Cheltenham tips: No Drama This End backed to fend off Irish challengers in Turners Novices' Hurdle

Kate Tracey and Declan Rix return to discuss their best bets for day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

The team opened the show with a look at the Turners Novices' Hurdle which will be run over two miles and five furlongs on the old course at Prestbury Park - the first race on the card at 1.20pm.

No Drama This End heads the market, with Skylight Hustle, King Rasko Grey and Ballyfad also in situ.

Declan Rix…

"One horse who jumps well is No Drama This End. He's quite straightforward, doing an awful lot right and he's really classy. From day one the Paul Nicholls team have mentioned this horse in the same breath as Denman, which was quite brave I feel. We shouldn't forget Denman was beaten in this race by Nicanor, so hopefully it's not the same case here. I think the ground was too quick for him in the Challow, he had to go and make his own running and it wasn't a strong Challow, but there's a couple of winners that have come out of it.

"I do think softer ground if we got rain would suit this guy, and I hope the crowd gees him up because he's a bit lazy. I thought he was in trouble at Sandown and even in the Challow, a bit like Bravemansgame actually. He needs significant juice in the ground, because he does stay well. I was going to be with Doctor Steinberg, but he's going to the Albert Bartlett."

Kate Tracey…

"It's Skylight Hustle for me. He's a horse I've really liked for a long time now. He's a winner of two of his four starts under rules, to go with his point-to-point success. He's two from three over hurdles, the only defeat was at Gowran when he was second behind Thedeviluno. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, improving rapidly to win a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle and then the Grade 1 Future Champions over two miles.

"Talk The Talk did look the winner because he headed Skylight Hustle before the last, but Skylight Hustle's jumping was sound and his attitude was great once again. He doesn't have the pace of the best two-mile novice hurdlers, so the Turners looks perfect for him."

Watch Weekend Winners in full on the At The Races YouTube channel…

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Cheltenham tips: No Drama This End backed to fend off Irish challengers in Turners Novices' Hurdle