Few horses carry the weight of expectation that comes with being compared to Denman, but that is the billing No Drama This End takes into his first season over fences. The Challow Hurdle winner holds an entry in Saturday’s Grade 2 Boodles Rising Stars Novices’ Chase, moved to Aintree after Wincanton lost its meeting, as well as in Friday’s three-mile Future Stars Chase on the same course.
Paul Nicholls has won the Rising Stars more times than any other trainer, so the 2.20pm looks a natural starting point. Before the grey gelding jumps his first fence in public, we look at his record, the Denman parallels and the rivals who could stand in his way.
No Drama This End’s flawless record away from the Festival
The son of Walk In The Park has won five of his seven starts under Harry Cobden, and he has never been beaten away from the Cheltenham Festival. He won his bumper at Warwick at 100/30 in December 2024 and, after a spin in the Champion Bumper, made his hurdling debut in the Grade 2 Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last November, travelling strongly and winning impressively at 5/1.
He followed up at 4/9 in the Grade 2 Winter Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown, again scoring easily, before making it three from three over hurdles in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury. Sent off at 4/9 for the second straight occasion, his victory was less clear cut, but still dominant.
Two tough days at Cheltenham
The Festival has not been kind to him, though. He was only ninth in the Champion Bumper at 12/1 in March 2025 after being bumped on the home turn, and he was pulled up at 5/2 in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle 12 months later. He was never travelling in rear that day and Nicholls is confident a line can be drawn under that effort.
He missed the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in April after bursting a blood vessel, but bounced back at Perth later that month, winning the Listed Gold Castle Novices’ Hurdle over three miles at 8/11. That suggests stamina will be no issue as he goes chasing, and the Cheltenham blips may say more about the hustle and bustle of the Festival than about the horse himself.
Is Nicholls sitting on another Denman?
It is a lofty comparison, but there are some striking similarities with Denman at the same stage of his career. Both were six by the end of their novice hurdling campaigns, both won four of their five starts over hurdles for Nicholls and both landed the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle, which Denman won by 21 lengths in the 2005-06 season, when it was switched from Newbury to Cheltenham.
Both were also beaten in the same Cheltenham Festival race. Denman was second as the 11/10 favourite in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle, now the Turners, before going on to win his first four chases, the 2008 Gold Cup and two Hennessys. No Drama This End has a lot to live up to, but his chasing career begins with a very similar profile.
Nicholls has the Rising Stars in his grip
If he does take up the Saturday option, few trainers know how to win this race like Nicholls. He has saddled 12 winners of the Rising Stars, including See More Business in 1996, Silviniaco Conti in 2011 and Frodon in 2016, and ten of those have come in the last 20 runnings.
He won it again 12 months ago with Blueking d’Oroux under Cobden, and Ditcheat usually targets this race along with the Badger Beers Chase and the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton’s early-November meeting.
Talk To The Man and the unbeaten Crystal Ocean pair
There is plenty of quality among the 12 entries, and one rival knows No Drama This End’s yard well. Talk To The Man was trained by Nicholls last season, winning novice hurdles at Taunton and Newbury, but, like Pic d’Orhy, the Mrs Johnny de la Hey-owned gelding is now with Dan Skelton. He made a winning chase debut at Worcester last month at 15/8, jumping well and travelling strongly.
Two unbeaten Crystal Ocean geldings could also line up. Harry Derham’s Cristal d’Estruval is two from two over hurdles and could make his long-awaited chase debut, while Nicky Henderson’s Crystal Island is also two from two after winning at Ascot and Ffos Las.
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