Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King heads the 11 entries for the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday.

GREY ABBEY has been installed as 7-2 second favourite with the sponsors for back-to-back successes in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday.

DAVENPORT DEMOCRAT gave Ruby Walsh an armchair ride on his way to success in the Dawn Pure Orange Juice Beginners Chase at the first stage of the Listowel Festival yesterday.

Kelami has won the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

MICHAEL HOURIGAN yesterday received a welcome boost ahead of Beef Or Salmon’s crack at the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup when saddling his first winner for two months.

BEEF OR SALMON heads 68 entries for Ireland’s richest jumps race, the Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.

Beef Or Salmon heads 68 entries for Ireland’s richest jumps race, the Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on March 28.

HENRIETTA Knight and Terry Biddlecombe, the team responsible for four in-a-row Gold Cup seeking Best Mate at Cheltenham this day fortnight, head an all-star cast for the Cashmans Bookmakers Cheltenham Preview next Tuesday night.

TOM TAAFFE is leaning towards running his exciting Kicking King in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup rather than the inaugural Daily Telegraph Chase at the Festival next month.

Punters pinning their hopes on the favourite for the John Smith’s Grand National received a boost yesterday as trainer Jonjo O’Neill said that he would be doing everything in his power to see that Clan Royal makes the starting line-up on April 9.

JACKDAWS CASTLE is closed for business. That’s the message from Jonjo O’Neill, who is shutting up shop for the foreseeable future, as a bug has laid low some of his top jumping stars.

MOSCOW FLYER appears to have scared off most of his rivals as he faces a maximum of five challengers in the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at Leopardstown next Monday.

Jonjo O’Neill is set to pitch Keen Leader in against triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate at Leopardstown.

LAST YEAR’S winner Keen Leader heads the 13 entries for the £60,000 Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock Park this weekend.

JONJO O’NEILL has ruled Ladbrokes World Hurdle second-favourite Rhinestone Cowboy out for the remainder of the season.

THEREALBANDIT is the new favourite for the Hennessy Gold Cup as punters piled into Martin Pipe’s charge following the publication of the weights yesterday.

Sir Rembrandt, runner-up to Best Mate in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last March, heads 20 entries for the Grade Two Edward Hanmer Memorial Chase at Haydock Park on Sunday.

CASHMANS have dipped their toes in the ante-post market for the €180,000 Heineken Gold Cup at Punchestown next Wednesday.

THE Willie Mullins trained Alexander Banquet heads the weights for Saturday’s Betfred Gold Cup after 23 were left in the Sandown showpiece at yesterday’s confirmation stage.

IT is two minutes after 2.30pm when Jacqui Jenner leads Best Mate into the pre-parade ring.

Trainer Jonjo O’Neill is expecting a great run from Keen Leader when he takes on Best Mate in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup next week.

Two beaten horses stole the limelight on a weekend of clues for the Cheltenham Festival and both look sure to be in the thick of the action when the major races are played out at Prestbury Park next month.

Keen Leader, seen by many as the main danger to Best Mate recording an historic third success in chasing’s blue riband at Cheltenham in March, has been installed a hot favourite for the Hennessy Gold Cup on Sunday week.

OWNER David Johnson yesterday refused to rule out a tilt at the Tote Cheltenham Gold with his promising novice Therealbandit.

Beef Or Salmon has recovered from a slight setback and is on course for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup.

BEST MATE remains odds-on across the board to win an historic third Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup following the publication of the entries yesterday.

Best Mate heads the 32 entries revealed today for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes place on March 18.

Jonjo O'Neill's horse Joss Naylor will miss tomorrow’s Coral Welsh National at Chepstow due to illness.

Keen Leader will miss his intended outing in Sunday’s Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown.

Trainer Willie Mullins could be double-handed in the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown a week on Sunday.

Connections of Kingsmark are praying for soft ground to allow the grey to take his chance in the Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday.

BEEF OR SALMON, whose jumping was suspect on his seasonal reappearance at Clonmel, will have a racecourse school this morning in preparation for Sunday’s Grade One John Durkan Memorial ‘Chase at Punchestown.

Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Truckers Tavern will make his seasonal reappearance over timber at Haydock on Saturday.

Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Truckers Tavern will make his seasonal reappearance over timber at Haydock on Saturday.

Leading Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup fancy Keen Leader looks set to be an absentee from the big race next Saturday.

NICKY HENDERSON is considering his options for Fondmort after entering the impressive Paddy Power Gold Cup winner in the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day.

All the leading fancies for next week’s Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury have stood their ground at the latest forfeit stage.

MARCUS TREGONING yesterday reported all was well with Nayef ahead of his tilt at next weekend’s Dubai World Cup.

Best Mate will face 15 rivals tomorrow as he bids to become the first horse since L’Escargot to win successive Tote Cheltenham Gold Cups.

ROASTED bookies and smiling punters summed up a perfect start to the three-day Cheltenham Festival.

CHARLIE SWAN has been booked to partner Liss A Paoraigh in the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Thursday.