Warwick option for Gift

Iris’s Gift could attempt to get back to winning ways at Warwick on Saturday where he is entered in the Totepool ‘A Better Way To Bet’ Novices’ Chase.

Jonjo O’Neill’s eight-year-old lost his unbeaten tag over fences when second behind current Royal & SunAlliance Chase favourite Darkness in a Grade Two event at Newbury on his last appearance, although he is still reportedly on target for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, for which is one of 64 entries.

The grey fell in a public schooling session after racing at Haydock on Saturday, but was given the all-clear by connections afterwards, with the Peter Marsh Chase back at the Merseyside venue on January 21 being mentioned as a possible target.

Sue Smith’s Rebel Rhythm and Jim Old’s The Duckpond are recent novice chase winners who would look to provide the stiffest opposition at this stage and Alan King has also given his useful hurdler Halcon Genelardais an entry in what would be the French-bred’s first ever start over fences.

Henry Daly can pick from two entries, Alderburn and Briery Fox, who won a decent novice event at Fakenham last time out, while Howard Johnson’s Julius Ceaser could also take his chance.