Meeting - The Festival, Dates - Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, March 12 - 15
First race -1.30pm each day
Tickets available from www.cheltenham.co.uk or by calling 08445
793 003.
Entries
for all 27 races at The Festival are now in the public domain with the
unveiling of the contenders for the Grade Two OLBG Mares' Hurdle, the Grade One
Weatherbys Champion Bumper and the CGA Foxhunter Chase today.
Quevega
heads 36 entries for the £85,000 Grade Two OLBG Mares' Hurdle on Champion Day,
Tuesday, March 12. The Willlie Mullins-trained nine-year-old is bidding to
become only the second horse to win a race at The Festival on five occasions
following Golden Miller, who captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup five times
between 1932 and 1936.
Her main dangers this year may come from her own
stable, with Mullins also being responsible for Grade Three scorers Tarla
and Zuzka. Nicky Henderson has entered top-class French import Utopie
Des Bordes and last season's Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle winner Une
Artiste, who is unbeaten this term, while Emma Lavelle could be represented
by Cleeve Hurdle third Kentford Grey Lady.
The Grade
One Weatherbys Champion Bumper, worth £60,000, on Ladies Day, Wednesday, March
13, has attracted 51 entries. Irish-trained horses have won 15 of the 20
runnings of the race and a typically strong challenge from the Emerald Isle
features Tony Martin's Golantilla, who was reportedly purchased by
leading Irish owner Barry Connell for 375,000 euros after a 13-length success
at Cork in January, as well as a five-strong hand from Mullins, headed by Clondaw
Court and Navan Grade Two scorer Union Dues.
Irish
champion Flat trainer Aidan O'Brien could have his first runner at The Festival
since Istabraq was pulled up in the 2002 Stan James Champion Hurdle. He is
responsible for Shield, who finished fourth on his debut at Punchestown
on February 20.
The home team is headed by a number of exciting debut
winners including Jeremy Scott's Empiracle, recent Wetherby victor Diamond
King, and Milo Man, who scored by 25 lengths at Taunton on February
7.
Milo Man's trainer Evan Williams said: "We had to
enter Milo Man because he obviously won so well at Taunton and has come out of
the race incredibly well.
"I'm
not going to say he will definitely run because we would want to see some cut
in the ground but we are training him for the race and we will have to see what
the weather does between now and then. He is a horse I have the utmost
confidence in and I think he is a very nice horse but whether he is a bumper
horse, I don't know. Whatever he does, as long as he is a lucky horse, he could
win a very nice race one day."
Salsify
captured the 2012 CGA Foxhunter Chase for the Sweeney family and the
eight-year-old is among 39 contenders for this year's renewal. He is likely to
renew his rivalry with Tammys Hill, who has beaten him twice in Ireland
this season, and last year's runner-up Chapoturgeon, who scored easily
on his return at Newbury in January. Other notable entries include comfortable
Haydock victor Cottage Oak and 2009 John Oaksey National Hunt Chase hero
Tricky Trickster.
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