Boylesports ambassador Hanlon said: “I’d love to have a winner at Cheltenham, it’s my dream, and the Gold Cup is looking really tough at the moment and the Stayers’ Hurdle is the ideal route for him. Since that memorable festive occasion, Hewick has mixed and matched disciplines, with a second in the French Champion Hurdle the following spring sparking thoughts of Stayers’ Hurdle glory and the path connections find themselves on to date. Hanlon added: “I’m very happy with him and he’s not been since November but the ground has been so bad. “He ran a really good race in the French Champion Hurdle and we had it in the back of our minds then that we should go back for the Stayers’ Hurdle. When he won the American Grand National, that is another race that is basically a hurdle race really.

Source: Express February 25, 2026 12:52 UTC