The build-up to the Cheltenham Festival is well and truly underway, and some familiar storylines have been seen this week.
It’s not a build-up to Cheltenham without people thinking they’ve found an Irish handicap plot, it’s not the build-up without a JP McManus gamble, and it’s not the build-up without drama when the handicap entries are revealed.
All three combined on Tuesday when the entries came out, and they all focused on The Wallpark, a runner from the Gordon Elliott stable.
❌ Frank Berry tells the @RacingPost that THE WALLPARK was “never going over” to the Cheltenham Festival.
“Everything is fine with him. There’s no real plan at the moment, but he’ll run somewhere at home.”pic.twitter.com/DwEUg1wQqG
— Road To Cheltenham (@RoadCheltenham) February 17, 2026
One of the most talked about Cheltenham horses over the past week or so, he’s hit the headlines this week, but for the wrong reasons, because he has not been entered, and will not be running at the Cheltenham Festival this year.
Handicap Plot Foiled as JP McManus Runner Not Entered
Prior to his last run, you could get any price you wanted on The Wallpark to win any race at the Cheltenham Festival, after a thoroughly disappointing season over fences.
As big as 40/1, there was no talk about his chances from anyone really, but that run, plus support in the days after, changed that.
His last run was much better, and after that, he was cut for two handicap races, which were seen to be his likely targets. The National Hunt Chase, for novice runners over 3m6f, looked to be the ideal race for this novice, who certainly needs a trip.
But the horse was also backed for an open handicap, the Kim Muir Handicap Chase, again over a long distance, but not just for novice horses, so he’d be up against more seasoned rivals.
It’s two races that Gordon Elliott and JP McManus have targeted in the past, both separately and together, with horses that you’d put in the category of being well handicapped.
Last week, you could get double figures on him, but prior to the entries coming out, the horse was priced as short as 4/1 for both races and sat at the top of the market for them both, too.
Three weeks out from the festival, both handicap gambles have been foiled, because the horse has been entered in neither race, and no other race at the festival.
Six times a hurdles winner, he was third behind Bob Olinger in the Stayers Hurdle last season, and you can see why people have been pulled in by this horse. He certainly fits the profile.
While chasing for the first time this season hasn’t gone to plan so far, there was promise in his last run, second in a Grade Two at Navan earlier this month.
That was the first time he’d really shown something over fences. The cynical people out there would say it’s the first time he’s been allowed the chance to show something, being handled nicely with a big handicap in mind.
If that’s the case, it won’t be at Cheltenham.
What’s Next for The Wallpark
Frank Berry, who represents JP McManus, confirmed when asked that the horse would not be travelling across to run at the Cheltenham Festival.
With a runner like this, you often wonder whether that’s because something else has caught their eye, but when asked, Berry said there was no plan for the horse at the moment, and that he would remain at home with a view to running somewhere in Ireland next, though nothing had been confirmed.
He also confirmed that the decision not to be entered had nothing to do with handicap marks and that the plan all along was not to travel to Cheltenham, regardless of what weight he was given.