National Preview

Last year's winner Don't Push It heads 74 remaining entries for the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on April 9.

Jonjo O'Neill's 11-year-old gave multiple champion jockey Tony McCoy an emotional first success in the world's most famous steeplechase last year, but will be forced to concede weight all round to his rivals this time.


Ante-post favourite is the Willie Mullins-trained The Midnight Club, while Backstage, Ballabriggs, the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned What A Friend and Big Fella Thanks are other major players.

The Evan Williams-trained Deep Purple is one of eight to have been taken out, along with Tatenen, Tricky Trickster, Dream Alliance, Snowy Morning, Gullible Gordon, Meanus Dandy and The Sliotar.

Big Fella Thanks, fourth last year when trained by Paul Nicholls, enjoyed a gentle canter alongside the course at an Aintree press day, joined by stablemate Watch My Back.

His current trainer, Ferdy Murphy, is thrilled with the condition of the track and feels his charge is better equipped to handle the marathon four-and-a-half-mile trip this season.


The Yorkshire-based handler said: "It's nice to get them away for the day, it keeps them on their toes and gives them an important change of scenery. The ground is fantastic and I'd hope they'd keep it exactly the same for the big day.

"He's strengthened up a lot more this year and his two prep runs went according to plan. He looks fantastic and I think he would have a very good chance.

"I think we will ride him more conservatively this year. To be fair to Barry (Geraghty), he was thrust into the race after Ruby (Walsh) got injured and the horse ran with the choke out a little bit.

"Hopefully we'll ride him the same way Graham (Lee) did when he won on Amberleigh House - that is to hunt away and leave it late. Graham will definitely be prepared for him this year."

Master Minded Connections Confident

Connections of Master Minded are confident he will make a bold bid to regain his crown in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham today.

After victory in the rearranged Tingle Creek at Cheltenham in December, he was made to pull out all the stops by Somersby at Ascot last time, but Paul Nicholls expects better on this better surface.


"I've been confident all along Master Minded has a chance. He's a dual Champion Chase winner. He was struggling with his breathing last season, we sorted that out and he has won three out of three this season," said the champion trainer.

"He was very impressive on goodish ground at Ascot, then on goodish ground in the Tingle Creek. He then just struggled on very soft ground at Ascot, when he wasn't at his very best. He's a different animal now he can breathe and he's got a great chance."

Preview Of Neptune Investment Hurdle

Mouse Morris is hoping First Lieutenant turns out to be the best of a strong Irish contingent in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

The Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old beat Zaidpour in a Leopardstown Grade One in December on his last appearance on a racecourse.

"He's travelled over great and we're looking forward to the race. He hasn't run since Christmas but that was always the plan and his form is good - he's a Grade One winner," said the trainer.

"The third horse (Hidden Cyclone) won again in Navan the other day and the better ground should suit our horse. We'll see how we get on, but I'd be hopeful he'll run a big race.

"Jessica Harrington's horse (Oscars Well) has won a couple of Grade Ones and there has been plenty of talk about So Young, but he doesn't have much experience.

"He beat a horse of mine the last day (Big Game Hunter) who's no great shakes, but we'll see."

Aikman booked his place with victory over Minella Class at Huntingdon last month and his trainer James Ewart, who also saddles Captain Americo in the four-mile National Hunt Chase, is delighted to be having his first Festival runners.

"He's in good form and he goes there as well as we could have him. He has to have an each-way chance after beating Minella Class last time," said the Langholm handler.

"The ground was too soft for him at Huntingdon last time really, so it was a bonus that he won. Admittedly our horse got a bit of a lead, but the important factor was when the other horses came to him, he went away from them again."

Alan King hopes Habbie Simpson has enough about him to get involved, although he is not expecting his charge to claim top honours. "I'd like to think he won't be far away at the finish," he told his website.

Peddlers To Take Home The Crown?

Donald McCain is confident Peddlers Cross is at the peak of his powers as he puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Stan James Champion Hurdle on Tuesday.

Already a Festival winner, having landed the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle 12 months ago, the six-year-old has taken the step up to the big league in his stride this season, beating Binocular in the Fighting Fifth before returning from a three-month absence to score at Kelso.


McCain could not be happier with how his star turn has progressed since and while he admits the absence of Nicky Henderson's Binocular makes the task slightly easier, such is his confidence in his own horse, he would not have been concerned about taking him on anyway.

"Touch wood, since Kelso everything has been great. He's done a little bit of work this morning upsides and he looks good and seems well and happy. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed," said the Cholmondeley handler.

"I'm not going to say I wish Binocular was in the race, obviously, as it's one less to take on. But at the same time, I wouldn't have had any qualms about taking him on if he was in the race.

