Day Two of the Showcase on Saturday, October 19, features an
excellent seven-race card headed by a pair of £50,000 handicap chases that
could see Festival heroes Oiseau
de Nuit, Finger
Onthe Pulse and Balthazar
King return to Cheltenham.
Oiseau
de Nuit, successful in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual in 2011, heads 22
entries for the Equus-Fine Dining At The Festival Handicap Chase (2.35pm). The
two and a half-mile contest could also feature last season's Byrne Group Plate
runner-up Vino
Griego, Tanks
For That and French import Vif Argent, who may make his debut for
David Pipe.
Other
notable entries include Tingle Creek Chase second Kumbeshwar, last
year's runner-up Easter
Meteor and Finger Onthe Pulse, successful in the Centenary
Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in 2008.
Michael
Scudamore is hoping for rain for his stable star Monbeg Dude, who
could make his seasonal return in the £50,000 Showcase Trophy (3.45pm) over an
extended three miles. The eight-year-old also holds an entry in the £10,000
Jools Holland Here On 9thNovember Novices' Hurdle (2.00pm, 15 entries) over the
same distance.
Monbeg
Dude captured the Murphy Group Handicap Chase at The Open last year before
going on to take the Welsh National following a thrilling battle with
Teaforthree. He returned to Cheltenham for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup at
The Festival, in which he was pulled up behind Bobs Worth.
Scudamore
reported: "The intention is for Monbeg Dude to run at Cheltenham, but I
haven't decided which option he will take up. Hopefully, there will be a bit
more rain this week as the softer, the better for him.
"He
has done really well over the summer - he has strengthened up and looks like he
has come on a little bit - and we are really pleased with him. He has had a
couple of schooling sessions, which went really well and should hopefully put
him in good stead for the rest of the season.
"We
gave him an entry in a novices' hurdle because he seems ready to run and there
is little in terms of staying chasing opportunities at this time of the season.
We can make use of the fact that he is a novice and build his season from
there.
"He
is a good staying handicapper and wasn't quite up to Gold Cup standard last
season. I can see a little bit of improvement to come from him but it would
take a hell of a step up for us to run him in that level again.
"The
whole season will be made around the Welsh National again. If everything went
fine there and he jumped well, then we would have a look at Aintree if
everybody is happy."
A total
of 22 entries for the Showcase Trophy also includes the 2012 Glenfarclas Cross
Country Handicap Chase scorer Balthazar King, who is seeking a hat-trick of
victories in the race, Well
Refreshed and Sire
Collonges, who scored at The Showcase in 2012.
Recent
winners Princely
Player, Creepy, Oscar Magic
and Foxcub
may bid for more glory in the Go Racing With mcphersonracing.co.uk Handicap
Hurdle (4.25pm, 30 entries) over two miles and five furlongs.
Balder
Succes, successful at Chepstow on Saturday, could make a quick
reappearance in the two-mile £20,000 Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Novices' Chase
(5.00pm, 11 entries), while the action concludes with the £7,000 Have Your
Christmas Parties Here NH Flat Race (5.30pm, 30 entries).
The
£30,000 Masterson Holdings Hurdle (3.10pm) has reopened until 11am on Tuesday,
October 15.
Going
The
going at Cheltenham is currently Good.
Simon
Claisse, Head of Racing, South West Region & Cheltenham's Clerk of the
Course, commented: "We were forecast five to six millimetres of rain over
the weekend but finished up with 22 and the going is now Good all round.
"The
current forecast is for unsettled conditions this week."
About
The Showcase
Cheltenham's
October meeting was renamed The Showcase in 2007 and moved to its present
Friday/Saturday slot. The popular two-day meeting, takes place on October 18
and 19, offering record prize money of £288,000 (up from £275,000 last year).
The Showcase is a natural starting point for horses returning from their summer
breaks and is often used in preparation for The Open (Friday, November 15 -
Sunday, November 17 inclusive) at Cheltenham. Saturday's card is headlined by
two £50,000 handicap chases - the Equus-Fine Dining At Festival Handicap Chase
(2.35pm), which takes place over a similar distance as the Grade Three Paddy
Power Gold Cup at The Open, plus the Showcase Trophy Handicap Chase (3.45pm),
run over an extended three miles.
The
Showcase gives racegoers the chance to go behind the scenes and find about more
about Cheltenham and Jump Racing. There will be guided tours of the Parade Ring
and Weighing Room before racing, as well as various activities and displays in
Hurdlers' Hall.
The
gates open at noon on both days. The first race is at 2.10pm on Friday and
2.00pm on Saturday. Please find more details at www.cheltenham.co.uk and
through Twitter (@CheltenhamRaces) and Facebook www.facebook.com/thehomeofjumpracing
About
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham
Racecourse is situated in Prestbury on the outskirts of the historic spa town
of Cheltenham. The Home of Jump Racing, Cheltenham Racecourse is the venue for
the world's pre-eminent Jump Racing meeting, The Festival, which takes place in
March every year. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Cotswolds,
Cheltenham Racecourse is a stunning natural amphitheatre and offers the
highest-quality action throughout the Jump season.
Cheltenham
Racecourse is part of The Jockey Club, which has been at the heart of British
racing for more than 260 years. Today the largest commercial group in the
sport, The Jockey Club runs the largest racecourse group in the UK by turnover
(2012: £142.1m), courses (15) including those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom
Downs and Newmarket, attendances (2012: 1.8m), total prize money (2012:
£35.3m), contribution to prize money (2012: £16.5m) and quality racing (Group
and Graded races); more than 3,000 acres of world-class training grounds in
Newmarket and Lambourn; The National Stud breeding enterprise and education
provider; and the charity for racing's people in need, Racing Welfare. Governed
by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes it puts back into British
racing. More information is available at www.thejockeyclub.co.uk 
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