GB - Cheltenham - Race 1

Thoroughbred

8 Runners

20.3f

Maiden Hurdle

Turf

Good

27.5K

VIEW

Verdict

Several of these should be winning races before long and STEP AHEAD could be the first of them to deliver. He pulled nicely clear of the rest when chasing home one who had race-fitness/hurdling experience on his side at Warwick on what was his first run in this sphere following almost a year off. Next on the list is Just Golden, who has shown plenty in his two starts over hurdles and remains open to improvement. Kiwi Rush and point winner Neon Dream are others to consider.

numberFire Picks

Horse Stats

#/Silk	Horse#/Horse	Power Rating	High Speed	Win %	Top 3%	Win Prob
7	Found just one too good first time out in a Haydock bumper in May 2024 and again placed sole start last season in a listed event at Ascot. It was also a positive start over hurdles for new connections (sold for £145,000) when second at Warwick (21f, soft) 3 weeks ago and he's open to improvement. 1st Pick 7 Step Ahead (Ire) Jockey: Ciaran Gethings Trainer: Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls J: Ciaran Gethings T: Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls	98	-	-	-	34%
Analysis Found just one too good first time out in a Haydock bumper in May 2024 and again placed sole start last season in a listed event at Ascot. It was also a positive start over hurdles for new connections (sold for £145,000) when second at Warwick (21f, soft) 3 weeks ago and he's open to improvement.
3	Successful on second of 2 starts in bumpers and has shaped well both starts switched to hurdles, latterly finishing third of 8 upped to 2¾m at Newcastle (good to soft). The winner of that novice looks very useful and, with improvement likely, this 6-y-o is a big player. 2nd Pick 3 Just Golden (Ire) Jockey: Harry Skelton Trainer: Dan Skelton J: Harry Skelton T: Dan Skelton	100	-	-	-	56%
Analysis Successful on second of 2 starts in bumpers and has shaped well both starts switched to hurdles, latterly finishing third of 8 upped to 2¾m at Newcastle (good to soft). The winner of that novice looks very useful and, with improvement likely, this 6-y-o is a big player.
4	Winner of the second of his 3 starts in bumpers and showed plenty of promise on hurdling debut after 8 months off at Newbury (20.5f, good to soft) in November. Sure to come on for that and he's of strong interest for his in-form, up-and-coming yard. 3rd Pick 4 Kiwi Rush (Ire) Jockey: Paul O'brien Trainer: Harry Derham J: Paul O'brien T: Harry Derham	99	-	-	-	23%
Analysis Winner of the second of his 3 starts in bumpers and showed plenty of promise on hurdling debut after 8 months off at Newbury (20.5f, good to soft) in November. Sure to come on for that and he's of strong interest for his in-form, up-and-coming yard.

Upcoming Races

Horse Racing Basic Terms

Minus Pool

A pari-mutuel pool – typically a show pool - where one horse is so heavily bet that after deductions there is not enough money left to cover the prescribed minimum on each bet.

Superfecta

A wager involving choosing the first, second, third, and fourth horses in one race in the exact order. A superfecta box involves paying more to ensure they can finish in any order in the top four spots.

Lasix

A medication for the treatment of bleeding in horses that is legal in North America, but not all worldwide jurisdictions.