"I was a little bit worried about sending him to Kelso, but thankfully he has definitely gone the right way. He's in tremendous form. I suppose in a way my work is done, but it doesn't make you feel an awful lot better!"


McCain has an interesting second string in the shape of bold front-runner Overturn. Although disappointing in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on his latest appearance, McCain believes the seven-year-old is back to the form that saw him win the Northumberland Plate and the Galway Hurdle last summer.

"He's absolutely bouncing at the moment and is working out of his skin," McCain continued. "I've said all along that I wouldn't mind going there with just him if I didn't have Peddlers. If he's anywhere near his best, he won't be the easiest horse to get past."

Henderson has saddled five winners of the race and despite being hit hard by Binocular's absence, he still has a potent force in the shape of Oscar Whisky, impressive winner of the Welsh Champion Hurdle last time out.

The Seven Barrows trainer said: "I think Oscar Whisky is in seriously good form. He is very, very well. He won what was my main target, the Welsh Champion Hurdle, but having said that, I just think he has come on a fair bit from that."

Dougie Out!

Dougie Costello looks set to miss this week's Cheltenham Festival after suffering a bad leg injury in a fall at Stratford.

Costello fell from Veiled Applause three flights from home in the Daily Nicholls Festival Column On Betfair Handicap Hurdle and was taken to Warwick Hospital.

Costello was due to partner leading fancy Recession Proof in the curtain-raiser, the Stan James Supreme Novices' Hurdle, while his potential mounts later in the week included Wayward Prince in the RSA Chase and Midnight Chase in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

John Quinn, trainer of Veiled Applause and Recession Proof, had earlier saddled a winner at Stratford, with Costello guiding Palawi to victory in the juvenile hurdle.

Quinn is devastated for Costello and will not make a decision on his replacement on Recession Proof until raceday.

He said: "They are fairly sure he has suffered at least one serious fracture to a part of his leg, if not two. It's terrible news."

Midnight Chase's trainer Neil Mulholland, an ex-jockey himself, is also full of sympathy for Costello and will not rush into announcing a replacement.

"I'm not going to make any decisions. It's a long way between now and Friday and it's something that has to be very carefully thought about," said Mulholland.

"The horse is perfect, thank goodness. Dougie came down and schooled him and we were all very happy with him, but I'm gutted for Dougie."

Hurricane Fly Well Fancied

Hurricane Fly bids to lay a ghost to rest after finally making an elusive first trip to Cheltenham to contest the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

The French import has always been held in the highest regard by Willie Mullins, but injury has scuppered his participation at the last two Festivals. This season, however, has gone entirely to plan.

The seven-year-old completed a hat-trick of victories over Solwhit in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January and the trainer is now cautiously optimistic that his charge can prevail.

The County Carlow handler does not expect the track or the ground to pose a problem after assessing conditions on Monday morning and is now keeping his fingers crossed all goes to plan.

Ground Prep` Complete

Ground preparations for Cheltenham are almost complete ahead of the four-day Festival that starts on Tuesday.

The taps have been turned off on the Old Course, on which racing will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, while watering on the New Course, which features the Thursday and Friday action, will end today.

"We are good to soft, good in places on the Old and New Courses and good, good to firm in places on the cross-country," said clerk of the course Simon Claisse.

"We are watering the New Course again to try to maintain conditions to the end of the week, which is expected to be dry apart from a few spots today and tomorrow."

Cheltenham Preview - Champion Hurdle

Menorah heads a field of 11 in the shock absence of the Nicky Henderson-trained Binocular in Tuesday's Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Alan King's Salden Licht was the only other defector at the 48-hour final declaration stage, and Henderson will still have a runner in the shape of Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Oscar Whisky.


Ruby Walsh teams up with main Irish hope Hurricane Fly as both rider and trainer Willie Mullins seek their first success in the race.

Walsh, who is favourite to be top jockey at the meeting, was back in the winner's enclosure for the first time at Sandown on Saturday since he broke his leg at Down Royal in November.

Making a belated first appearance at the Festival, Hurricane Fly has already won seven Grade Ones, the latest coming in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January. Mullins also saddles Thousand Stars, winner of the County Hurdle last year.

Trainer Philip Hobbs and jockey Richard Johnson struck with Rooster Booster in 2003 and in Menorah, winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle 12 months ago, they have the new favourite.


Peddlers Cross brings a 100% record to the table and carries the hopes of the North. Donald McCain's stable star has won the Fighting Fifth and Morebattle Hurdles this season and won at last year's Festival. McCain also saddles Overturn.

Khyber Kim will try to go one better than last year for the Nigel Twiston-Davies team while King, triumphant with Katchit in 2008, relies on Kingwell Hurdle victor Mille Chief.

Philip Fenton is hoping Dunguib, the 2009 Champion Bumper winner, can show his true colours after finishing only third in the Supreme last spring. The field is completed by Bygones Of Brid and Clerk's Choice.

