Trainer Alan
King looks set to be well represented at The Showcase this
weekend, with five horses in the frame for the opening meeting of Cheltenham's
season on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19.
Kumbeshwar is due
to step up to two and a half miles for Saturday's £50,000 Equus-Fine Dining At
The Festival Handicap Chase (2.35pm) following several good efforts over
shorter trips last season.
The
six-year-old scored in a two-mile graduation chase at Haydock in November and
was second to the mighty Sprinter Sacre in the BetVictor Tingle Creek Chase
over the same distance at Sandown Park the following month.
He
ended his campaign with two appearances over an extended two miles at
Cheltenham, coming home fifth behind Sprinter Sacre in the re-arranged Clarence
House Chase in January prior to falling early on in the Johnny Henderson Grand
Annual Chase at The Festival.
King
commented: "Kumbeshwar is due to school on Thursday morning and, provided
everything goes well, I think that we will run him at Cheltenham. He has done
very well over the summer and is in good order at the moment.
"I
think that he will be fine over two and a half miles. The plan later in the
season is to step him up to three miles, so I would hope that he will get the
trip on Saturday.
"He
is fairly well exposed - he's not well handicapped - but we have to live with
that and we certainly haven't hidden him away. We will see how he gets on this
weekend before deciding where to aim him next."
Barbury
Castle-based King has started the season in a rich vein of form and his
potential runners at The Showcase also include a pair who won at Chepstow on
October 12.
Balder
Succes could bid to build on a winning debut over fences in the £20,000
Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Novices' Chase (5.00pm) on Saturday, while Handazan, who
readily captured a handicap hurdle, may line up in the £30,000 Masterson
Holdings Hurdle (3.10pm) on the same card.
Talented
chaser Hold On Julio
will switch to the smaller obstacles for Saturday's £17,000 Jools Holland Here
On 9th November Novices' Hurdle (2.00pm), while the rapidly improving Pantxoa will aim for
a fourth consecutive win in the £20,000 Ryman Stationery Cheltenham Business
Club Novices' Chase (3.50pm) on Friday.
King
added: "Balder Success and Handazan are also possible runners and I want
to see how they are on Friday before confirming them. They both did a canter on
Wednesday morning but I am just waiting until Friday to make up my mind.
"Hold
On Julio definitely runs on Saturday and I think that we will stick with the
hurdling route for the time being. He was fifth in the Hennessy last year but
he wasn't good enough then and I don't think he will be again this year.
"Pantxoa
will also take his chance in the novices' chase on Friday. He's gone from a
mark of 119 to 142 on his three latest starts, so he is certainly going the
right way."
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 
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