Big guns remain in Queen Mother mix
Last year’s winner Big Zeb and 2009 Champion Master Minded are on target to cross swords at the Festival for a third successive season with the latter’s trainer, Paul Nicholls, also set to be represented by the progressive Woolcombe Folly.
There has been some doubt cast on the participation of Henrietta Knight’s Somersby who ran Master Minded close at Ascot last time as he could be re-routed to the Ryanair depending on underfoot conditions but the eight year-old could still line up in the two mile championship.
A four strong Irish challenge is made up of Golden Silver, previous Festival winners Captain Cee Bee and Sizing Europe along with the reigning Champion, Big Zeb.
Nicky Henderson has left French Opera and Mad Max in the race with the entry completed by Cornas and I’m So Lucky.
Time For Rupert is among a quality 16-strong field of young stayers from England and Ireland left in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Paul Webber’s seven-year-old has been ante-post favourite for the extended three-mile contest thanks to winning both his starts over fences at Cheltenham.
Although last year’s World Hurdle runner-up was forced to miss an intended engagement back there in January, he is said to be back in good form.
There is an abundance of talented opposition waiting to take him on, including several Irish challengers.
Among those are Gordon Elliott’s Jessies Dream, Jessica Harrington’s Bostons Angel, the Willie Mullins duo of Quel Esprit and Mikael D’Haguenet and Dessie Hughes’ Magnanimity.
Britain’s champion trainer Paul Nicholls has left in Aiteen Thirtythree and The Minack, while Ian Williams’ Wayward Prince and Wymott from Donald McCain’s Cholmondeley yard are others to have stood their ground.
Colm Murphy has warned that Quito De La Roque would be unlikely to run if he felt conditions were too fast.
The three horses at the head of the Coral Cup market remained in the race at the six-day stage, but two JP McManus-owned fancies were withdrawn.
Get Me Out Of Here and Silverhand both exited the race, while favourite Call The Police remains, as does Aegean Dawn - despite being rated doubtful by his trainer Nicky Henderson - and For Non Stop.
The David Pipe-trained Dynaste also quit the race, as did Blackstairmountain, The Betchworth Kid, Chartreux and the Paul Nicholls-trained Organisateur.
The Nicky Henderson-trained A Media Luz bowed out the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, for which he had been as short as 6-1 favourite. Heretains an entry in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Also among those withdrawn from the Fred Winter were Sailors Warn, Domination and Molotof.
Joint-favourites for the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, Alfa Beat and Chicago Grey remain alongside 25 others in the 4m marathon.
Leading RSA Chase fancy Wayward Prince was among those scratched from the event. Quel Esprit and Quito De La Roque were also withdrawn.
Ante-post favourite Oscars Well features among 26 remaining entries in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Jessica Harrington’s six-year-old leapt to the head of the market for the two-mile-five-furlong contest with a brilliant performance in Leopardstown’s Deloitte Novice Hurdle, his second successive Grade One win.
The horse that chased home that day, Zaidpour, could reoppose for Willie Mullins, although Tuesday’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle appears to be his preferred target.
The Irish champion trainer’s number one hope for this race is So Young, unbeaten in two starts over hurdles, while he could also call on Ballyhaunis and Gagewell Flyer.
Dual course winner Bobs Worth is a major player for Nicky Henderson, who also has Minella Class engaged, while Paul Nicholls has a strong hand with Al Ferof, Rock On Ruby and Indian Daudaie in the field.
Other notable possibles include First Lieutenant, Tornado Bob and Court In Motion.
Willie Mullins is responsible for just three of the 40 possibles as he seeks a seventh success in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
The Co Carlow trainer is looking to Allure Of Illusion, Lord Gale or Tusa Eire to give him his first win in this race since Cousin Vinny in 2008.
An Irish trainer hoping to register his first triumph in the Cheltenham Bumper is Colm Murphy.
His hope is Raise The Beat, who has not raced since winning at Naas in October.
All the major contenders have stood their ground at the confirmation stage, including the ante-post favourite Knight Pass from the Warren Greatrex stable.
- Cheltenham began watering the Old Course yesterday with mainly dry weather now forecast.
The going remains good to soft, good in places on all three courses with four millimetres of water applied to the track where racing takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Original weather forecasts suggested the track may get up to 12 millimetres of rain before racing begins next week but they’ve since been revised.
