Drying ground at Cheltenham a worry for Un De Sceaux team

Drying ground at Cheltenham is a concern for connections of Un De Sceaux as he prepares to do battle with Sprinter Sacre in what looks set to be an epic Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old is odds-on across the board for the two-mile chasing showpiece, despite the presence of the scintillating 2013 winner Sprinter Sacre, as well as 2014 hero Sire De Grugy and last year’s victor Dodging Bullets.

Triumphant in the Arkle 12 months ago, Un De Sceaux fluffed his lines in the jumping department when coming to grief for a second time at Leopardstown over Christmas, but was far more assured when slamming his rivals, including Sire De Grugy, at Ascot last month.