Unbeaten chaser Final Demand is the star attraction in a list of 43 horses entered for the 2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, which takes place at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 11 March. Third in last season’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old then stormed to Grade 1 glory at the Punchestown Festival a month later, but it’s been over fences that has seen him explode into life.
A facile 13-length victory over Wingmen at Navan on chasing debut, the Closutton inmate then bounded to a dominant eight-length win in the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick over Christmas, and that saw him slashed in the betting for the 3m Grade 1 on day two of the National Hunt extravaganza.
Undoubtedly, the star of the division during the first half of the season, Final Demand could face some lively opponents and none more so than stablemate and Kauto Star Novices’ Chase winner Kitzbuhel, who adds more depth to the Mullins team, who have a strong hand heading into this contest.
With no middle-distance novice chase at the Cheltenham Festival these days, then plenty of contenders hold multiple entries in both the Arkle Challenge Trophy over two miles and in this three mile race, and Gordon Elliott’s Romeo Coolio is one of the standout names in that list.
Jamie Snowden’s Wendigo won the Grade 2 John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury last year, but was no match for the aforementioned Kitzbuhel at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. With stamina his forte he’s one of the leading British-trained runners in the entries, as is Salver, who battled to a gutsy win in the Hampton Novices’ Chase at Windsor at the weekend, where he got the better of Doyen Quest and Wade Out.
Runner-up in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at last season’s festival, The Big Westerner will be looking to go one better this time around, and having been beaten by Jimmy Du Seuil two starts ago she then improved significantly when winning a Graded race at Limerick over the festive period.
A very creditable third behind Envoi Allen and Affordale Fury in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal has shown Western Fold could be an exciting novice chaser for Gordon Elliott, whilst Koktail Divin for Henry De Bromhead is another Irish-trained runner that could take his chance in the line-up.
2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase Entries
| Number | Horse |
| 1 | Argento Boy |
| 2 | Ballygunner Castle |
| 3 | Bossofthebrownies |
| 4 | Califet En Vol |
| 5 | Doyen Quest |
| 6 | Final Demand |
| 7 | Funiculi Funicula |
| 8 | Gold Dancer |
| 9 | Harsh |
| 10 | Jade De Grugy |
| 11 | Jig’s Forge |
| 12 | Jimmy Du Seuil |
| 13 | Joystick |
| 14 | Kaid D’Authie |
| 15 | Kala Conti |
| 16 | Kappa Jy Pyke |
| 17 | King Alexander |
| 18 | Kiss Will |
| 19 | Kitzbuhel |
| 20 | Koktail Divin |
| 21 | Kurasso Blue |
| 22 | Mossy Fen Park |
| 23 | Newton Tornado |
| 24 | O’Moore Park |
| 25 | Ol Man Dingle |
| 26 | One Big Bang |
| 27 | Oscars Brother |
| 28 | Port Joulain |
| 29 | Predators Gold |
| 30 | Queensbury Boy |
| 31 | Regent’s Stroll |
| 32 | Romeo Coolio |
| 33 | Rushmount |
| 34 | Salver |
| 35 | Sixmilebridge |
| 36 | Soldier In Milan |
| 37 | The Big Westerner |
| 38 | Thomas Mor |
| 39 | Wade Out |
| 40 | Wendigo |
| 41 | Western Fold |
| 42 | Western Knight |
| 43 | Wingmen |