Wolverhampton Lincoln Trial

John Ryan has admitted to some concerns ahead of Final Drive's return to action in England in Wolverhampton's William Hill Lincoln Trial.

The five-year-old has risen almost 40lb in the handicap since starting his winning run back in November and has recently been campaigning with credit in Dubai, but Ryan just hopes his pride and joy has had enough of a break.

"I'm still in Dubai but I'll be home in time to see his race. But I won't be able to get there," said Newmarket-based Ryan.

"He's been running well out here and I hope we finished him early enough to freshen him up for this as we've always had it in mind because he loves it there.

"I just hope there is some petrol left in the tank. We took a chance on his last run as we knew it was the cut off point to freshen him up for this.


"My father has been in charge of the yard since I've been away and he's very happy, and Stevie Donohoe has been in to ride him out. We'd have loved Stevie to ride him in Dubai but he couldn't because of other commitments.

"The draw (13) isn't the best what with him being a hold-up horse, but I hope it isn't too much of a hindrance. He's one of those horses who shines on the all-weather and still seems to be improving. He's been a champion to train.

"Sooner or later the tank will run dry and the travelling would be a concern, but he handled it going out so I just hope he handles it coming back. We've tried to do it the right way. It will be hard from that draw with top weight."

Pipe Fancies Arrayan

David Pipe is keeping his fingers crossed Arrayan can continue on his steep upward curve as he bids to justify favouritism in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown.

The six-year-old started life in handicap company off a mark of just 92 back in November but after a couple of victories and an unlucky defeat he now runs off 131.

He looked a certain winner when parting company with Conor O'Farrell at Taunton last time, although his trainer admits he needs to find more if he is to strike gold this weekend.

Pipe said: "He's been winning smaller races, but he's progressive and he's at the right end of the weights. We've always thought he was a nice horse, but I think he's gone up about 40lb since the start of the season, so he'll have to improve again.

"He was unlucky last time as he would have won. Hopefully he'll run well and then we'll see about Cheltenham. He'll have to win or run very well if he's going to go there."

Pipe has an interesting second string to his bow in the shape of top-weight Ronaldo Des Mottes, who was not disgraced in finishing third in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on his seasonal reappearance.

The trainer went on: "Ronaldo De Mottes has a lot of weight, but he's a decent horse and probably deserves it.

"I thought he ran very well at Wincanton on his first start of the season and the handicapper has dropped him a couple of pounds, which meant he was eligible for this. Hopefully he'll run well and then we'll look to Aintree for him."

Lucy Wadham is hopeful Alarazi can build on the promise of his second-placed finish at Cheltenham last time.

The trainer said: "He needed to go up in the weights to get into this so I'm not going to moan about the 8lb rise. He ran a blinder at Cheltenham. We would have liked to have seen a little bit of rain, but I'm banking on the fact he handled goodish ground on the Flat."

News On Imperial Commander And Khyber Kim

Imperial Commander continues to please Nigel Twiston-Davies ahead of his totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup defence on Friday.

The 10-year-old has been seen just once in competitive action this season, landing the Betfair Chase at Haydock, although he has enjoyed a couple of racecourse gallops in recent weeks.

He was largely dismissed in the race 12 months ago with much of the hype surrounding Kauto Star and Denman, but this year Imperial Commander heads the market and his trainer admits there is much more pressure.

After seeing his star turn enjoy a canter with Christie's Foxhunter hope Baby Run, Twiston-Davies told Channel 4 Racing: "It's going well. He did a really good bit of work yesterday and is having an easy day today.


"There is a lot more pressure this year but hopefully he'll be back where he belongs.

"If he'd finished third last year everyone would have been delighted. We knew he was really well and we know he's really well this time, so hopefully he can do it again."

The Naunton handler also issued an upbeat bulletin on Champion Hurdle hope Khyber Kim, who chased home Binocular in the race last year.

"We're very happy with him. People forget he was only three lengths behind Binocular and he's in as good a form this year," the trainer added.

Cue Card On Cue

Ante-post favourite Cue Card tops the 23 confirmations for the Stan James Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the first race of the four-day Cheltenham Festival meeting on Tuesday.

Colin Tizzard's five-year-old is taking the easier option instead of the Champion Hurdle. He won the Weatherbys' Champion Bumper last spring and suffered his only defeat to date when second to Menorah in the International Hurdle on this course in December on his latest outing.


He is set to be taken on by many promising sorts, including Nicky Henderson's trio of Gibb River, Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre. There may also be three from the Paul Nicholls stable - Al Ferof, Rock On Ruby and Sam Winner.


The Irish contingent is led by trainer Willie Mullins, who has So Young and Zaidpour. The Mouse Morris-trained pair of First Lieutenant and Tillahow, and Dermot Weld's Hidden Universe are still in contention.

