HAVINGOTASCOOBYDO TO RETURN IN BETVICTOR.COM HANDICAP CHASE AT THE SHOWCASE

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.

The new season gets underway at Cheltenham with The Showcase on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, which offers two days of high-quality Jump racing.

Saturday's card features the £50,000 BetVictor.com Trophy, which is backed for the first time this year by BetVictor with prize money doubled. The bookmaker also generously lends its support to the Talk To Victor Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase on the Friday of The Showcase.

BetVictor spokesman Charlie McCann commented: "The build-up to the first Cheltenham meeting of the autumn is always a period of great excitement as we look forward to the winter game and the return of old favourites and emerging stars.

"On a day when we bid farewell to the mighty Frankel at Ascot, we also look forward to another wonderful season of Jump racing and we at BetVictor are delighted and proud to be involved in the opening salvo of what promises to be another historic year at the home of Jump racing."

Local handler Martin Keighley is planning to run his exciting young chaser Havingotascoobydo in the BetVictor.com Trophy, a handicap chase over two and a half miles.

The gelding was ante-post favourite for the Listed Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase at The Festival until injury forced him to miss the race and the rest of last season.

The seven-year-old ran a pair of excellent races against seasoned chasers at Cheltenham last term, including when chasing home Tanks For That in a valuable two-mile handicap at The Open.

Keighley, who trains at Condicote in Gloucestershire, said: "We plan to run Havingotascoobydo in the BetVictor.com Trophy.

"He suffered a serious spinal injury last season which is why he missed the Cheltenham Festival but he has come back really good. He schooled nicely this morning and is in really good form.

"He had a long summer off but he was sore while out in the field and did a lot of flat work and dressage.

"Where he got the injury it was obviously very painful and he lost all that muscle on his back, so we put in a hell of a lot of work into building that muscle back and it would be a great achievement to get him back to the track, never mind win. It would be a fairytale story if he could come back to the track and win a big race.

"It was gutting to miss The Festival as he was one of the favourites for the Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase but the BetVictor.com Trophy looks like a nice starting point for him this season.

"If he puts in a good show there he will go to the Paddy Power Gold Cup (Cheltenham, November 17) after that and hopefully he will be able to creep in off a nice weight.

"I hope there is still improvement to come from him. I know it was a bad injury but he is still a young horse and hopefully improving and going the right way - it would be great to pick up a nice prize with him this season.

"He seems to go on any ground and maybe good ground would be absolutely ideal."

The Showcase also offers racegoers the chance to go behind the scenes at the home of Jump racing.

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.