Kabral Du Mathan made a huge impression on his stable debut for Dan Skelton and gets the chance to test his powers at a higher level in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

Runner-up in the Scottish Champion Hurdle last season for Paul Nicholls, the five-year-old joined Skelton over the summer and made a mockery of his handicap mark of 140 when bolting up on his reappearance at Haydock in November.

A 14lb hike in the weights puts him 1lb clear of last year’s Relkeel winner Lucky Place on official ratings and given he is in receipt of 6lb, it is no surprise that he is odds-on to successfully step up in class ahead of a potential tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival in March.

Skelton told Ladbrokes: “This is a race I have had in mind since he won at Haydock in November. I have been happy with his training since. The trip is ideal and I don’t think the track will be an issue.

“He leads on figures and he doesn’t have a penalty. The betting suggests he will be hard to beat, and I would like to think that will be the case.”

Lucky Place reverts from a brief spell over fences to defend his crown for Nicky Henderson.

The seven-year-old made it back-to-back Grade 2 victories in the New Year’s Day feature last season, having previously landed the Ascot Hurdle, but seemingly had his stamina limitations exposed over three miles in the Stayers’ Hurdle in March and rounded off his campaign with a below-par effort at Sandown.

Nicky Henderson elected to switch the larger obstacles this season, but successive odds-on defeats at Newbury and Ascot have prompted him to switch back.

“He ought to run in the Relkeel again and defend his title and with all the Irish running earlier in the week, that’s taken them out of the equation,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“He’s back in trip and back over hurdles and I think that’s the right call for him after giving fences a go.”

Henderson has a second string to his bow in Jingko Blue, while the Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained Gowel Road won the Cleeve Hurdle at the track at the start of 2025.

The field is completed by Fergal O’Brien’s Kamsinas and Patrick Neville’s stable star The Real Whacker, who was last seen finishing fifth in his bid for a second Charlie Hall Chase win and is now prepping for a planned appearance in the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree in the spring.

“The main aim is the Grand National, so we said we’d just give him a run over hurdles before then to try to protect his mark,” said Neville.

“He was in such good form at home we said we’d throw him into this race and let him take his chance. The ground is drying out and he likes Cheltenham, so we’ll give it a go.

“The Charlie Hall was a funny old race. I’d say the ground was a bit dead for us and he had the penalty to carry and it just didn’t work out, but he came out of it well, he goes to Cheltenham in super order and we’ve a great man on board (Sean Bowen).

“We just thought we’d change it up a small bit as he’s getting clever in his old age. We can run him here and then freshen him up and go straight for the National, that’s the plan.”

Handicap chase

Paul Nicholls fires two arrows at the first major handicap of the new year, as both the hat-trick-seeking Twinjets and course specialist Il Ridoto take aim at Cheltenham’s Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase.

Twinjets is unbeaten in two starts so far this season and will have the assistance of Harry Cobden as he attempt to back up an impressive display at Newbury in November, while conditional Freddie Keighley is handed a huge opportunity aboard 2024 Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Il Ridoto.

“Twinjets was great at Newbury last time and Il Ridoto seems to have come on a lot for his last run here in the December Gold Cup,” said Nicholls.

“Young Freddie Keighley is going to have a go on Il Ridoto and he’ll only be carrying 10st 4lb with his 7lb claim, which he will like.”

The £100,000 contest gives the Faye Bramley team chance to add further Cheltenham riches to the coffers with surprise December Gold Cup winner Glengouly, while Dan Skelton has been the man to follow in these events this season and will saddle course-and-distance winner Riskintheground.

Also hoping to start 2026 on a high is Sam Thomas, who had to settle for second behind Glengouly with Vincenzo last month but is out to turn the tables with the rapidly-improving Just Over Land.

“If you had said we would have been lining up in this race at the start of the season, I would have struggled to believe you,” said Thomas of the Fontwell and Chepstow winner now out to secure a three-timer.

“He’s really come on for a good break again and it’s just unfortunate Harvey (Barfoot-Saunt) can’t ride him as he’s been getting on great with him.

“He’s 10lb out of the handicap, but with a 7lb conditional on it brings us back to being just 3lb out and hopefully the ground isn’t too quick as that might just help some of the others more than it does us. I would say he is pretty versatile ground wise though.”

Thomas and owner Dai Walters also have leading claims in the preceding Betfair Handicap Chase where Katate Dori has the chance to build on his Coral Gold Cup sixth.

“He’s a really hard horse to get right early on in the season as much as we try,” explained Thomas.

“He wasn’t at his best I don’t think at Newbury and it may be we just have to accept he’s a better horse after Christmas and into the new year, he just takes a lot of racing to come to himself.

“He’s a completely different horse now to what he was before the Coral Gold Cup and we’ll be expecting a big run.”

Elsewhere on the card, Regents Stroll is given the chance to bank further fencing experience – and gain a taste of the undulations of Prestbury Park in what could be an interesting Ellenborough Park Hotel ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase consisting of five useful fencing prospects.

“He likes good ground and there are no races in January for him and I just thought if I give him a run now, he can then have a month off and come back mid-February,” said Nicholls.

“It will do him good to gain some experience at Cheltenham and it will tell us if he can handle the undulating track. He wants to run and we want to get some more experience into him.”