Strada holds major chance

BOW STRADA can make a successful return to fencing at Ascot today.

He ran a smashing race over hurdles on his latest start at Cheltenham when he finished a running-on seventh in the hotly-contested Coral Cup at the Festival and trainer Philip Hobbs clearly has the six-year-old in good heart.

His previous outing had been over fences at Leicester in November when he won a novice event with plenty in hand, jumping well in the process to confirm the decent impression he had made when meeting a couple of useful types on his first two chase starts.