Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Special: Paul Ferguson’s Trials Day Festival Shortlist

In this special edition of The Final Furlong Podcast, Emmet Kennedy is joined by Paul Ferguson, author of the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide, to strip away the noise, hype, and headline winners, and focus on the trends, profiles, and performances that actually matter for the Cheltenham Festival. If you’re serious about Festival betting, preparation beats guesswork, and this episode is built for that purpose.

🟥 THE FESTIVAL PIPELINES — RACE BY RACE

12:05 — Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase

A quietly productive Festival race that has historically fed:

• The Plate
• The Ultima
• Multiple Festival winners including La Landière, Un Temps Pour Tout, Stage Star

We examine:

• well-handicapped losers
• What red flags suggest a horse is Saturday-fit but not Festival-class
• The biggest historical mistake punters make reading this race

12:40 — JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (G2)

One of the most important Triumph trials of the season.

We discuss:

• How much juveniles can improve between January and March
• A potential star for Paul Nicholls?
• Traits that scream “Festival candidate”

1:15 — Exchange Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)

A key feeder for:

• The Plate
• The Ultima
• Occasionally even the Ryanair

We ask:

• Does winning here help or hurt Festival handicapping?
• Why finishing strongly can matter more than winning
• Whether Jaguar is a Grade 1 winner in waiting 

1:50 — Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase

Specialist Festival division.

We assess:

• Experience vs upside: Final Orders vs J’Arrive De L’Est
• The impact of age, banks experience, and course form
• The most common misread punters make in these races

2:25 — Cotswold Chase (G2)

Is it still relevant as a Gold Cup Trail?

We debate:

• How many Gold Cup winners this race has actually produced
• Why this running could be a slog
• Grey Dawning, Spillane’s Tower, and what really matters historically

3:00 — International Hurdle (G2)

Champion Hurdle implications loom large.

We analyse:

• How strong a Champion Hurdle guide this race really is
• Sir Gino, The New Lion, and the market’s role

3:35 — Pertemps Network Cleeve Hurdle (G2)

A vital Stayers’ Hurdle pipeline.

We look at:

• How often Cleeve winners follow up in March
• The critical age profile
• Impose Toi, Strong Leader, Doddiethegreat
• Whether mares remain underestimated in staying divisions

4:10 — AIS Novices’ Hurdle (G2)

Albert Bartlett and Ballymore clues.

We discuss:

• Which Festival race this most often feeds into
• Another Henderson novice ace?
• Separating genuine stayers from flat-track bullies
• Bounce risk, trainer patterns, and stamina tells

🟦 BONUS: DONCASTER TRIALS

Quickfire Festival relevance from:

• River Don Novices’ Hurdle
• Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle
• Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle 

Including:

• Which Doncaster races translate best to Cheltenham
• Nurse Susan: Pertemps or Mares angle?
• Horses worth tracking regardless of Saturday’s result

📘 WEATHERBYS CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL BETTING GUIDE 2026

For serious Festival punters, this is the book that separates preparation from guesswork.

Print & Digital Bundle available now. Usually €23.95 — already a 45% saving — but Final Furlong listeners save even more.🎟️ Use promo code FFCFBG26 at checkout on weatherbysshop.ie or weatherbysshop.co.uk
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