Heads Up
Heads Up could only finish second in the end in the Grade 2 Hyde Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday, but he remains a horse in whom to retain faith. Sent to the front from early by Mark McDonagh, John McConnell's horse jumped and travelled well throughout, and he had six of his seven remaining rivals under pressure by the time they raced to the home turn. The exception was No Drama This End, who joined him at the final flight and went on to win by three lengths.
Time may prove that there was no shame in going down by three lengths to No Drama This End, a horse whom his trainer Paul Nicholls appears to rate extremely highly, even putting him into the same sentence as Denman. As well as that, Heads Up raced around the inside the whole way, probably on the worst of the ground. The only other horse who raced around the inside in the race, Imperfectlyperfect, finished sixth, beaten 47 and a half lengths. All weekend, it appeared to be a disadvantage to race around the inside on the hurdles track at Cheltenham. In the three-mile handicap hurdle on Saturday, Gowel Road and Supremely West both raced on inside and they finished third and fifth respectively behind Kikijo. In the intermediate handicap hurdle, De Temps En Temps raced around the inside and he faded to finish sixth behind Lavender Hill Mob, who raced around the outside. It is interesting that Sam Twiston Davies rode Gowel Road around the inside but, 30 minutes later, with that experience under his belt, rode Lavender Hill Mob around the outside.
Heads Up was a top-class bumper horse last season. He split the Gordon Elliott/Gigginstown House pair Kalypso'chance and Classical Creek in a listed bumper at Navan last December - Kalypso'chance won the Grade 3 Monksfield Hurdle at Navan on Sunday while Classical Creek won the opening maiden hurdle on Monday - before going to Cheltenham in March and running a cracker in the Champion Bumper in finishing second behind Bambino Fever. He could be an under-rated horse now on the back of this defeat.
Cheltenham, 14th November 2025
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