Cheltenham Festival Market Movers after the Weekend Action

Cheltenham's final meeting of the year is in the books after the two-day Christmas Meeting in the Cotswolds took place on Friday and Saturday.

That leaves just two further meetings at Prestbury Park — on New Year's Day and Festival Trials Day in January — before the main event in March.

We've picked out some of the ante-post movers for the Cheltenham Festival following the weekend action across Britain and Ireland. Sixmilebridge - Brown Advisory Novices' Chase @ 33/1 with bet365 Final Orders - Cross Country Chase @ 10/1 with bet365, Paddy Power Old Park Star - Supreme Novices' Hurdle @ 16/1 with bet365

O'Brien's Sixmilebridge passes latest test in style

Fergal O'Brien is based nearby in the Cotswolds and the popular trainer would love a Festival winner come March.

Sixmilebridge could be set to lead his challenge. A classy novice hurdler, the six-year-old easily saw off Nicky Henderson's Califet En Vol by 13-lengths in Friday's 2m41/2f novice chase under Kielan Woods.

He made all, jumped well throughout and came up the hill strongly as the runner-up faltered. Sixmilebridge is now 2-2 over fences, having accounted for the well-thought-of Derryhassen Paddy in last month's introduction at Ayr — also over an intermediate trip.

It was a fifth win from nine starts for Sixmilebridge, who last season joined the yard from Ben Pauling, and O'Brien is now eyeing a step up to Grade 1 company.

The trainer said: "He's come out of the race fine. We're thinking about the Scilly Isles [Sandown, January 31], and hopefully we can get some nice proper soft ground for him."

Donoghue carries out Final Orders with authority

Anyone tuned into ITV Racing on Friday afternoon would have enjoyed a jockey's insight into what is required on the famous Cross Country circuit at Cheltenham from rider Keith Donoghue.

The Irishman is regarded as the leader-in-class around the banks course and duly added his eighth win on Final Orders for trainer Gavin Cromwell.

Final Orders was sent off as big as 16/1 on the day but controlled the race from the front to bag his first success since August 2023.

It was his first crack at Cheltenham's Cross Country course and he excelled under the superb horsemanship of his rider as they repelled the challenge of the well-backed French raider J'arrive De L'est in second spot.

Cromwell won the Festival Cross Country race with Stumptown last season. Donoghue was in the plate, but the addition of Final Order to the mix come March could give the rider some serious food for thought.

Henderson unleashes another possible Star

It will be four decades come March since Nicky Henderson won his first Supreme Novices' Hurdle with River Ceiriog under Steve Smith Eccles in 1986.

The Seven Barrows trainer celebrated his 75th birthday in recent days and it was marked by the win of Old Park Star in the British EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle, the Cheltenham opener on Friday.

Thrice-raced in bumpers last season with Paul Nicholls, Old Park Star was moved to Lambourn in the summer and is now 2-2 over obstacles for his new trainer.

Nico de Boinville hardly had to move a muscle en route to their Cheltenham success and the Gordon & Su Hall-owned contender could now be in line to join the likes of Flown, Altior, Shishkin and Constitution Hill as Henderson-trained Supreme winners that have followed River Ceiriog.