@CheltenhamRaces Theatre Guide targets Saturday's Argento Chase

Theatre Guide targets Saturday's Argento Chase

Theatre Guide runs in the £100,000 Grade Two Argento Chase (2.25pm, 12 entries) over three miles, one and a half furlongs at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day, this Saturday, January 25.

The Colin Tizzard-trained seven-year-old was narrowly denied by Monbeg Dude in the Grade Three Majordomo Hospitality Handicap Chase over the course and distance at The International on December 13, having previously finished third behind Triolo d'Alene (Nicky Henderson) and Rocky Creek (Paul Nicholls) in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

 

Tizzard reported: "Theatre Guide is in cracking form and I am looking forward to running him in the Argento.

"I think he was beaten by a very good horse last time. I have never seen Monbeg Dude run like that and we looked all over the winner, but our horse had only run 12 days before in the Hennessy.

"Theatre Guide had also finished third behind Bury Parade in a race at Kempton before that, so his form looks strong.

"Theatre Guide is a real progressive horse at the moment and soft ground won't bother him, so I think he will run a big race on Saturday."

Theatre Guide could be joined by the Paul Webber-trained Time For Rupert, who finished fourth on his return in the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on December 21 after over a year off the track.

The 10-year-old has run some of his best races at Cheltenham, finishing second to Big Buck's in the 2010 Ladbrokes World Hurdle and fifth to Synchronised in the 2012 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Webber revealed: "The intention is to run Time For Rupert this weekend, but we are not sure which race he will go for yet as he is also entered at Doncaster. Obviously, one is a conditions race and one is a handicap, so we need to look at the entries and other factors such as the ground.

"He has been fine after his run at Ascot. I just wonder if he got a bit leg-weary after a 14-month absence in that desperate ground. His better performances have always come on spring ground, so we have got to work out what's best.

"I hope he is as good as ever and Denis (O'Regan) thought the same when he rode him in a piece of work two weeks before Ascot, so we are hoping the ground was the main problem."

The 12 entries for the Argento Chase also include Charlie Hall Chase winner Harry Topper (Kim Bailey), 2012 Gold Cup runner-up The Giant Bolster (David Bridgwater), Champion Court (Martin Keighley) and Unioniste (Paul Nicholls).

Also engaged is this season's dual winner Houblon Des Obeaux (Venetia Williams), Pigeon Island (Nigel Twiston-Davies), Restless Harry (Robin Dickin) and Walkon (Alan King).

Course scorer Aubusson (Nick Williams) heads 13 entries for the £30,000 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle (3.00pm) over an extended two and a half miles.  Others engaged include Creepy (Martin Keighley), a Grade Two winner at The Open in November, the unbeaten Red Sherlock (David Pipe) and the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Rathvinden and Renneti.

The other Grade Two contests on the card, the £30,000 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial (12.40pm) and the £60,000 galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (3.35pm), have reopened for entries.

The seven-race programme also includes the £25,000 Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase (1.15pm, 23 entries), the £50,000 freebets.com Trophy Handicap Chase (1.50pm, 19 entries) and the concluding £25,000 Steel Plate And Sections Handicap Hurdle (4.10pm, 17 entries).

About Festival Trials Day

Many of the horses that run on Festival Trials Day are having their final preparation before The Festival and it is rare that this meeting does not feature at least one subsequent Festival winner. In 2013, two horses found themselves in the winner's enclosure on both Festival Trials Day and The Festival itself, Sprinter Sacre and At Fishers Cross.

Festival Trials Day is a great opportunity to see Jump racing's superstars and experience the excitement as The Festival draws closer. Even better, it takes place on a Saturday so there is no need to take a day off to enjoy a visit to The Home of Jump Racing.

After racing, there is another Brightwells Bloodstock sale. See www.brightwells.com  for more information.

The gates open at 10.30am with the first of seven races at 12.40pm and the last race due off at 4.10pm.

The seven-race card features four Grade Two contests - the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial, the Argento Chase, the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle and the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle.

Complementing the four Grade Two contests are three competitive handicaps - the Grade Three freebets.com Trophy Handicap Chase, the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase and the Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle.

The Festival, which takes place on four days between Tuesday, March 11 and Friday, March 14, is the next racing at Cheltenham.

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 has been voted Britain's Racecourse of the Year for the last 10 years by members of the Racegoers Club. Between 1972 and 2013, there have been 41 Racecourse of the Year Awards voted for by Racegoers Club members and Cheltenham Racecourse has achieved the top accolade on 19 occasions.

Please find more details at www.cheltenham.co.uk and through Twitter (@CheltenhamRaces) and Facebook www.facebook.com/thehomeofjumpracing

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