Welsh trainer Evan Williams has made two entries for the Championship races at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with Minella Missile entered in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Libberty Hunter added to the Queen Mother Champion Chase field.
Based in the Vale of Glamorgan, Williams won the Welsh Grand National in 2020 with Secret Reprieve. However, a maiden Championship triumph at the Festival would be a career highlight for the Welshman.
Minella Missile Has Made an Impressive Start to His Hurdles Career
Former point-to-point runner Minella Missile won his opening two starts over hurdles for Williams, but he has been off the track since November 2023. His entry for the Stayers’ Hurdle, where he is 66/1 in the horse racing odds for the race, suggests a comeback to the track is imminent.
Should he line up, Minella Missile will need to get the better of the defending champion, Teahupoo, who is likely to be one of the leading horse racing betting tips for the highlight of day three of the Cheltenham Festival. The Irish horse is the 11/8 favourite to prevail once again.
Williams will be hoping to see his horse pick up where he left off last season. He won the Grade Two Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. That triumph at the Gloucestershire-based racecourse has given the Welsh trainer enough confidence to have a go at the leading 3m hurdles contest at the Festival. If he can get at least one prep run in his horse before then, he will be hopeful of a big performance from his staying hurdler.
Libberty Hunter Has Excellent Record at Cheltenham
With two wins and a second-place finish from his three runs over fences at Cheltenham, Libberty Hunter has proved he relishes the test that the racecourse presents. He is now set to take on the best 2m chasers in this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Libberty Hunter has featured just once so far this season. He won a class two handicap chase over 2m½f at Cheltenham back in November. Williams’ runner went clear of his rivals after the final fence, eventually scoring by four lengths under the hands of current British Champion Jockey Harry Cobden.
In his debut campaign over fences last season, Libberty Hunter finished the runner-up in the Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He came home just over two lengths behind Unexpected Party. A month later, he also hit the placings in Aintree in the Grade One Maghull Novices’ Chase. His performance in the leading novice chase, which was won by Found A Fifty, was arguably a career-best performance.
This year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase is expected to be one of the strongest races at the Festival. Defending champion Energumene, top-class British chaser Jonbon and Gaelic Warrior all have entries. Williams’ horse will need to take a big step forward according to the ratings, but his runner remains unexposed and open to improvement.
The 2025 Queen Mother Champion Chase takes place on Wednesday, 12th of March, while the 2025 Stayers’ Hurdle is scheduled to be run 24 hours later on Thursday, 13th of March.