A strong entry also includes Recession Proof and Marsh Warbler, but Gary Moore has yet to decide whether to run Megastar in the Supreme or wait for the longer Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle on Wednesday.

"If it comes up soft he definitely won't run at Cheltenham," the trainer told At The Races.

"If it's on the quick side he'd go for the Neptune and if it wasn't he'd go for the two-mile race (Supreme)."

Champion Hurdle Update

Last year's winner Binocular heads a field of 13 left in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old is one of two probables from the Nicky Henderson team. The other is Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Oscar Whisky, while Khyber Kim, who was runner-up 12 months ago, could try to go one better for Nigel Twiston-Davies.


Menorah, who took the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on this card last year, is a strong candidate from the Philip Hobbs stable, having won both of his starts at Cheltenham this term. Peddlers Cross, who also won at the 2010 Festival, represents trainer Donald McCain, along with Overturn, and has a 100% record to defend.


Alan King is double-handed with the progressive Mille Chief and Salden Licht, while there are three Irish challengers in the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Hurricane Fly and Thousand Stars - plus Philip Fenton's Dunguib. Clerk's Choice and Bygones Of Brid make up the baker's dozen.

Get Me Out Of Here, also owned by McManus, has been withdrawn, along with Cue Card, who instead goes for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.


The going at Cheltenham is described as good to soft, good in places Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course and director of racing, said: "We have seen some light rain and the forecast is for further light rain and showers up to Monday.

"The acceptors for Centenary Day look fantastic and we have an extremely high-class renewal of the Stan James Champion Hurdle in prospect."

Get On This One, On The Double, For The Double TODAY!

Nicky Henderson's exciting young hurdler Aegean Dawn is among 40 entries for the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday.

The six-year-old is set to warm up for a possible attempt at a £75,000 bonus given by the sponsors on his first outing since defeating Champion Hurdle fancy Mille Chief at Ascot in November.

Henderson, who took this race with Dave's Dream in 2009, has three other Imperial entries in Eradicate, Giorgio Quercus and Owen Glendower. The Seven Barrows trainer will have one eye on the pay-out offered for any horse that can win that and follow up in a race at the Festival a few days later.

Aegean Dawn has two options at Cheltenham - the Coral Cup and the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle.

Silver In!

Silver By Nature has been given the go-ahead to run in the John Smith's Grand National following discussions between owners Geoff and Joyce Brown, trainer Lucinda Russell and her partner, former champion jump jockey Peter Scudamore.

Russell has always been keen on the grey taking his chance in the world's greatest steeplechase, as long as the ground is safe, and he put himself in line for a trip to Liverpool on April 9 by defying top weight in the Grand National Trial at Haydock.

"As long as the ground is OK he will be running in the National. Ideally we want soft ground. I trust Aintree that they will produce good, safe ground and that is the most important thing to us," said the Kinross handler.

"The National itself has changed so much in the past five to 10 years. It's a staying chase for which they produce safer ground and the fences are a hell of a lot safer.

"He's been running away up the gallops which is a mild concern. He's not usually like that, but he's been a lot fresher since Haydock. I think it's nice for the horse that he's got his confidence back. He'd had a few hard races and he finds that Haydock track easy and he just enjoys himself.

"He'll train away for the next three weeks and have an easy week before the race and we'll just get him fresh for Aintree. He won't have a racecourse gallop. He can have a variation here as we've got two yards so we'll take him across to the other one and work him on the grass.

"We'll make an Aintree-type fence, but I'm quite happy with his jumping. I thought he jumped quite well round Haydock. He's an experienced horse now and Peter Buchanan (jockey) said his run at Newbury (in the Hennessy) just crowned him and made a man of him. Ever since then his jumping's been good."

No grey has won the world's greatest steeplechase since Nicolaus Silver in 1961 while there has only been one Scottish-based winner, Rubstic in 1979.

Silver By Nature, who is set to carry 10st 12lb, can be backed at 16-1 for National glory.

Solwhit Out!

Solwhit has been ruled out of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on Thursday week.

Charles Byrnes' six-times Grade One winner will not compete at this year's Cheltenham Festival after failing to impress connections in a Monday morning workout. He had been set to step up to three miles for the first time, but is likely to be roughed off for the season with a chasing career in mind next term.

Byrnes said: "He just wasn't firing on all cylinders so there is no point in going. It's disappointing, but it was something of an afterthought anyway. We gave him two pieces of work and they weren't satisfactory. It would have been interesting to see how he got on over the trip."

The handler continued: "It's doubtful he'll run again this season and I think we'll go chasing with him next season."

Solwhit, sixth in last year's Champion Hurdle, had finished second behind Hurricane Fly on his last three outings.