EXMOOR RANGER & TARTAK ON COURSE FOR THE SHOWCASE AT CHELTENHAM

Meeting - The Showcase - Friday & Saturday, October 19 & 20

First race - 2.10pm Friday, 2.00pm Saturday - gates open at noon both days

Tickets available from www.cheltenham.co.uk or by calling 08445 793 003.

Cheltenham welcomes in the new season with The Showcase on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, which offers two days of quality racing and the opportunity for racegoers to go behind the scenes at the home of Jump racing.

A seven-race card on Saturday, October 20, includes a pair of valuable handicap chases, with the Victor Dartnall-trained Exmoor Ranger due to line up in the £50,000 Ryman The Stationer Handicap Chase (3.40pm) over an extended three miles.

The talented 10-year-old battled gamely to win a Grade Three handicap chase at Ascot just under a year ago and finished third behind subsequent John Smith's Grand National runner-up Sunnyhillboy in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at The Festival in March.

He returned to Cheltenham for a handicap chase at the April Meeting, when he was travelling well prior to falling four fences from home.

Dartnall revealed: "Exmoor Ranger will be entered in the Ryman The Stationer Handicap Chase and he is good form at the moment.

"I think that there was a bit of a disagreement between horse and jockey when he fell in April. Josh Guerriero went for a long stride, which you can't do on Exmoor Ranger - you have to let him sort it out himself. It was a bit of a misunderstanding, but the horse  was fine.

"He goes well fresh and good, good to soft ground suits him well. He actually broke the course record on his seasonal return at Ascot last year.

"His third at The Festival was probably his best run ever and we will keep chipping away at the big staying chases again this year and see where we go."

Tim Vaughan is currently riding high in the Jump trainers' championship and the Glamorgan handler is set to be represented at The Showcase by Tartak in the £50,000 Betvictor.com Handicap Chase (2.35pm) over two and a half miles.

The nine-year-old captured a valuable handicap chase at Cheltenham for Tom George in January, 2011, and made a pleasing debut for Vaughan when staying on to take fifth in the Grade Three Byrne Group Plate at The Festival in March.

Vaughan reported: "Tartak is 100 per cent on course for the Betvictor.com Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. He has summered really well and I am delighted with him. He has been working out of his skin and he will work on the grass on Wednesday, which should set him up nicely for Cheltenham.

"He unfortunately broke a blood vessel in the Topham Chase at Aintree but he had previously ran a blinder in the Byrne Group Plate. We have tweaked a few things here and given him a nice summer of grass. He has won around Cheltenham in the past and this looks the ideal race to start his season.

"We would definitely consider the Paddy Power Gold Cup (at Cheltenham on November 17) for him although we will take one race at a time. He is probably still at the height of his handicap mark - he's never won off higher than 149, which is his mark now, but all the major handicap chases are potential targets if he finds his form."

The Showcase also offers the chance to see, hear about and participate in some of the aspects of racing that are normally off-limits.

The weighing room and parade ring will be open to the public before racing and there will be chances to win some wonderful racing experiences, such as presenting a trophy, watching a race in the commentary box or seeing the jockeys weigh in after a race.