Meeting - The Showcase -
Friday & Saturday, October 19 & 20
First race - 2.10pm
Friday, 2.00pm Saturday - gates open at noon both days
Cheltenham's first fixture
of the new Jump season, The Showcase, starts on Friday, October 19, with a
high-quality card that is set to feature several horses to follow over the
coming months.
The action gets underway
with the £17,000 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle (2.10pm) and 22
entries for the two mile, five furlong contest include The New One, who
was sixth in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper before going on to score in a Grade
Two bumper at Aintree's Grand National meeting.
The four-year-old, who is
trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, made an impressive debut over hurdles with a
26-length success at Newton Abbot on October 1.
The £10,000 Leamington
Maiden Hurdle (4.30pm) over an extended two miles also promises to be a
highly-informative race with 25 entries including the Paul Nicholls-trained Dodging
Bullets. The Dubawi gelding showed immense potential in three starts over
the smaller obstacles last season, including when finishing fourth behind
Countrywide Flame in the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle at The Festival.
Chipping Norton handler
Charlie Longsdon has given an entry to Spirit Of Shankly, who is set to
make his hurdling debut following a pair of emphatic bumper victories, most
recently when scoring by nine lengths at Market Rasen on September 29.
Longsdon revealed:
"Spirit Of Shankly could well head to Cheltenham. He's got an entry at
Uttoxeter on Thursday as well but he prefers better ground and wouldn't run
there if it was too soft.
"He hasn't beaten
much in two bumpers but he was very impressive at Market Rasen and jumps well
at home."
Hildisvini may also represent
Longsdon in the £17,000 Squareintheair.com Novices' Chase (2.45pm) over two and
a half miles. The six-year-old enjoyed a productive campaign last season,
winning a pair of handicap hurdles at Market Rasen in January and at Sandown in
March.
Longsdon added:
"Hildisvini may also run at Cheltenham. I was pleased with his win at
Sandown and we turned him out after that race for the summer.
"He has always been a
chaser in the making - he loves jumping fences and chasing is his future.
"We gave him an entry
at Huntingdon on Tuesday and we will have a look at the Cheltenham race before
deciding where to go with him."
The 22 contenders for the
Squareintheair.com Novices' Chase also include the 2011 Coral Cup victor
Carlito Brigante, the progressive Domtaline and talented hurdler Third
Intention.
An entry of 18 for the
£17,000 Bruton Knowles 150th Anniversary Novices' Chase (3.55pm) includes
recent Clonmel scorer Sea Of Thunder plus the Paul Nicholls-trained pair
of Sire Collonges and There's No Panic.
The £16,000 Pertemps
Network Handicap Hurdle (3.20pm) is the first of 18 qualifiers for the Listed
Pertemps Final at The Festival and an entry of 45 for the three-mile contest
features this year's Coral Cup scorer Son Of Flicka alongside seasoned
performers Cross Kennon, Cockney Trucker and Possol.
Racegoers will get the
chance to see some potential future stars of the saddle in the £10,000 Talk To
Victor Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase (5.05pm, 28 entries).
The People's Horse Gud
Day, who runs for the UK's biggest free Racing Club for the twitter
community (@peopleshorse) is among 39 entries for the concluding
Piper-Heidsieck National Racecourse Catering Awards Conditional Jockeys'
Handicap Hurdle (5.40pm).
Day two of The Showcase,
Saturday, October 20, includes a pair of £50,000 handicap chases - the
BetVictor.com Trophy (2.30pm) over two and a half miles and the Ryman The
Stationer Handicap Chase (3.40pm) over an extended three miles.
The Showcase also offers
the chance to see, hear about and participate in some of the aspects of racing
that are normally off-limits.
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