Baron Noir kick-starts the 2026 Festival for the in-form Barbury team

March 9

It has been a great start to March for Barbury, with five winners in the last 10 days. three of them with potentially exciting bumper horses.

We look to Sixty’s Rock to continue our good run at Taunton today, when he attempts to make it third time lucky over hurdles in the opener, but, like all jump racing fans, we are all looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival which starts tomorrow.

We have three runners on day one, kick-starting with Baron Noir in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Twice a winner in bumpers, Baron Noir is 2-3 since switching to hurdles, winning at Uttoxeter and Kempton, but he has always looked the type to be more effective in a strong-run race, and he is guaranteed to get that here.

Noel Fehily, the syndicate manager behind Baron Noir, said:”We have always thought the world of him, and he showed at Kempton that he travels strongly in a race in which they were never going fast enough for him.

“Tom (Bellamy) eventually had to let him go on, but the horse was idling in front, and I think there is more to come. I have always thought that Baron Noir was a hell of a horse, and he could also improve for this better ground.”

Next up is The Doyen Chief in what looks a hugely competitive Ultima Handicap Chase. He has been in great form this winter and, though he has gone up 3lb for being beaten a neck at Kempton last time out, he always run his race, and this is a slightly shorter trip than it was when his stamina gave out on the run-in here in December, having looked sure to be placed jumping the last.

Our third representative is Grandeur dAme in the Sun Racing Plate, formerly known as the Mildmay of Flete. He has not won for 17 months, but he was twice placed in big handicaps over this course during that period, and a rare below-par run at Warwick last time is best forgotten.