Mate and Salmon on course for Gold Cup clash
Henrietta Knight's Best Mate will be bidding to become the first dual winner of chasing's blue riband for more than 30 years L'Escargot, successful in 1970 and 1971, was the last horse to win more than one Gold Cup.
The only others to have achieved the feat are Arkle (1964, 1965 and 1966), Cottage Rake (1948, 1949 and 1950), Golden Miller (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936) and Easter Hero (1929 and 1930).
Best Mate will also bidding to become the first horse since Desert Orchid in the 1988/89 campaign to win the Pertemps King George VI Chase and Cheltenham showpiece in the same season.
But he will face stiff opposition from Michael Hourigan's rising young star, who is still a novice but is unbeaten in three starts over fences and was very impressive when taking the Grade One Ericsson Chase on his latest outing.
Beef Or Salmon is one of nine entries from Ireland, which also include last year's runner-up, the Ted Walsh-trained Commanche Court, his stablemate Rince Ri, last week's Tramore winner Sackville from the Frances Crowley yard, the J P McManus-owned novice Le Coudray and arguably Ireland's most popular chaser, the Willie Mullins-trained Florida Pearl.
First Gold, in the same ownership as Le Coudray, is one of five French entries, with the remaining four trained by Yannick Fertillet for retired Kent schoolteacher Fergus Wilson.
Marlborough will bid to go one better than his second to Best Mate in the King George, while his stablemate Bacchanal, third in the Kempton race, is also entered.
Last season's Royal & SunAlliance Chase hero Hussard Collonges (Peter Beaumont), and Barton (Tim Easterby), who has been sidelined since winning the Martell Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree in April, head the northern challenge, along with Truckers Tavern (Ferdy Murphy) and the novice Skippers Cleuch (Len Lungo).
Miss Knight has also entered Chives, an excellent second in the Coral Welsh National last time under a huge weight and his trainer rates him a class act on soft ground.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe has nine entered, including attheraces Gold Cup winner Bounce Back and the dual Thomas Pink Gold Cup winner Cyfor Malta.
Ditcheat handler Paul Nicholls is also well represented with four entries, including 1999 victor See More Business, and Valley Henry, an easy winner of both his starts this season.
Monsignor, winner of the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle two years ago but unraced since, is one of two entries for Mark Pitman, while dual Gold Cup-winning trainer Noel Chance has entered Right To Reply, winner of his only start over fences in a novice chase last November.
Jonjo O'Neill has entered the smart novices Joss Naylor and Keen Leader, and Henderson has also put in Katarino and Fondmort.
Veteran Go Ballistic is the oldest entrant in the field, having turned 14 on January 1.
His finest hour came when chasing home See More Business in the 1999 Gold Cup and if he lines-up on March 13, it will be the ninth time he has run at the National Hunt Festival.
For the first time, this year's Gold Cup has a supplementary stage entry stage five days before the race when horses can be added to the field at a cost of £17,500, five per cent of the record £350,000 total prize fund.
Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, Gold Cup:
Cashmans bet: 9/4 Best Mate, 10/1 Beef or Salmon, 14/1 Marlborough, 16/1 Commanche Court, Hussard Collonges, Valley Henry, 20/1 Colonel Braxton, 25/1 Chives, First Gold, Rince Ri, Harbour Pilot, 28/1 Beharjan, 33/1 Florida Pearl.
William Hill bet: 7/4 Best Mate, 8/1 Beef Or Salmon, 12/1 Marlborough, 14/1 Commanche Court, Hussard Collonges, 16/1 Cyfor Malta, 20/1 First Gold, 25/1 Bacchanal, Chives, Florida Pearl, Gingembre, Harbour Pilot, Rince Ri, Valley Henry, 28/1 Behrajan, 33/1 Sackville, 40/1 bar.
