Doctor Du Mesnil 50/1 for Cheltenham success as bubble burst

January 26, 2026

Doctor Du Mesnil saw his Cheltenham hopes all but disappear after being turned over at short odds at Punchestown.

The son of Doctor Dino was sent off the 2/5 favourite in a 2m3f maiden hurdle on Monday but those expecting to see his Festival prospects bolstered were handed a rude awakening.

Paul Townend made the running on the six-year-old who looked in control for much of the way before Keith Donoghue effortlessly drew alongside aboard Gavin Cromwell’s The Passing Wife two furlongs out, barely having to breathe on his mount who sauntered up the run-in and won by nine lengths.

Willie Mullins had mentioned Doctor Du Mesnil, one of the talking horses of the summer, as a prime candidate for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle in his pre-season stable tours with bookmakers going as short as 8/1 in the autumn.

With February approaching, he is now available at 66/1 (from 16/1) for that race and 50/1 (from 20/1) for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

In the colours of the Over The Sticks Syndicate, Doctor Du Mesnil was an impressive bumper winner at Cork in April where he beat Paul Nolan’s recent Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle scorer Thedeviluno.

He failed to fire on reappearance over two miles at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting, a notable drifter in the betting when going down by a nose to Murat who seemingly did everything wrong that day and still got over the line in front.

Doctor Du Mesnil was shown grace in the fallout of that defeat with many highlighting a lack of race fitness on side and vowing a step up in trip was needed to see him in a better light.

He certainly had his chance to get back on track at Punchestown but the bubble was well and truly burst.

The Passing Wife beats Doctor Du Mesnil! 😮@gavincromwell1 and @donoghue_keith land the spoils in the @TeamMatchbook maiden hurdle @punchestownrace pic.twitter.com/rbOwMePtnb

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 26, 2026

Keith Donoghue delighted with ‘versatile’ The Passing Wife

The Passing Wife put up a serious performance, one that will most definitely put him in the mix somewhere at Cheltenham.

His first start over hurdles when third at Gowran Park in November has worked out brilliantly with Thedeviluno leading the way and subsequent Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle victor Skylight Hustle was runner-up.

The seven-year-old was then third in the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse before perhaps being tapped for toe in the Future Champions, a distant fifth, but going out in distance on very soft ground brought out a stunning bit of improvement.

Donoghue was delighted with the win, telling Racing TV: “He was very good, he did it well. On form he probably deserved to do it but obviously Doctor Du Mesnil was the hype horse.

“He probably should have went to the Ballymore Novice Hurdle at Naas (instead of Leopardstown). We got it wrong sticking at two miles, we thought we’d force him a bit more because he came home so well in the Royal Bond but it didn’t work out. You can’t force them, especially at that level.

“We’re not shocked at the result. He really goes on that ground. I’d say he’s versatile.”

He’s without a Grade 1 entry at the Festival as it stands but features in the betting for the County Hurdle (25/1), Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (16/1) and Coral Cup (16/1).