Promising hurdlers go to post at Cheltenham

A small but select field has gathered for the Steel Plate And Sections Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow.

The race has been won by some classy types in the past with Blazing Bailey beating Wichita Lineman 12 months ago.

The connections of those two horses combine this year with Franchoek as Alan King, who trains Blazing Bailey, also trains Franchoek for Wichita Lineman’s owner JP McManus.

Franchoek was second to Celestial Halo in the Triumph Hurdle last year but has failed to hit the mark in both his starts this season.

“We didn’t want to run Franchoek over three miles until after the Christmas period and the Steel Plate And Sections Hurdle looks an ideal race for him in terms of trip,” said King.

“I thought his Exeter run was very good at the weights, especially as he only had one other horse in the handicap and he was giving weight away on ground that was very testing.

“He seems to have come out of that race in good nick and I am hoping that he will run well tomorrow, especially on a track that suits him well.

“He was a proper stayer on the Flat as a three-year-old, so I would like to think that he would improve with a step up in distance.

“We will see how he gets on tomorrow before deciding whether to run him over three miles and the possibility of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Festival.”

Franchoek only faces four rivals but they include Grade One winner Lough Derg, former SunAlliance Hurdle winner No Refuge and Paul Nicholls’ Five Dream.

“Five Dream ran a massive race the time before last under a huge weight and was then brought down the last day,” said Nicholls.

“Ruby (Walsh) has always said that he would stay two and a half miles.

“I think he has a good chance tomorrow because he is getting 8lb off the top two. I suppose No Refuge is the one to beat possibly.”