse racing needs and more: https://bit.ly/racehour365

In association with bet365 and Gambling.com, this week’s #Racehour Podcast is live now!

Stephen Cass joins Diarmuid Nolan, Tony Keenan and special guest Andrew Blair White to break down and assess 16 Cheltenham Festival ante-post favourites.

So what’s the format?

We run through 16 Festival fancies, and for each one ask the same simple question:

“You’re building a Festival acca – does this horse make the acca?”

Each panellist gives a quick Yes or No with a brief reason. If three out of four vote Yes, the horse makes the final Festival Acca. The end result? A monster 462/1 bet.

Can Old Park Star land the Supreme? Is Narciso Has really unbeatable?

We dig into all of that in this week’s episode.

Visit bet365: https://bit.ly/racehour365

00:00 #Racehour Review Show
03:14 Assessing The Festival Favourites
1:02:43 Chat With Pat

With most of the key trials now in the rear-view mirror, attention fully turns to Cheltenham as the clock keeps ticking down. Week six of #NotLongNow is all about separating the so-called certs from the potential meltdowns. It is Bankers or Blowouts week!

Rory Jiwani is joined by Ed Quigley, Gary Connolly and bet365’s Pat Cooney to cut through the noise around the hype horses, take on the market leaders and hunt out a bit of real value. There are strong takes flying already — Gary Connolly is adamant Old Park Star won’t land the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, while Ed Quigley is baffled by Final Demand sitting top of the Brown Advisory market.

Straight talking, sharp debate and a few tasty prices along the way, brought to you in association with bet365.

Visit our sponsors bet365 for all your weekend horse racing needs and more: https://bit.ly/racehour365

In partnership with bet365 and Gambling.com, this week’s #Racehour Podcast is out now!

Fresh back from Lapland (and hopefully thawed out), Stephen Cass joins Diarmuid Nolan and Tony Keenan for a proper deep dive into the week in racing.

There are 5 Cheltenham ante-post fancies on the table – including a juicy 33/1 poke for the Albert Bartlett – plus chat on Lulamba’s Arkle plans, Act Of Innocence, Haiti Couleurs, and why Diarmuid reckons Sam Thomas is on the brink of becoming the UK’s top trainer.

Tony covers all the Irish angles too, from JP McManus handicap plots to the Charles Byrnes case with the IHRB.

With the Dublin Racing Festival now in the books, the focus sharpens on Cheltenham as the countdown continues. Week five of #NotLongNow sees the Racehour panel turn their attention to the Mares Division and the key races shaping up for the Festival.

Rory Jiwani is joined by Ed Quigley and bet365’s Pat Cooney to run the rule over the three major mares’ contests at Cheltenham, assessing the market leaders, questioning the hype, and identifying where the real value might lie. There are strong opinions across the board, including a confident shout from Ed Quigley, who believes Wodhooh could be a standout play in the Mares Hurdle.

Expect straight-talking analysis, plenty of debate, and a few juicy prices along the way — all brought to you in association with bet365.

👉 Visit our sponsors bet365 for all your weekend horse racing needs and more: https://bit.ly/racehour365

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